Hurricanes’ Rod Brind’Amour makes tough admission after Game 2 loss to Capitals

The Carolina Hurricanes headed into Game 2 with a 1-0 series lead over the Washington Capitals. Rod Brind’Amour and his team hoped to take a commanding 2-0 lead on Thursday night. Unfortunately, this did not happen. The Capitals claimed victory on home ice by the score of 3-1.

The Hurricanes stumbled away from home in this contest. It’s an unfortunate turn for Carolina, who could have momentum on their side heading back to the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina for Games 3 and 4. However, the team is not panicking in the slightest. They knew this series was going to be no walk in the park.

“Like I said, we knew it was going to be hard. We didn’t expect it to be anything but like this. Can we be better? Yeah, that’s the good news. We know we have to be better if we’re going to win, if we want to win. They said the same thing the other night. This is not surprising. Tight, tight, tight. We just have to regroup,” the Hurricanes coach said, via JP Finley of NBC4 Sports.

The Hurricanes have made the Eastern Conference Finals relatively recently. They went in 2023 when they faced off with the Florida Panthers. The Panthers swept Carolina as they advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Carolina is hoping to have better luck this year than in years previous. The Hurricanes have not won a game in the East Final since 2006. Moreover, they fell short of the East Final altogether in 2024. Carolina lost to the New York Rangers in six games.

This series is now tied at one game apiece. These next two games in Raleigh are certain to set the tone for the rest of the series. Carolina has a chance to use home ice to their advantage. If they claim both games, they will put the Capitals in a difficult spot for Game 5.