‘We Made A Lot Of Mistakes’: Logan Stankoven, Sebastian Aho, Rod Brind’Amour On Loss To Capitals
The Carolina Hurricanes fell 4-1 to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night, snapping their four-game winning streak.
The Canes made too many turnovers on the night and just couldn’t get enough pressure on Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, who made 30 shots in the win.
After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour along with Logan Stankoven and Sebastian Aho spoke with the media. Here’s what they had to say:
On self-inflicted mistakes: We made a lot of mistakes, for sure. Coming in, we knew what kind of game it was going to be and we didn’t play it like that. We talked about it and it was like, ‘Eh, okay.’ You can’t beat yourself, especially against a good team. I give them credit because their game was on and they did what they had to do, especially at the start of the game. You could tell what their mindset was and we were just not sharp.
On if Frederik Andersen was pulled by concussion spotter: Yeah.
On if it feels like a wasted effort given how well Andersen played: I thought he was good. The other guy was as good if not better. He made some really nice saves to let them just keep doing their game and not have to change anything. Obviously on a couple of the goals against, we were trying to force things. You just can’t do that. So it was a little bit self-inflicted, but you have to give the other team a little more credit.
On the penalties upsetting the flow of the game: It takes your momentum out and we didn’t execute. Win the draw clean and we don’t execute what we’re supposed to do there and it doesn’t get out. Then it’s on you. Again, they made some good plays on the power play, but we have to execute when we have full possession. It’s gotta get down. There were a bunch of those where we didn’t get the clears. Can’t give any team second or third looks.
On Logan Stankoven’s fight: It was a tough one because that was the line that was out there. You know, he might be the toughest guy we had out there with those groups. But he’s not gonna back down. We know that. He’s a tough kid. That line was actually, those two guys especially, Blaker and him, they were dragging us into this game and trying to get us going. We needed more guys though tonight.
On the game: Just too many turnovers and we kind of let them dictate play. Didn’t work out well in our end and it showed in the end.
On the neutral zone struggles: I think they did a good job of reloading and I found that when I kind of had my head up to make a play or try and receive a puck, they had a lot of guys above. They did a good job of shutting down our neutral zone play and creating speed.
On the Washington Capitals: When you play a team so many times, there are rivalries that come up. Not sure if you can call this a rivalry or not, but there’s lots of physicality. It’s big boy hockey out there and I enjoy playing that type of hockey and it’s what we have to expect at the end of the season.
On his fight: I’ve never had a fight in my life. But I think things change over time. I think people change and I think when you see a teammate down like that and they try to push us around, we’re not going to stand for that. Just tried to jump in there and next thing you know, gloves were off. I thought it was a great fight.
On handling himself well despite that: You don’t really feel much in the moment. You’re just kind of swinging away. Got cut a little bit, but doesn’t hurt. Good news.
On the fact that he pretty much won the fight: I honestly enjoyed it. I don’t know if I should do it again or not, but sometimes you have to step up for teammates and stand your ground.
On if he actually enjoyed it: I actually did.
On if he’s been waiting for that moment: You never know when it’s going to happen, but like I said, you have to jump in sometimes. Being a smaller guy, you can’t be afraid of getting in there and getting your hands dirty sometimes.
On going after someone other than Tom Wilson this time: I don’t think that would end too well. At least I picked a guy I could go toe-to-toe with.
On puck management influencing the game: Tough turnovers all over the ice. Obviously their second goal, I have to put that puck in. I think that and also they did the details and little things better than us tonight. Just have to be better.
On if the game came down to self-inflicted wounds: Well, sure, but I thought they played a good game. They made it hard on us and the two teams play a pretty similar game. Obviously now we know how it feels when we’re executing. You have no room. I think they played a good game and we obviously were no where near where we need to be.
On moving past tough turnovers: There’s no reason to get frustrated. Obviously you’d like to take that back, whatever, but you just have to move on and play hockey. There’s good things, bad things, whatever. It’s hockey. You play 82 games, so it might happen once or twice more before the year is over. You just try to be sharper at times, but at the same time, you’re just trying to move forward.
On if he felt the power play generated enough despite not scoring: There were a couple of looks, but other than that, I didn’t like it. We didn’t execute the last passes. Gotta be better in that department too.
On Logan Stankoven’s fight: He showed a lot of heart there. Got in there for Blakey and that’s what you need to become a team. That will help us have success later this season. That showed a lot of courage on his part. We already knew that. Nobody is expecting him to fight, but protecting your brother out there is a good sign.
Jordan Staal: The Longest Serving Carolina Hurricane
Bringing the Boom: Alexander Nikishin Just Scratching The Surface
‘Just A Very Special Player’: Seth Jarvis’ Versatility, Talent Make Him Surefire Bet For Team Canada
Jalen Chatfield Placed On Injured Reserve, Defenseman Gavin Bayreuther Recalled By Carolina
Hurricanes Defenseman Out Three To Four Months Following Hand Surgery
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
