Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour was asked Sunday for his Super Bowl pick: Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs or the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs?
“I’ve been so out of it I really haven’t thought about it,” he said. “It’s tough to bet against Brady but I think the better team wins and that’s the Chiefs. That’s my take.”
Truth is, Brind’Amour was a lot more interested in who would win Sunday between the Canes and the Columbus Blue Jackets. After the two-game set against the Chicago Blackhawks in which the Canes (6-2-0) were not at their best, winning a shootout and then losing 6-4, Brind’Amour is looking for more enthused, efficient play.
One area that needs shoring up, quickly, is the penalty killing, which had been spot-on in the first six games of the season but was spotty against Chicago. The Blackhawks had a power-play goal in the first game, then three in the opening period of the second game.
The Canes returned to Raleigh from Chicago, practiced Saturday at Wake Competition Center, then flew to Columbus.
The lineup
Brind’Amour said forward Jesper Fast would return to the lineup Sunday. Fast was the last of six Canes players to go on the COVID-19 protocol list and the last to be removed, missing five games but joined the team practice Saturday.
“He probably needs more practice time but he’s going to play,” Brind’Amour said on the media call. “That’s just how it is nowadays. He had one practice with us, said he felt pretty good, so he’ll be out there.”
Brind’Amour said James Reimer again would be the starting goalie, which likely means Alex Nedeljkovic will get his first start of the season Monday to complete the back-to-back. Nedeljkovic is a native of Parma, Ohio, about two hours north of Columbus.
The Canes did not have a morning skate Sunday.
