Monday, June 19, 2006
The Hurricanes are trying to avoid the embarrassment of blowing a 3-1 lead.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The Carolina Hurricanes staggered home Sunday, trying to figure out how it has gone so wrong, so quickly.
A few of them stopped by the locker room, where they could have been sipping champagne from the Stanley Cup a few days ago. Now, their equipment was being sorted out for one more game, one more chance to avoid a mammoth collapse.
"I think we're all embarrassed by the way we played," defenseman Glen Wesley said.
One timely goal away from capturing the cup in Game 5, the Hurricanes find themselves very much on the defensive heading to Game 7 against the resurgent Edmonton Oilers, who suddenly seem much fresher, a step or two quicker and a lot more determined.
"I know we've been the underdog in most people's minds," Oilers center Shawn Horcoff said. "But we really believe we can get this thing done."
Only one team has squandered a 3-1 lead in the finals. Sixty-four years ago, Detroit actually won the first three games against Toronto, then lost the next four.
The 1942 Red Wings also are one of three teams that jumped out to a 2-0 lead and didn't win the cup.
Overtime loss hurt
The Hurricanes put themselves in position to join those infamous teams with a 4-3 overtime loss at home -- on a short-handed goal, no less -- and a dismal 4-0 defeat at Edmonton Saturday night that evened the series at three games apiece.
Game 7 is tonight in Raleigh.
The Hurricanes have history on their side, if not as much bounce in their skates. When the finals go to Game 7, the home team is 11-2. The 1971 Montreal Canadiens were the last road team to capture the cup in a decisive game.
Just as the Oilers fed off the enthusiasm of their fans Saturday night in Alberta, Carolina is counting on its crowd to be a major factor on Tobacco Road.
"They've been a huge boost to us all year," said rookie goalie Cam Ward, one of the few Hurricanes who's played well throughout the series. "We've got to use that to our advantage."
Wearing them down
Edmonton looked right on the mark when it claimed to be wearing down a Carolina lineup filled with key 30-something players such as Wesley (37), Rod Brind'Amour (35), Bret Hedican (35) and Ray Whitney (34).
Led by feisty, hit-anything-in-red Raffi Torres, the younger Oilers are much like a boxer who just wants to get an aging fighter into the later rounds, then finish him off.
"We feel like we've got them to the point where we can push them over the edge," Edmonton left wing Ethan Moreau said.
Carolina coach Peter Laviolette even seemed to concede as much, at least for one night. He wondered why his team appeared so slow and out of sync in Game 6.
"We were pretty lousy in all aspects," he said. "We didn't have energy in our legs, in our skating, all the things that have been trademark for us all season long."
Maybe they're just saving up for that final game.
"We're not running out of gas. We didn't waste any," Whitney said in a sarcastic dig at his own team's Game 6 effort. "We should have plenty of energy for [tonight]."
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