Wipe the slate clean: Canes talk playoffs, beards, get ready for Capitals

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wipe that slate clean. Get one last shave in. Sixteen hockey squads all have the same mindset going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Hurricanes have several guys who are sharing their experience to the newbies. Like Captain Justin Williams, who's a three-time champion.

"At the end of the series, you want to really, really make them earn it, Williams said. Or you want to be able to push them out. At some point, somebody is going to give and say it's too hard. We have to make sure it's not us."

The NHL playoffs are a battle of attrition. The first round is unique. A combination of fresh legs and confidence can carry a team through.

"I think you get by on adrenaline, you get by on excitement and as it wanes on, there's a mental battle for sure," said head coach Rod Brind'Amour.

He believes that at the end of a seven-game series, the best team is left standing.

The immense post-season grind isn't the only thing that separates hockey with other sports. Unkempt facial hair however, isn't for everyone and Brind'Amour will stay clean shaven.

"Everybody is superstitious to a certain degree. Everybody grows playoff beards, but the record isn't very good if only one team wins. Something's not right with that," he pointed out. "It isn't adding up. There's 15 teams that it's not working for. "

Asked who has the worst beard to this point, Williams didn't skip a beat before saying Brock McGinn's is the worst. Sebastian Aho, who is just 21, said he'll "try" to grow one, which was met with laughter.

Maybe the Canes will stick around long enough for his to show.