2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog - NJD vs. CAR

Forty-four saves by Martin Brodeur in Game 5? Bravo, says Hurricanes defenceman Joe Corvo.

But ...

“He played well last night," Corvo said Friday. "On the other hand, I think a lot of pucks just hit him and he had no clue where they were. Just keep getting a lot of shots on him and eventually they’ll go in. I think Cam played just as good as or better than Marty yesterday.”

Corvo did say this about the series: “It’s been exciting, I’ll tell you that much. It hasn’t been boring.”

Elimination? No sweat

Carolina captain Rod Brind’Amour insisted the pressure isn't any greater facing elimination.

“I don’t know if there is any more or less," he said. "We know we have to win. I don’t think it changes our game. We know if we don’t win, we’re done. We have two games we have to win, but we have to take them one at a time.

“We’re not going to win if we don’t score, that’s obvious. If we were getting five shots or five chances a game I’d say we’re in trouble. We’ve been managing to create some offence so that’s the positive. We’ll just throw everything at them and see what happens.”

Maybe he won't be so “lucky.”

Samsonov possible for Game 6

Sergei Samsonov was too sore to play in Thursday night's fifth game, but there is a possibility he could return for Sunday's Game 6.

“We’ve got a few guys that are banged up," Carolina coach Paul Maurice said Friday. "No real concerns. Two days will sort that out for us. We’ll put as many guys as we need to on the ice tomorrow morning and rest the others, then have a full morning skate.”

As for Samsonov, Maurice said: “It’s not so serious that it’s out of the realm. A lot will depend on how he feels. Pretty tough lad. He’s played with some things before. We knew he wouldn’t play last night. Game 6 we’re hopeful.”

Maurice said he is not necessarily looking for a hero. Then again ...

“I don’t think we’re waiting for one player to be the difference," he said, "but in close games you always look at one player as being the difference. When it’s tight or in overtime, it’s the guy who scores the goal. When it’s 1-0, it’s the guy who shuts you out.”

According to Hurricanes stats, they had 72 shot attempts in Game 5. Forty-four got through.

“When you go back and watch and you’re done dissecting the things you did and didn’t like, you realize it was a 1-0 game with about 130 attempted shots at the net," Maurice noted. "It was not your typical defensive struggle.”

Let’s forget Game 5: Ward

The two goalies were marvellous in Game 5. One of them would like to forget all about it.

Cam Ward won't look back with fondness.

“No, I don’t want to remember any game we lost,” he said.

So, is the loss still on the Hurricanes' minds?

“I think we were able to leave it in Jersey and look forward to Sunday," Ward said. "It was an exciting game. You look at a game that had 80-plus shots, who would’ve thought it would have been one goal that decided the game? It’s over and done with.

“We have to be excited to come to the building and play with confidence on Sunday. Our backs are against the wall. We’re one game from elimination but we can’t come to the rink scared an uptight and worry about the what-ifs. We have to be excited and play with some confidence. Even though it is Game 6, we have to treat it like it’s a Game 7.”

One thing Ward hasn't forgotten yet is the way the Devils came at his crease a few times.

“They’ve always been a team that drives to the net very hard and look for those rebounds," he said. "There were a couple instances where I got touched or bumped, but that’s part of the game. That stuff’s going to happen. As long as it doesn’t rattle me and get to me, it’s not that big a deal. I’m not going to sit here and whine about getting bumped.”