Rachel Barkley
The start of the Eastern Conference Final was rough for the Carolina Hurricanes’ superstar defenseman, Jaccob Slavin.
“I’ve never seen that..eight years,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said after Slavin posted a plus/minus of -4 in Game 1. It was the worst numbers he has ever put up in a single game in that metric throughout his eight postseasons.
The coach and his teammates had little doubt he would bounce back, and his performance in Game 2 proved their confidence in him was correct. Both he and his linemate, Jalen Chatfield, were the only defensemen on the Hurricanes to be on the positive side of the plus/minus stat, as they were on the ice for all three goals, and none against.
“We had a really good talk, even this morning, about, you know, we know what we’re capable of doing,” Chatfield said of Slavin following the Game 2 win Saturday. “Seeing him going out there and playing that way, and me just trying to do what I can to help him play his best – and vice versa – you know, we were pumped to get back out there and get another opportunity.”
Jaccob Slavin Details How Faith in God Helped Him Bounce Back for Game 2
For Slavin, his approach to the game was simple but powerful.
“Yeah, for me, honestly, it was a lot of prayer,” he told NHL on TNT reporter Jackie Redmond. “God’s my rock, and my confidence is found in Him. So, in between games, I was just trying to stay focused on that, and just my relationship with Him. Coming out tonight – win, lose, whether I had an even worse game – still gonna give Him the glory. So, He’s worthy of it all, and so thankful just for this opportunity to glorify Him.”
He echoed that mindset when speaking with the assembled media in the locker room, as well.
“I expect a lot of myself, and God’s given me great abilities to play this game. And so, whether it’s a good game or a bad game, I’m going to give Him the glory. That was my mindset going into tonight…just play with confidence in who I am, and Him. Yeah, just let the game come as it does.”
For the Hurricanes, the bounce back of their elite defensive defenseman was exactly what they needed. They relied on him for 29 shifts across nearly 22 and a half minutes. Not only did he land a hit and block a shot, but he also dished out the primary assist to Nikolaj Ehlers’ game-tying goal in the second period.
