The Carolina Hurricanes had their worst game of the season Saturday night as they lost in embarrassing fashion 6-0 against the Florida Panthers.
The Canes were hanging in for the first 20 minutes, but as the game went on, things just began to unravel.
After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour along with captain Jordan Staal spoke with the media in Florida. Here’s what they had to say:
Rod Brind’Amour
On the turning point in the game: It was pretty obvious. At the end of the second there, that can’t happen. We just kind of fell asleep and that’s a back breaker. Even the first one, we run into our own goalie kind of and now all of a sudden, a game that was fairly even, all of sudden we’re behind. We just never got going from there.
On if he felt puck management was an issue again: Well yeah, amongst a bunch of other things, but yeah that was part of it. We just didn’t get it in enough. Played in our own end way too much and I can go on and on to be honest with you. Really it wasn’t bad after two, it was a fairly even game, just in the third it fell apart on us.
On the penalties: In general, it just takes all the momentum out of it. I think I mentioned after the second there that you just can’t take those penalties. There’s no reason to. Unfortunately we just keep doing it. It definitely caught up with us tonight. It is what it is. We have to shelf this one and get ready. The games keep coming.
On moving on: You turn the page. We’re always focusing on the next day and like I always said, you learn from it. This is good. We definitely got to take our medicine here. Knock us down a few notches, get regrouped again and start again. We have a great team, we know that, but when you don’t play as a team and don’t do the little things, that’s what happens.
Jordan Staal
On the final two periods: Not great obviously. We got beat in every facet. Really there wasn’t a whole lot of positives in any of it.
On the team’s puck management: What they did tonight is what we do to a lot of teams. That’s just forecheck, be physical and then when we do have a chance to break the puck out, tracking back hard, have good gaps and turn pucks over and that’s the puck management. Wasn’t good enough and we didn’t do a good enough job of breaking the puck out and moving the puck forward and playing in their end. Special teams stunk too and that was it.
On the penalty kill’s struggles against Florida: They’re a good power play. … The one right at the end of the period sucked obviously. And then the rest of the game was pretty much over by that point, but the PK still has to take pride in what we do and we came up short tonight.
On moving forward after the past 48 hours: We’re going to have to learn from it at least. Take something from this. We have to find a way just to be better all around. It’s just not good enough from myself all the way through and guys have to give more.
Related: ‘It’s Not Good Enough’: Spencer Martin, Jordan Staal, Rod Brind’Amour On Loss To Panthers