Hurricanes finish last practice at PNC Arena before departing for Toronto
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The next time the Carolina Hurricanes take this ice will be in Toronto for the NHL restart.
"I think the fellas are about done with practicing and we're ready to get into it," said Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal. "It's about time to start playing some games and the guys are excited for it and getting back to competing with each other."
"I really liked the first week," said Hurricanes coach, Rod Brind'Amour. "Everybody was excited to be back but now I think they're ready to play some games. I think even though from a coaching standpoint I'm not quite seeing what I love. I'd like to see it sharper but at this point we've had enough practice. We aren't gonna get there until we start playing games."
Brind'Amour said the team will go through COVID-19 testing Sunday morning and then fly out later in the afternoon. Brett Pesce will not be on the plane but will have a spot on the Phase 4 roster.
"Hopefully we'll see him at some point," Brind'Amour said. "If we're talking about Brett Pesce playing we're going in the right direction."
The Canes face the Caps in an exhibition game Wednesday. Brind'Amour says that will be important to get the rust off.
"To say decisions are made before that game, I would be wrong," Brind'Amour said. "We are definitely going to make some decisions after that game solidifying the lineup going forward. I would say the game it matters for sure."
"It definitely will be different," said Hurricanes defenseman, Jaccob Slavin. "Your body is feeling good. It's the mental side of it you're just oging to have to be prepared right away. To get into that playoff mentality is going to be a challenge but I think Roddy has done a great job of preparing for us already. We're ready for it, we know what we're going up against and we know what we have to do to win."
