Hurricanes not ready to ‘blow everything up’ after two playoff losses to Panthers

If you’re Paul Maurice and the Florida Panthers, there’s nothing that needs changing

Keep the lines the same. Use the same defensive pairs. And, of course, roll out the hottest goaltender in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Sergei Bobrovsky.

But if you’re Rod Brind’Amour and the Hurricanes …

After beginning the Eastern Conference final with two losses to the Panthers, both in overtime, both at home, the Canes could make some tweaks, Brind’Amour said Sunday.

“You certainly don’t want to change some of the stuff but you have to find a way to get it in the net at the end of the day,” Brind’Amour said. “There’s obviously things we can be better at.”

Brind’Amour said the Canes’ play in the first two games was good enough. The goaltending — from Frederik Andsersen in the first game, Antti Raanta in the second — was good enough.

“It’s not like they’ve been dominating us or any of that,” Canes center Sebastian Aho said Sunday.

In the four-overtime loss Thursday in Game 1, the Canes had Seth Jarvis hit the crossbar on a power play. In Game 2, Mackenzie MacEachern was ruled to have been barely offside after a coach’s challenge from Maurice, negating a goal by Jack Drury that would have given Carolina a 2-0 lead.

“An inch there and an inch in the other game and we’re having a totally different conversation,” Brind’Amour said. “If we’re up 2-0 (in the series) are you looking at any changes? Probably not at all.

“You have to be careful not to try to blow everything up and think it’s not working, But we’ll tweak things here and there. We’ve come this far. We’re not going to be suddenly changing our game.”

The Canes had the edge in scoring chances (35-24) and high-danger chances (23-15) in Game 2, according to NaturalStatTrick.com, the hockey analytics web site. Eleven of the high-danger chances came in the second period.

But defenseman Jalen Chatfield had the only goal, off an Aho pass in the first two minutes of the game. Bobrovsky took care of the rest, defusing every threat, frustrating the Canes.

“Obviously when you get some chances and don’t score you think about it a little bit,” winger Martin Necas said. “You just got to find the one goal and the puck will probably find the net easier.”

The Panthers, with the series shifting to Sunrise, Florida, for Games 3 and 4, will have the last change at home. Maurice can set up the matchups he prefers.

Such is the nature of a playoff series. The matchups change. Strategy comes into play. It becomes a chess match, often with games within the game.

And if you’re the team with the hot goalie, you often win.

“And their goalie has been great. You have to give him all the credit in the world,” Brind’Amour said of Bobrovsky.

One change Brind’Amour would like is better execution on the power play. The Canes had a power play in the first overtime in Game 1 and did not score. With Game 2 tied late in regulation Saturday, the Canes had another power-play opportunity but could not convert.

“Got to score, got to score,” Brind’Amour said. “That’s what’s going on here. It’s grind, grind, grind to create something where you can get your opportunity. Now, you’ve got two minutes and you have to make them pay.

“You have to put them in. Close doesn’t count this time of year.”