"They play a good team game," Berube said. "(Sebastian) Aho's a good player. He's obviously having a great year. They've got real good team speed. They play tight. They're playing five-man units in all three zones. They don't give you a lot of room out there."

Allen figures to have a busy night in goal for the Blues, because the Hurricanes like to send the puck to the net. They lead the league in shots on goal per game at 35.1.

At the other end of the ice, Carolina is the league's stingiest team in terms of shots allowed on goal, at 28.0 per game.

"That's 'cause they're so tight," Berube said. "Five guys all the time defending and they don't give you a lot of room. . . .You've gotta work in your own zone. They're gonna come at you. Their 'D' are gonna pinch all the time on walls and keep pucks alive.

"It's important not to get too frustrated, and you gotta work together. We need real good puck support tonight by everybody. You gotta transfer the puck up the ice and make sure we're getting it in deep and then you gotta go to work. You're gonna have to work to get your opportunities."