The Carolina Hurricanes spent Wednesday morning practicing for a playoff round they still could not fully plan for, while the Philadelphia Flyers tried to close out the Pittsburgh Penguins and decide who Carolina will face next. If the Penguins won at home Wednesday night, the first-round series would go seven games and likely push back the start of the Hurricanes’ second-round schedule.
Rod Brind’Amour made the workout feel like a game, putting his team through situations meant to match playoff speed and physicality. Seth Jarvis said that was the point. “It’s nice to go out there and compete,” he said.
The other headline for Carolina was Alexander Nikishin, who was back on the ice Wednesday morning in a yellow, no-contact jersey after suffering a concussion Saturday on a hit in Game 4 against Ottawa. Brind’Amour said he was hopeful Nikishin would be ready for the Hurricanes’ second-round game, adding that the defenseman was feeling good and moving in the right direction through testing.
That hope is balanced by the reality of head injuries, and Taylor Hall put it plainly: “Concussions are never a straight line to coming back.” The Hurricanes do not have to rush a decision, but they do have to keep one ready. If Nikishin cannot play, Mike Reilly is prepared to step in, and Charles Alexis LeGault was recalled from the Chicago Wolves earlier in the week as Carolina kept its depth options available.
The timing matters because the Hurricanes are waiting on the winner between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to learn when and where their next series begins. Carolina practiced on Wednesday morning. The Flyers were scheduled to try to finish the Penguins on Wednesday night. The Hurricanes then had Thursday morning off, a small sign that even in the playoffs, the calendar can be set by someone else’s result.
Brind’Amour said the situation forces some flexibility. “It’s a little bit of a guessing game on what’s the best way to approach things,” he said. For Carolina, the guess turns on two things at once: whether the Flyers’ schedule of playoff hockey ends Wednesday night, and whether Nikishin’s recovery keeps trending toward a return when the Hurricanes finally play again.