The numbers that matter
The Canes ran in seven tries at Eden Park to move five points clear of the Waikato Chiefs with rampaging winger Fehi Fineanganofo dotting down for the 16th time this year to tie Super Rugby's try-scoring record for a single season.
With two weekends of matches remaining before the playoffs, the Hurricanes look firmly on course to break a title drought that goes back to their only Super Rugby triumph in 2016.
"We want to be the best team. We want to finish first," Laidlaw told reporters.
"We understand you've got to start again in the playoffs, but if you don't have expectations you're probably going pretty rubbish .... we're not here to shy away from trying to win this competition."
The Chiefs had run in six tries to down the Otago Highlanders 42-12 in Hamilton on Friday and provisionally move to the top of standings.
The Highlanders battled hard to keep their slim playoff hopes alive and the contest was fairly balanced until Argentine lock Tomas Lavanini was shown a yellow card on the half-hour mark.
The victory came at the cost of a concussion for Chiefs fullback Damian McKenzie, while the Highlanders look to have lost rampaging winger Caleb Tangitau for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury.
The Queensland Reds blew their chance to move above the idle Canterbury Crusaders and into the top four on Saturday after going down 19-14 to Western Force in Perth.
Flanker Carlo Tizzano scored two tries for the Force, who held onto their slender lead under intense pressure from the Reds in the last 10 minutes to keep alive their hopes of post-season play.
In Saturday's early game, the New South Wales Waratahs put in their best performance of the season to beat Fijian Drua 50-35 in the stifling heat of Suva.
Playing carefree, attacking rugby, the Waratahs scored six tries to take a 36-7 lead into the break and held on in the last quarter as the Drua charged back at them.
The victory, a first for the Waratahs in Fiji at the third attempt, moved them above the Highlanders into seventh place in the standings.
There was bad news for Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, however, with test centre Joseph Suaalii withdrawing before kickoff with a tight hamstring for the second time this season.