Another bad news hit the Carolina Hurricanes: The head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes shed tears as four of his star players made a final decision to terminate their huge contracts.
Raleigh, North Carolina What went wrong in the Carolina Hurricanes’ defeat by the New York Rangers in the second round? Not a whole heck of a lot, according to Rod Brind’Amour.
During the day off between Games 3 and 4, Brind’Amour remarked, “We’re focusing on how bad we’re playing (in press conferences), but we’re really playing pretty damn well.”
He was not in error. As predicted, his Hurricanes went on to win Games 4 and 5, and they even led 3-1 going into the third quarter of Game 6, giving the President’s Trophy winners a real fright. However, the outcome remained the same: another season without a conference final triumph, a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, or a championship.
The Rangers did not completely destroy the Hurricanes any more than the Florida Panthers did in the Eastern Conference final a season prior. It was a toss-up every game, just like in that series. Carolina won two of those matchups this time around, falling to the Rangers in six games after being swept by the Panthers.
proceed more deeply
GO FURTHER
Five lessons from the Rangers’ comeback to defeat the Hurricanes
Jaccob Slavin, a defenseman for Carolina, stated, “It’s been two really, really good teams going at it.” “Hockey playoffs are that.” Any hockey playoff game will be intense. While I wouldn’t characterize work as high-stress, each shift matters. It’s those kinds of games and those kinds of intensely enjoyable moments that we all play for.
Year after year, the Hurricanes have consistently performed well enough to participate in those games. However, they haven’t performed well enough to take them. At least not past the second round. Despite having little to show for their designation as Stanley Cup contenders, they have been for at least four seasons running. Is the Hurricanes’ inexplicably tight series loss against a superior team a signal that they should change their approach? That decision can only be made by Brind’Amour and general manager Don Waddell.
After Game 6, Brind’Amour remarked, “It’s a business, and I would love to roll it back with these guys.” “However, who can predict how it will all turn out?”
Here are five things to remember from one of the most consistently competitive teams in the league following another disappointing loss.
Nothing noteworthy
A little while ago, Brind’Amour stated that two games were being played: one at even strength and the other on special teams. And at evens, the Hurricanes were strong as usual. After four games, Carolina led all second-round teams in anticipated goals (55.51%), and they defeated the Rangers 11-9 at even strength. Over the four games, they attempted about 58 percent of all shots.
However, only the Rangers lived up to the hype in this matchup between clubs with the best penalty kill and power plays in the league. The Rangers scored two power-play goals in the first two games and added a shorthanded goal by Chris Kreider in the third, as Carolina went winless in the first three games when using the man advantage. That’s how you make a 0–3 hole for yourself. As the series progressed, they began to settle into a rhythm on both the power play and penalty kill, but by the time calls eventually started to become fewer and farther between, the damage had already been done. The Rangers went 5-for-19 with two shorthanded goals at the end of the series, while the Hurricanes were 2-of-20 on the power play.
Following Game 3, Brind’Amour remarked, “Our special players have to be special at the right times, and that’s during the power play.” “That’s what’s currently lacking here.”
