The Carolina Hurricanes retired Eric Staal's number 12 in a ceremony Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. The Carolina Hurricanes battled back from a two-goal deficit in the third-period to force overtime against the Anaheim Ducks, but ultimately fell 3-2 on the night in which they honored former captain Eric Staal. Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis both scored for Carolina in extra attacker situations (power play and 6v5), but it was not a game to remember for goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov who allowed two soft goals on just 20 shots, including the OT winner. After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour along with Jordan Staal, Jaccob Slavin and Jarvis spoke with the media. Here's what they had to say: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rod Brind'Amour On the game: I thought we got better as the game went on actually. It was a little bit of a sluggish start. Wasn't great. It wasn't poor, it just wasn't great and then I thought we played pretty well after that. I loved how we fought, came back. Got a power play goal taken off the board, came back on the same power play and scored again and then tied it up late. It was a good effort. On securing at least a point in the standings: I mean, we had our opportunities tonight. A couple goals there that you'd like to have back, but that's hockey. I just liked the way we just dug in and kept going. Wasn't a pretty game necessarily, but I thought we got better as it went along. On the ceremony: Obviously it was a special night. Too bad it ended this way, but I thought everything about the ceremony was great. Thought he did a good job. Talking to them after, briefly, I think he was happy with it and that's the important thing. On Shayne Gostisbehere's return helping the power play: It looked a lot different, that's for sure. Had a lot with the way they were killing too and I thought our guys did a nice job of doing what we needed to do based on what they were doing. And the execution was there. Scored a nice goal. On if it's difficult to keep the team from getting discouraged due to bad calls on the ice: It's not hard. That's your job. You're used to it. It's every night that it's like that. It's like, 'Oh, that's new,' but no. Every night, that's what happens. You have to know it's going to happen and you just can't get frustrated with it. On if he felt the team spent too much time on the perimeter tonight: At times. They have big D and they're doing their job to not let you get there, but I thought we controlled the game for the most part. We had a few good looks and kind of whiffed or it was just some weird plays. It just wasn't it tonight. I mean, right away in the first period, Neci has a great look, but it goes off [the goalie's stick]. Those are the inches here or there that changes the whole game. I'm going to look at it from the positive side of things. I thought it was a 60-minute effort, a solid game. I loved how we certainly didn't quit and found a way to at least tie it up. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jordan Staal On the game: I thought it wasn't terrible. I thought we were pretty good and definitely gave ourselves enough chances to win that game. Didn't give up a ton, but I thought the game was there. The boys battled back obviously and got a point, but still kind of a kick in the privates at the end, but it is what it is. On the difficulty getting to the netfront: They're pretty hard man-on-man so they did a good job boxing out. I think we were stuck on the outside a little bit too much. Probably the one thing we could have done a little better and gotten in front of his eyes. Still quite a few good shots, good screens, good tips, it just didn't go our way and didn't go in the net. But I think like I said, there was an opportunity to win that game. Just didn't go our way tonight. On playing three games in four nights: The boys were grinding. I know I felt the legs a little bit in that first period and then I kind of got into it a little bit and you could tell our game kind of looked like that too. That's kind of how I felt. There's not a ton of opportunities like that ceremony and the boys were willing to be a part of it which I appreciated. It was a really cool moment and the guys really liked it I think. We tried to battle for a win tonight, unfortunately we didn't get it. On seeing his brother's jersey go up into the rafters: It'll be staring at me for a while. I've said it a ton of times before, it's just a great honor I'm sure and rightfully so. What he was to this organization and what he brought to the Canes fans and just the way he carried himself in this room and just all the positive things he brought here and to the game of hockey in Raleigh. To see his number is just a great honor and I'm just really happy for him. On the Ducks physicality: I thought they did a good job of finishing their checks. Like I said, I think we had some opportunities we didn't finish and we could have been more in front I think. In the offensive zone, we could have shot a bit more and kind of created a little more havoc. Obviously in this league, it's always nice to get that fist one and it's always tough to come back. I thought we did a good job of coming back and finding a way to get a point and overtime is what it is. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jaccob Slavin On being fifth all-time in franchise history for games played: I didn't even know that happened. Tonight was about 'Big E' and it was unfortunate that we couldn't get the win for him. On if he felt the game was a bit difficult having been the third one in four days: No, I wouldn't say so. We had our opportunities to score and their goalie made some big saves. Some lapses, but overall I thought we played a pretty good game. Just a couple of shifts there and a couple of bounces and that's the game. We didn't play bad, but I think we could have been a little bit better. On the main difference in the game: Just not bearing down on all of our scoring chances. We had a lot of them, so we just have to score a little bit more. On if there's any solace in at least getting a point tonight: It's always good to get a point, right? Every point matters throughout the season and so props to that 6v5 group at the end there getting that goal at the end there. Jarvy's goal was huge. Every point matters, but it would have been nice to get two. On the ceremony: It was huge. So well deserved for him. Off the ice, he's such a great person, such a great father, great friend, great teammate and obviously on the ice, his play spoke for itself. So for him to be honored like that and be cemented in Canes history forever is super cool. It means so much to this organization, so much to a lot of people still in this organization, and obviously he was my first captain so it's an honor to see him up there. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seth Jarvis On at least getting a point out of the game: It was a good job by everybody just bearing down and at least scavenging a point out of it, but the whole goal is to always get two points and especially on a night like this. It's a little bit disappointing when you have such a special night honoring someone who meant so much to the organization. So to lose is a little tough. On the power play answering right back after the overturned goal: Huge. It's been a while for the power so it's nice to get one and hopefully that continues. On having Shayne Gostisbehere back in the lineup: I mean, he makes great plays at 5v5, power play, so it's always nice when you have a player of that caliber to come back into the lineup and be as effective as he was. On what the night was like for him: Super cool. That's obviously one of the ultimate goals as a player, for anyone I think, is to have a legacy like that and to affect not only the lives of people in the organization but fans as well. So to see him get honored as much as he should is fun to watch and fun to be a part of. On dealing with tough calls: I mean, it happens. It's kind of the ups and downs of the season. That'll happen multiple times. Sometimes it will go our way, sometimes it won't. Right now, it seems like a lot of it isn't going our way, but there's nothing you can really do about it other than sticking with it and sticking to our game plan.
