Notes and Quotes: Reaction from the Carolina Hurricanes’ 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals

From the Coach

Bill Peters:

We’re trying to find some solutions, and tonight that was a very good line. And it should be a good line. There’s a lot of hockey sense there. Teravainen seems like he’s fitting in and getting comfortable, playing with a lot of confidence. Seabass, now that he’s gotten on the board, is going to take a step also.

Momentum in our sport is big. Scoring first is big. Leads after 20 and 40 minutes are huge. I thought we were playing well up until then. They’re a dangerous team. Their second wave had us in trouble at times. But I liked our game.

I liked seeing Bicks at the rink today. He’s a good man, he’s got energy, and guys love him. I know postgame they split the award, he got it and Seabass got it.

You have to go to the net. You have to get inside the hash marks. All the stuff on the perimeter they’re not going to call, but when you’re in the blue area you’re going to get those calls. I thought our guys went to the net well and got rewarded for it.

We played more of a complete game, so that’s a positive sign moving forward. We responded [to Thursday’s loss] and now we have to get ready to play a real good team.

We are a good team. We’ve got a good group of guys in there, and I believe in the group in the locker room. It’s taken longer than we’ve liked, but we’ve played well at times. Our bugaboo has been playing 60 minutes, then getting everyone contributing.

In the Room

Sebastian Aho:

It was a pretty good goal for me. It was a huge shift for our line, and we made many good plays.

We played pretty well. [Staal] is a great player. He can score, he can pass, he skates hard. He’s a good line mate.

Teuvo Teravainen:

He’s strong and wins a lot of faceoffs. I really enjoy playing with him. Hopefully we can play more together.

[Question: can the team keep shooting and scoring the way they did tonight?] We have a lot of skill and speed, so why not? We just have to shoot the puck more. When we shoot and get the rebounds, we’re scoring. We just need to stay with it.

Cam Ward:

We wanted to make sure we put the heat on them as quickly as we could, and I thought we did tonight.

[Ryan and McGinn] are good players. They’re here for a reason. They’ve shown in the past that they can play in this league, and it’s exciting to see those guys give us some life. They brought some good energy tonight.

You want to play well at home, but at the same time try to not do anything special and play for one another. Tonight we did that, and hopefully we can get some momentum for the rest of the homestand.

Tonight was a little bit of a choppy game for me. They do a lot of things down low and round the post. I have some areas that I can still work on, but I’m pleased with the way that it’s been going lately.

You don’t want to give that team any life. They have some sharpshooters on that side that can put the puck in the net. It was pretty quiet in the second half, and that’s a credit to the guys in front of me. We managed the lead and controlled the puck very well.

Game Notes

• Aho’s three-point night is the second multi-point game of his rookie season, joining a two-assist effort against the Flyers in the penultimate game of the season-opening road trip.
• Jeff Skinner led Canes forwards with 22:52 of ice time. Teravainen managed a four-point night in just under 16:00 of playing time, and Aho was even more impressive, with three points in just 12:13 on the ice.
• Jordan Staal tied his career high with a four point night, the third time he’s achieved that feat in his nine NHL seasons.
• The Canes have now gone six straight games without allowing a power play goal, their longest stretch of the season. They’re 16-for-16 since the loss to the Flyers on October 30.
• Lee Stempniak’s assist on Victor Rask’s second-period goal gives him a two-goal point streak of his own, and he looks like he may be turning the corner after enduring a seven-game skid without a point that was snapped on Thursday against the Ducks.
• The Canes have the day off tomorrow. They’re back at practice Monday to prepare for a visit from the defending Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.