The Carolina Hurricanes suffered yet another blowout loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers and now sit on the brink of elimination following a 6-2 loss Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena. For two periods, Carolina was right in the heat of the game, but the turnovers and mistakes started to pile up, ultimately dooming the Canes. After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour along with Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho spoke with the media in Florida. Here's what they had to say: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ROD BRIND’AMOUR On if he would describe his team as fragile: I don’t know. I think we were there, obviously we were playing better. And then just to turn pucks over, it’s not what we do. No one does that. I think that… everyone was just pretty surprised. You know what I mean? You just can’t do it. And you can’t do it anytime. Preseason game it’s going to cost you, but against that team? And you turn it over for an odd-man rush? Forget it. And we know that. That was really demoralizing. Because we know the margins are tight. We had a couple chances, but again, we have to score. There were opportunities to maybe get a lead. Otherwise it’s just really tough against them. On what’s going into the collapses: Just bad decision making. And the four rookies in the lineup can't be some of your better players. That can't happen. There's a couple guys in there that I don't think came to play the way they needed to at this time of year. It can't be Jordan Staal and Martinook being our best players. That can't always be that way. And they are every night. We needed more out of some guys. On Dmitry Orlov’s game: You can’t explain it You can’t. We count on certain players and you can’t put it all on him, but some of those mistakes… you’re not winning at this time of year when you make mistakes like that. On if the mistakes are pressure-based: Those ones weren’t. That’s the thing. It’s one thing if you get a good forecheck or something. Anyway, you tip your hat . I’ve said it all along, this is a great team we’re playing. And that’s why you can’t… you might get away with that against some other teams. They may not capitalize, but the way they play, they’re waiting. It’s what they do. They stay on top of you and when you make that mistake, it’s like, here we go. Give them all the credit. That’s a great team. But you can’t make it like that for them. On Pyotr Kochetkov: He was good. Can’t blame him. He kept us in there. Again, not a ton of work. It’s not like we’re giving up tons and tons of shots, but when we did, especially early, he was good and then the third period was what it was. On how to prepare for Game 4: Well right now, I’m not even thinking about that, but yeah. We have to try and put our best foot forward. I felt like we did tonight for two periods. I was like, Alright,’ especially with what we were throwing out there. Missing some big pieces and we were hanging in there. But that’s the way we have to approach the game. We just can’t come off of it. You can’t even for a shift, think of playing a different way because that’s what’s going to happen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JORDAN STAAL On if the third period exhibited the team's current fragile state: Yeah, that could be it. Before the third, I thought the game was right there for us through two periods. A quick turnover and they made us pay and then they got rolling. It's a tough team to stop when they get the juices flowing and we're playing turnover city there. They're going to make you pay. But yeah, that was a tough goal and a quick one right after. On why the team's been so fragile: It's obviously a good team, for one. Give them credit. They played a good game, stayed with it too and kind of waited for their chances and when we gave them one, it was in the back of the net. It's a good team that knows how to score goals at the right times and they make you pay after turnovers. I think like I said, the game was right there through two periods, but obviously still not good enough. But they have to win four. On if the difference in ease of goal scoring is frustrating: Yeah, it can be frustrating. Obviously it's one mistake, but they're big mistakes. You can't have partial breakaways and 2-on-1s. It's one thing to give them a couple point shots or a couple shots from the outside, but it's big, big chances and we can't do that. When a guy does make a mistake, we have to bail each other out and get back and find ways to cover each other up and cover our mistakes. Tonight was definitely not there. On the whiplash from almost-goals to goals against: There's been some bad timing for sure throughout the series just goal wise. There's opportunities to get one and then they come right back down and score. You would like the hockey gods to even that out at some point, but we have to also work for those. You're not just going to get good bounces, you're not just going to get those bounces if you're not working for them and creating momentum and grinding them down. Eventually those chances do come, but I don't think we're doing that enough to really get those few bounces to get us going. On if they feel outclassed or if they can still be in this series: They have to win four. On getting mentally ready for Game 4: It's the same song and dance from Games 2 and 3. We're going to have to learn... that one, less learning, more just mental state. But I think the game was there and we just have to stick with it and not let them get that last one. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho speaks with the media in Florida following the team's 6-2 loss in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. SEBASTIAN AHO On what it will take to get back into the series: Yeah, I mean... By winning a game. Yeah... Just win a hockey game and play a lot better than that third period. Obviously up to that point, there was not much going on either way and both had a few looks, not much, but at least that way, we were given a chance to win a hockey game, but that third just went off the rails. Bad plays and they made us pay and it was game over. On chasing all series: Well... they're a good team for sure. But I feel like we've been giving them the momentum or a goal at the wrong time. Obviously they made us pay and kind of gained that momentum. When you're chasing that team, obviously they're a good team and it's tough to chase a game like that. But yeah, I think... just, you know... it's crazy how it goes. Like I said, two periods with nothing going on either way and then a couple of errors there and they scored quick. On if he's been shellshocked at all by how the series has gone: I don't know what to say. Obviously this is not how you want to start the series or bounce back after a bad game. But we're still alive. Take whatever we got and push it all in in the next game and see where it goes. On squandering the five-minute major power play: I mean, we tied it after that so we got momentum off of the power play. Obviously you'd like to score a goal on the five-minute major, but at the same time, that wasn't the game. We got a power play goal and tied the game and got our momentum and our push. Got a couple looks, didn't score, but yeah, I don't know but I don't think that was the game. On what they need to do to have a different outcome in Game 4: Obviously just go over tomorrow with what we did good, what we did bad. Just believe in what we have here and like I said, just gather everything we have and throw it at them next game. Just a no tomorrow mentality and go from there. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be sure to check out the Carolina Hurricanes 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Hub [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/latest-news/carolina-hurricanes-2025-stanley-cup-playoffs-hub] for all postseason stories! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwmeDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to never miss a story.
