The Carolina Hurricanes’ Eastern Conference final series against the Florida Panthers took a drastic turn for the worse on Thursday night. A 5-0 loss to the Panthers has left the Canes reeling, and coach Rod Brind’Amour admitted that his team’s process was off.
Brind’Amour attributed the Hurricanes’ struggles to trying to do too much and not playing to their strengths. “We came out with the right intentions, but it was trying to do too much,” he said. “And then we’re not doing the things that we do as a team that normally help us.”
The lack of shooting proved particularly problematic, with the Hurricanes having just seven shots through 40 minutes of play despite being down 4-0 in the game.
Taylor Hall, the newly acquired veteran forward, echoed Brind’Amour’s sentiments. “A little bit” of hesitancy entered the picture, he admitted, as the team struggled to generate offense through their usual means.
Captain Jordan Staal, who has been a cornerstone for the Hurricanes since 2017, was equally critical of his team’s performance. “Tonight was just not good,” he said. “There wasn’t really much to hang your hat on at all.”
Brind’Amour acknowledged that the team’s identity crisis is evident, but emphasized the need to learn from their mistakes and move forward. “Sometimes it’s easier to recover from a game like that because there’s nothing good (that comes) out of it,” he said.
The Hurricanes are now down 2-0 in the series, and Brind’Amour urged his team to not throw the game away, but rather learn from their mistakes and give themselves a chance to recover.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6376993/2025/05/23/hurricanes-identity-game-2-nhl-playoffs-panthers