RALEIGH | In sports films, there are always dramatic speeches before a final or a milestone event. But the reality of the NHL doesn't always resemble that of Hollywood.

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“I will not change. I will keep the same approach. When I talk to my players, I will give a speech of about 25 seconds. There isn't much more to say. »

Gerard Gallant made this little confession after the Rangers' morning practice on the ice at the PNC Arena in Raleigh.

Hours into Game 7, Gallant didn't have a paper and pencil in his hands looking for the right words for an emotional speech. And he does not expect a similar scene from his players.

" I hope not. They had a day and a half to prepare for this meeting, he recalled. Our young people are ready. They now have 14 games of playoff experience (including Game 7 against the Hurricanes). »

“They are playing well. I suspect that (Jacob) Trouba and (Chris) Kreider will talk a bit before the match. But I don't expect crazy speeches. This is not what we need. We will need to play our game, play with speed and have 20 guys pushing in the same direction. If you play well, you continue on your way. If you don't win, you want to feel like you did your best. »

Trouba and Ryan Stome met with reporters after optional practice. The Rangers defender smiled when told of his head coach's comments about dressing room speeches.

"I'll be myself," Trouba said. This morning the guys were laughing and having fun. We will have fun for this seventh game. There will be no long speeches. We know what we have to do. This team has faced a lot of adversity all year. »

Not the neglected

In Trouba's eyes, the Rangers don't have to play the underdog role even if they find themselves in hostile territory in North Carolina. Since the start of the playoffs, the "Blue Shirts" have won only one game on the road. It was in Game 6 against the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

"We believe in ourselves, we know we have a good team," Trouba said. I know that we have been writing since the start of the playoffs that we are a young team and that we lack experience. But I don't care about that. I know the potential of our team. »

A battle

The morning of a seventh game, there are always tons of clichés. The Hurricanes were no exception.

"Right now we're pretty calm," center Sebastian Aho said. But the further the day progresses, the more the intensity will increase. I don't know if it's stress, but there is excitement. It will be a fun game to play. We will have the opportunity to play in front of our fans once again for a seventh game. I expect a great battle between two good teams. We will want to win. It's awesome. »

“We play hockey for this reason, we probably played a 7th game in our head 5000 times, added winger Max Domi. When I was a kid, I imagined myself on the ice for a seventh game in the NHL playoffs. I am lucky to experience this for the second time in a few days. »

Domi had his best playoff game in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. The number 13 had scored two goals in addition to getting an assist in a 4-3 win.

We've written it more than once. But the Hurricanes still haven't lost at home since the start of the playoffs (7-0). Conversely, they have yet to win a game on the road (0-6).

“You have stories to publish and you have spoken about this stat often,” replied head coach Rod Brind’Amour. However, that is part of the past. We don't talk about it in our locker room. We are only focusing on this game. »