“That was really demoralizing,” said a troubled Rod Brind’Amour on Saturday. And his distress is legit. After all, the Carolina Hurricanes now stand on the edge of playoff elimination after their 3rd straight defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals, just like in 2023. But now, with only grim stats surrounding the Canes, the head coach seems to have had enough with a limping team to depend on.
At the Amerant Bank Arena, the defining champs made the most of home ice advantage and thrashed the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 to take a resolute 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. Evidently, swapping out Frederik Andersen for Pyotr Kochetkov didn’t do enough to keep the Metropolitan Division heavyweights on level terms on the road. And Brind’Amour is at his wits’ end.
In a post on X by Sportsnet from May 24, snippets from the Carolina Hurricanes’ boss’ post-match presser were shared with the caption, “Rod Brind’Amour on the Hurricanes’ performance so far in the Eastern Conference Final.” On being asked how he would justify a veteran team like the Canes falling down like a house of cards against the Cats, the coach said, frowning, “I just said it, this bad decision-making. And, you know,the four rookies in the lineup can’t be some of your better players,” possibly referring to how having rookies like defenseman Alexander Nikishin didn’t help to hold the fort against the stacked squad like Paul Maurice’s.
“Like, that can’t happen. So there’s a couple guys in there that, you know, I don’t think came to play the way they needed to in this type of time of year,” Brind’Amour finally seemed to admit that it was the team that lacked the motivation and skill to stay in the Cup contention. Probably not entirely untrue. After all, not having players like Sean Walker and Jalen Chatfield obviously didn’t help the Carolina Hurricanes.
“There’s a couple of guys in there that I don’t think came to play the way they needed to.”
Rod Brind’Amour on the Hurricanes’ performance so far in the Eastern Conference Final. pic.twitter.com/C4yXPrvgbO
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 25, 2025
The Canes’ offensive line, made up of Taylor Hall, Sebastian Aho, and Seth Jarvis, was outscored 2-0 and out-attempted 17-6 at five-on-five by the Panthers’ top line. If that wasn’t enough, Carolina’s attacking trio only posted a poor 16.80% expected goals rate, a number you can’t possibly have and hope to win against a team like Florida.
For understandable reasons, Brind’Amour couldn’t help but vent. “You can’t do that, can’t do it anytime. Do that in a preseason game, and it will cost you. That team? You turn it over for an odd-man rush and forget it. We know that,” he told reporters after the game at the Amerant Bank Arena just hours ago. But he’s not out of the woods just yet.
The Carolina Hurricanes need to pull up their socks
Today’s loss marks the Hurricanes’ 15th straight Conference Final loss. Their last victory in the series came way back in 2006, and naturally, some fans are reaching the end of their patience. And yet, while some call for immediate answers, others continue to point out how Rod Brind’Amour has been a boon for Carolina. Underscoring the fact that the coach wasn’t the boss of the team for all of those Eastern Conference Finals defeats, many Canes fans continue to place their faith in Rod to turn things around for the team in the coming days.
NHL, Eishockey Herren, USA Stanley Cup Playoffs-Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes May 20, 2025 Raleigh, North Carolina, USA Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky 72 defends against Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal 11 during the second period in game one of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Raleigh Lenovo Center North Carolina USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJamesxGuilloryx 20250520_ams_sg5_0096
And let’s not forget how the roster practically has no top-tier talent as compared to most of its peers in the NHL. And yet, it looks like the Florida stars are preparing for the worst, especially considering how things might not take long before going belly up in their quest to hold on to the coveted Stanley Cup. “You don’t think about that. We are prepared to go seven here,” said Brad Marchand after tonight’s defeat, underscoring that giving the Carolina Hurricanes any room to spread its arms could result in disaster for the Cats.
“I don’t think really anybody enjoys playing Carolina. Like, they’re a tough team to play against, and they make it hard on you every game,” the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk also made it clear that he and his teammates weren’t taking the Hurricanes lightly, especially at this stage of the postseason. However, the current series situation would make fans think that the Cats can relax for a bit, especially with Game 4 returning to the Amerant Bank Arena.
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