WASHINGTON _ Rod Brind'Amour knew what was coming, and the Carolina Hurricanes coach tried to convey that to his team.
The Hurricanes had not been in the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2009. The Washington Capitals were the defending Stanley Cup champions, hardened, confident, talented, playing at home, determined to win another Cup.
"We talked about it at length," Brind'Amour said Thursday before Game 1 of the Canes-Cap playoff series. "At the end of the day it's all about the experience of it. They're going to get punched in the mouth right away. It's going to hit you. It doesn't sneak up on you. I'm sure there will be a little bit of a feeling-out process for our guys. I just hope it doesn't take too long."
The Caps did not sneak up on the Canes come game time. They hit the Canes in the mouth with three goals in the opening period, two by Nicklas Backstrom and a third from Alex Ovechkin, then held on for 4-2 victory at Capital One Arena.
Rookie forward Andrei Svechnikov scored twice for the Canes in the third period. Lucas Wallmark assisted on both goals as the Canes, who had been building a game after the nightmarish first period, made a push.
Canes goalie Petr Mrazek made some sparkling saves early in the third _ on Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin _ and Svechnikov and his line then gave the Canes some offense. Svechnikov's second goal, on a shot from the right circle, finally quieted a festive crowd.
The Canes, trailing by a goal, had two power plays later in the third _ the second with 3:36 left in regulation when T.J. Oshie high-sticked Sebastian Aho and the Canes pulled Mrzaek for an extra attacker. But Lars Eller's empty netter sealed it.
The Canes came out hitting, determined not to be pushed around in the playoff opener. Micheal Ferland and Justin Faulk were banging and there were a lot of pushes and shoves around the Caps net in front of goalie Braden Holtby.
The Caps did not have a shot on goal in the first 9:34 of the game as the Canes forecheck was effective. But once they did ...
Backstrom carried the puck into the Canes zone and unleashed a wrister from the right circle that beat goalie Petr Mrazek high to the glove side _ a shot that appeared to stun Caps fans and Backstrom.
Then, Canes penalties. Faulk high-sticked Ovechkin. Ferland was called for interference.
The Caps efficiently took advantage on the power plays. Evgeny Kuznetsov found Backstrom alone in front of the crease for a tap-in. On the second power play, Ovechkin set up in his usual, lethal spot, in the left circle, for a couple of shots, then crashed the net to bang in a rebound.
Defenseman John Carlson earned his third assist of the period, Caps fans broke out into a "back-to-back" chant and the stains of "Sledgehammer" were heard on the arena organ when the period ended. _ an appropriate choice it seemed.
It was a frustrating opening period for the Canes, who played so well over the last 45 games of the season to end a nine-year playoff drought. They had a few good offensive chances _ Jordan Staal had a point-blank look, Jaccob Slavin made Holtby make a tough save late in the period _ but couldn't convert.
The Canes did kill off a Svechnikov penalty early in the second and got their first power play when the Caps were called for too many men on the ice. But the Caps both killed off that penalty and roughed up the Canes on the kill and tempers began to rise.
Caps defenseman Matt Niskanen rammed into Aho well after Aho had passed the puck and Canes captain Justin Williams had a few words with a ref after a whistle stopped play.
The Canes have chance to even the series Saturday in Game 2, and perhaps will have a lot of the jitters behind them.
Williams, before the game, also expressed what Brind'Amour had said about playoff hockey. Williams won three Cups, the first with the Canes in 2006 when Brind'Amour was the captain, and had 140 games of playoff experience.
"I don't think there's anything you can say," Williams said. "You have to experience it for yourself. It's the best playoffs in sports and there's a reason for it. The intensity is ratcheted up and it's competitive."
The Canes learned Thursday. But it's a best-of-seven series. There's another day.
