Things are not looking particularly great for the Hurricanes.
After winning 47 regular-season games, then taking down New Jersey and Washington over their first two playoff series, Carolina is now on the verge of a quick elimination at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champions. On Saturday, the Panthers took down the Hurricanes 6-2, scoring five goals in the third period to pull away.
Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour was clearly frustrated after another rough loss to Florida, calling out his team’s stars — such as Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis — to step up amid the struggles.
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Here’s what Brind’Amour had to say after the Hurricanes fell down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday.
Rod Brind’Amour calls out Hurricanes stars after Game 3 loss to Panthers
Through three games in the Carolina vs. Florida series, the Panthers have been outscored 16-4. It’s been a rough performance for Brind’Amour’s unit, which didn’t find much trouble in the second round against the Capitals.
In Saturday’s Game 3 loss, Jarvis and Logan Stankoven did find the back of the net in the losing effort, but Brind’Amour thought it was players deeper on his roster, like Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook, who put forward their best efforts.
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“The four rookies in your lineup can’t be some of your better players,” Brind’Amour said. “That can’t happen. There’s a couple guys in there, I don’t think came to play the way they needed to at this time of year. It can’t be Jordan Staal and Martinook being our best players. Like, that can’t always be that way, and they are every night.”
Rod Brind’Amour called out his stars in the post-game press conference after Game 3… 😳 pic.twitter.com/Pzn6rFIk5N
— BarDown (@BarDown) May 25, 2025
Brind’Amour, in his seventh season with the Hurricanes, has led the team to a winning record in each of his seasons. But no playoff success has followed.
Carolina has made the conference finals three times since 2019, including this year, but the team is on a historic drought when it comes to wins in that round of the postseason. If things continue trending as they are, Carolina’s playoff woes will continue.
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