Sizzling Canes can tie franchise record for longest win streak

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Carolina Hurricanes are just one win away from tying the longest win streak in their franchise history. That opportunity arrives Tuesday night in Detroit against the lowly Red Wings. The key to their success? Great players of course, but more importantly, great players playing with great effort.

In a league where the margins between teams are the garlic-slicing-scene-in-Goodfellas thin, stringing together eight straight wins is a serious anomaly.

"We expect to win every night, and I don't think any one of us in the locker room are surprised that we're on a little hot streak here, and I know we're not going to stop." defenseman Brett Pesce said Tuesday.

Coach Rod Brind'Amour agrees.

"I think the guys get that when we play it the way we are trying to that we can be successful against anybody," he said, "so, I think there's always that confidence and, you know, I know it's eight in a row, I guess, but that's not how we look at it, to be honest with you."

What Brind'Amour is talking about there is his players' focus -- not on maintaining their streak but on dealing with the 60 minutes of hockey directly in front of them and always giving their all.

Jesper Fast used to admire the Canes as an opponent. Now that he's on the team that's only grown.

"The consistent work ethic that's been out there every game I feel like we're such a hard team to beat when everyone is playing this way," Fast said.

The hard work is hard on the body. Pesce was asked Tuesday if he can believe that the condensed season is already basically half over.

"Personally, I think it feels like over half a season. It's a grind, man and we're playing a lot of games in a short amount of days," Pesce said. "It takes a toll but like you said, we're halfway to go so we've got to keep dialing in."

The Hurricanes will lose again at some point but with Brind'Amour at the controls, it's almost never about lack of effort. He likes to say that every team is trying to do roughly the same thing. Right now, his team is just doing those things better.

"We need everyone back to be the team I think we can be," he said. "Is there another level? I think for sure there's always that other level to get to and we're always striving for that, always."