Assistant coach Cory Jane said the Hurricanes were well aware of the different pressures of playoff rugby because of their experiences over the last two years.
"There is more pressure although you don't have to stress about getting bonus points."
They were exposed at various stages last year when pressure kicked into their performance, and they didn't make the best decisions.
"We trained a few moves last year for the Brumbies, and spent a lot of that time training them and never used them. So, it's a waste of time doing that if you're not going to use it."
It was crucial to take opportunities when they occurred.
"You don't know when those moments are [in the heat of the game], but you've got to take your opportunities. It's about winning the game. You don't have to get too fancy all the time because you're not trying to score a bonus point.
"You're trying to go out there to play a great game for your team to build confidence and then hurt the other team's momentum.
"We haven't quite got that right the last couple of years."
Jane said the side had played well to reach the top of the table at the end of the regular season.
There has been significant growth among some of the players.
"It's like NPC level where it's a little slower, and then Super Rugby's a bit faster, and some of them are starting to see the Super Rugby level as NPC where it's starting to slow down a little. That's the growth.
"Guys are speaking at meetings and challenging each other. We haven't seen that, and we challenge them all to do that at the beginning of the year.
"That part has been unbelievable for the guys."
Responding to Blues coach Vern Cotter's comments after their loss to the Chiefs at the weekend that finishing second wasn't necessarily bad, Jane said there was pressure finishing on top.
It was supposed to give you a more leisurely ride through the playoffs because you won the advantage of playing all the games at home.
But the competition had shown that any team could win on their day.
As a member of the last Hurricanes team to finish at the top of the table in 2016, Jane said it did give a side a boost, but it didn't mean much if you couldn't win your quarterfinal.
"But you do get to stay at home. Everything's normal for you. You train at your facility and have the captain run at your stadium. It certainly beats travelling and staying in hotels.