Hurricanes did everything they needed to do to save season in Game 4
The Carolina Hurricanes seemed to be all but officially eliminated from the playoffs going into Game 4 on Monday. Not only were they down 3-0, but they were also carrying the weight of a 15-game losing streak in the Conference Finals, so it felt inevitable that the Florida Panthers would complete the sweep again.
But the Hurricanes pulled through and pulled away with a victory in Game 4, getting the 3-0 win on an all-around team effort. It wasn’t always pretty, but they got the job done, and some of their best players played key roles in the victory.
Frank Seravalli talked about the Hurricanes’ all-important win to keep their season alive, and what they did to accomplish that, on Daily Faceoff Live.
Frank Seravalli: I can think of a few words to describe Game 4 for the Carolina Hurricanes: patient, methodical, grinding. They dug in. They brought their shovels to Florida for Game 4.
Look, they’ve got a long way to go to dig themselves out of the hole that they’re in. But to your point, and all the games that they’ve lost in the Eastern Conference Final consecutively, I’d argue that only a handful of them matter because they’re with this core.
But nonetheless, when it gets to a certain point, whether it’s seven in a row to the Panthers or whether it stretches back further than that to 2019 when Rod Brind’Amour took over, to get on the board is important. You’ve now slayed that dragon, so to speak, that you’ve been carrying around with you.
I really liked the way that the Canes played in Game 4. I thought they put themselves in a way better position throughout the night to really handle a ferocious Florida forecheck.
To be fair, the Panthers are wounded, and Niko Mikkola and Sam Reinhart back on the ice today skating, which is a very important sign for them. But when you add in a Matthew Tkachuk injury as well (he’s obviously not 100%), you can start to pick at the Florida Panthers and their depth a little bit.
You can watch the full episode here…