Hurricanes HC Rod Brind'Amour doesn't sugarcoat disappointment on lack of pushback against Panthers 

Rod Brind'Amour and the Carolina Hurricanes have gotten bullied by the Florida Panthers to begin the Eastern Conference finals.

After being swept by the Panthers with four one-goal losses in the third round in 2023, the Hurricanes felt confident that the rematch in 2025 would be different. The scores suggested that their previous matchup was much closer than the result. Unfortunately, that has not been the case this time around.

Carolina has been dismantled in all three games, outscored by a combined 16-4 margin. One of the NHL's best defensive teams has gotten lit up for at least five goals in each game and hasn't come close to outscoring its problems.

To add insult to injury, the Panthers have pushed the Canes around, particularly in Game 3, when stars Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov were the main targets.

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour was asked about the lack of pushback during his media availability on Sunday. Team reporter Walt Ruff shared Brind'Amour's comments on X.

"You don't want to start advocating for that kind of hockey necessarily, but yes. We need to do a better job of that in that situation, with the score being what it was," Brind'Amour said.

Rod Brind'Amour is in his seventh season behind the Hurricanes' bench, all of which he's led the team to a Stanley Cup Playoff berth.

Taylor Hall echoed Rod Brind'Amour's comments about stars not performing in Round 3

The coach's postgame comments suggesting that their rookies can't be the best players on the ice in an Eastern Conference finals game resonated with Taylor Hall.

Carolina's mid-season trade acquisition spoke about Rod Brind'Amour's callout on Sunday. Walt Ruff shared his response on X.

"He's not wrong... You've gotta just man up and play better. That's it," Hall said.

Hall has been held pointless through the first three games of the series and has combined to be a -6 rating. The Hurricanes certainly need more out of him and plenty of others on the roster.

They will look to keep their season alive with a win in Game 4 against the Panthers on Monday in Florida. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at Amerant Bank Arena.