For the first time this postseason, the Carolina Hurricanes have to find a way to respond.
The Hurricanes suffered their first playoff loss of the season, falling 6-2 to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 on Thursday night.
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It’s an unfamiliar situation for the 2026 Carolina Hurricanes, who became the first team in the modern era to sweep back-to-back rounds, but it’s one that isn’t too uncommon for the franchise.
In seven trips to the Eastern Conference Final, the Canes have never won the opening game.
Twice they’ve responded in Game 2, ultimately winning the series in both instances, but four other times they’ve proceeded to lose in either four or five.
But the past is the past and the team can’t be too bogged down worrying about what’s already happened.
Yes, they have to make sure that those glaring mistakes they made in Game 1 don’t happen again, but they more so just have to focus on coming out of the gate the right way in Game 2.
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“No one likes to lose, so everyone comes back ready to roll for the next game,” said captain Jordan Staal. “At this time of year, obviously every game is massive. We know how much more this one is going to be and we’re going to have to be ready to roll.”
“We know we have a lot more to give,” said Taylor Hall. “You don’t want to let things slide and so whether we win or lose in Game 2, we have to play our game and to our identity and let that come through for 60 minutes. That’s our focus for Game 2 and let the cards fall where they do.”
Carolina is where they are for a reason. They’re a good team. One with a strong identity, good players and a solid foundation.
It isn’t often that they have a game like they did, but it’s even rarer for it to happen twice in a row.
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In the regular season, Carolina was 22-7-0 coming off of a loss, which was the best rate in the entire NHL.
“We’ve been relentless all year and faced adversity throughout the year and we’ve always been able to bounce back,” said Jalen Chatfield. “We have a lot of good leadership in here. As a man to each other, we know what we’re capable of and we’re going to play to that standard next game.”
While the game’s opening 12 minutes were obviously a disaster, the Hurricanes did manage to show a glimpse of their game in the second period.
After they stopped the bleeding and regrouped, the Canes outchanced Montreal 34-13 and had a 17-6 edge in scoring chances.
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“It’s pretty clear the disparity between the first and second periods there,” said Eric Robinson. “That’s our game and our room knows that’s kind of how we have to start tonight.”
That’s the kind of game Carolina is going to need to play from the get go if they want to beat the Canadiens and they’re confident that they can get to that game.
“The first period wasn’t our best, but I thought we played a good second period,” said Andrei Svechnikov. “We were dominating them and that’s what we’re going to do tonight.”
It’s imperative that the Hurricanes find a way to get back in the win column on Saturday, else it’s going to be a really tough series to get back into.
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“We’re trying to win a hockey game tonight,” said Sebastian Aho. “That’s the main goal, our only goal, honestly.”
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