The Carolina Hurricanes had a tough Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens. After the game, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour said veteran defenseman Jaccob Slavin had a tough night.
The Carolina Hurricanes had not played in 11 days before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday. They took an early lead just 33 seconds into the game.
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Few bright spots
But after that, the Montreal Canadiens — coming off two consecutive seven-game series — took over. They scored four unanswered goals in the first period, and the Hurricanes could not catch up. The game ended 6-2. Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovský both had three-point nights. For the Hurricanes, there were few bright spots. Veteran defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who has served as an alternate captain for the past seven seasons, finished the night with a minus-4 rating.
Rod Brind’Amour called out Slavin
At the postgame press conference, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour openly admitted his players were caught off guard.
“That was obviously not our best. Our top guys had tough nights. I’m not going to use the 11-day layoff as an excuse, but we weren’t ready to play playoff hockey,” Brind’Amour said at the press conference.
When asked about Jaccob Slavin’s performance, Brind’Amour did not mince words.
“Yeah, he had a tough one. I’ve never seen that in eight years. So it happens. They have the ability that if you give them a little room, it’s over. And that’s what happened tonight. He’ll bounce back,” Rod Brind’Amour said at the press conference.
Game 2 will be played on Saturday.
You can watch the press conference below.
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