Taylor Hall sends reminder to Hurricanes about Panthers

The Carolina Hurricanes lost to the Florida Panthers 5-0 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final. Their franchise’s 14-game East Final losing streak continues as Florida has them on the ropes heading back to Sunrise. Taylor Hall joined the Hurricanes this season in a trade, but knows the team is capable of more than that. He issued a reminder about the Panthers to the media after the game, according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.

“I mean, they just went seven games against the Leafs, right? They’re not a perfect hockey team,” Hall said, per Wyshynski. “We know that there are areas to exploit, like any team. They’re exploiting our weaknesses, obviously.”

The Panthers allowed just 17 shots on goal to the Hurricanes in Game 2, thwarting Carolina’s best skill. Without the elite offensive talent of a Mikko Rantanen or Martin Necas, whoops, Carolina tries to drown the goalie in shots. It worked against the Devils and Capitals in the first two rounds. But the Panthers provide a different challenge.

The Hurricanes had the crowd on their side, the rest advantage, and had lost only two games in the playoffs coming into Game 1. Now, the sky is falling in Raleigh as they hit the road. Rod Brind’Amour has led the team to the playoffs in all seven of his seasons behind the bench. But eventually, they need to compete in the East Final.

This series is far from over, but Hall and the Hurricanes need to fight back on the road. “When we look up at the shot clock and see [the total], that’s just not our game. That’s just not how we play. We generate offense by shooting pucks and getting them back, and then we draw a penalty or get a rebound. We generate momentum by doing that. And we just weren’t able to do it.”

The Hurricanes and Panthers face off in Game 3 on Saturday.