The Carolina Hurricanes saw their conference finals losing streak extended to 13 games on Tuesday night. The Panthers came out of the gates hot, scoring early in each period on their way to a 5-2 win in Game 1. Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake scored for the Hurricanes, who were thoroughly outplayed for the first time this postseason.
Rod Brind'Amour tried to spark his group by changing things up a little. Mark Jankowski, who missed time during the Washington series, returned to the lineup by replacing Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Jalen Chatfield took warm-ups but was unable to go, giving Scott Morrow a chance to redeem himself after a tough first game. Frederik Andersen and Sergei Bobrovsky were between the pipes.
If we'd hoped the Hurricanes would get back into the series in the first period, it quickly flew out the window. Andrei Svechnikov had an abysmal first period. The Panthers struck first after Svechnikov failed to clear the puck. Matthew Tkachuk was there to intercept it and hit Gustav Forsling. The defenseman's shot hit Dmitry Orlov in front of the net and beat Andersen just 1:17 into the contest.
A bad situation continued to get worse the longer the period went on. Tkachuk reared his ugly head again midway through, redirecting Carter Verhaeghe's pass into the net to double the lead. Then, with Svechnikov sitting after an unnecessary penalty, Verhaeghe's rebound chance was redirected by Sam Bennett. At 3-0, the fans were out of it, and many at home likely tuned out.
It looked like the Hurricanes had something to be happy about when Sebastian Aho slid a shot between Bobrovsky's pads less than a minute into the second period. However, the elation lasted about two minutes before the Panthers challenged. The puck exited the zone, and Brent Burns knocked it back in for Aho to finish, making the play offside and the goal no good.
The Panthers refused to allow the Hurricanes to breathe in the second. Whenever they touched the puck, a Panther was there to take it away. Florida added another goal late in the period as Bennett popped home his second of the contest. Verhaeghe picked up his third assist by playing the puck off Andersen's pads to set up the goal. The fans, both in the arena and online, were mad, and rightfully so.
Pyotr Kochetkov was in the crease to begin the third period. Andersen finished the night with 12 stops on 16 shots, but he was a victim of circumstance after the performance the team in front of him turned in after 40 minutes. Kochetkov made a few early stops to get himself into the game after last appearing in Game 5 against New Jersey.
Florida wasn't satisfied with its 4-0 lead, adding another goal on the power play midway through the frame. Aleksander Barkov broke a small goalless drought by redirecting Aaron Ekblad's shot to extend the lead to five. The scoring would end there as Bobrovsky shut the door on the Hurricanes to take a 2-0 series lead in what could be the Canes' final home game of the season.
This is the first time in a long time that it felt like the fans turned on the home team. It has happened in the past, but this felt different. It's not every day you hear the fans chanting, "SHOOT THE PUCK!" at the top of their lungs. The fans' anger was more than justified after this effort. The Hurricanes had a chance to change the narrative. Instead, they're on the road to an all-too-familiar fate.
While Game 1 felt like a group effort by the Panthers, Florida's stars played like it in Game 2 and dominated for 60 minutes. Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe had three points each. Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues, and Aaron Ekblad each added two. Meanwhile, the Canes can't complete a two-foot pass or get a dangerous shot at the net.
I don't know what the answer is for the Hurricanes. It feels like we're watching a team on borrowed time. The TNT broadcast has mentioned 2023's sweep a thousand times during the two games, but this feels light years different. The team has completely lost its identity. It's as if they've forgotten how to play hockey.
On top of all that, the Hurricanes might've lost another defenseman. Sean Walker absorbed a massive hit early in the second period and didn't return to the game. With Jalen Chatfield still day-to-day, the Canes can ill afford to lose another man on the blue line. Seth Jarvis also looked a little wobbly after being blindsided in the third, but he came back and finished the game.
Game 3: The Carolina Hurricanes find themselves in a familiar spot. They're heading to Sunrise down 2-0 once again. I expect Frederik Andersen to be back in the net after getting the third period to rest. The real intrigue will be how the rest of the lineup looks. For Florida, keep an eye on Sam Reinhart's status. He left the game after the first period following a collision with Sebastian Aho.