Edwards Hoping for King-Sized Comeback

The Carolina Hurricanes may be facing the Detroit Red Wings in the playoffs for the first time, but that’s not the case for goaltending coach Don Edwards, an assistant for the Kings the previous six seasons.

For the third season in a row, Edwards is coaching against Detroit in the playoffs, and he knows that it’s possible to come back against the Red Wings, who have a 3-1 series lead with Game 5 tonight.

Last season, the Kings fell behind in games, 2-0, to Detroit in the first round but came back to win four in a row.

“The style that they play really hasn’t changed very much ... but they just have more high-skilled guys to work with,” Edwards said.

“Having faced these guys for three years in a row, their team as a whole has changed because of their depth. In years prior, they had two lines to throw at you, and now, you look at their fourth line, that line would match up with a lot of top lines around the league.”

For the Hurricanes to extend their season, they will need a huge effort from goalie Arturs Irbe, who gave up three goals in Detroit’s Game 4 victory Monday.

“I don’t think that he’s played a bad game in the series,” Edwards said. “He’s been handling the puck a lot less and we need that so we can slow the game down enough for us to make changes.

“We just have to keep the game simple. We’ll make some slight changes with our system to counteract Detroit’s strengths.... But we’re certainly not discouraged.”