Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal ready for ‘fresh start’ at home after Game 2 loss

The Carolina Hurricanes could not win Game 2 of their second-round series against the Washington Capitals. Tom Wilson helped his team bring the series level at 1-1. And it creates a fresh start for both teams heading into Games 3 and 4 at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s a fresh start that is certainly welcomed by Carolina captain Jordan Staal.

Staal is one of the Hurricanes’ more important leaders. He has spent 12 seasons in Raleigh with this team. His brother, Eric, won a Stanley Cup with this franchise in 2006. There may be no player on this roster more motivated to bring a championship to this city. Winning this series is a major step to take, and that starts with claiming Game 3 at home.

“It’s always nice to be in front of our fans, and we’re going to have to take that momentum back and use our fans to do it,” Staal said of the series shifting back to Raleigh, via NHL.com’s Harvey Valentine. “You know, we’d love to be up two, but it’s a good team, and we’re going to have to start fresh at home here and take it to them again.”

Staal is hoping he can find his stride in front of the home fans, as well. The veteran forward has skated in seven games this postseason. However, he has yet to record a point. He has no goals and no assists through his first seven games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Staal’s impact goes well beyond the scoresheet, to be fair. In saying this, he certainly wants to lead by example during this series. The best way to do that is to generate needed offense for his team against a tough Capitals team.

The Capitals and Hurricanes could both go on to win the Stanley Cup this season. Only one of them can advance, of course. But this series will undoubtedly be a close affair until one team wins that fourth and decisive game. This will create a must-see atmosphere in Raleigh when Game 3 begins on Saturday.