Despite winning three consecutive division titles and being a popular pick to win the 2024 Stanley Cup, the Hurricanes woke up Sunday morning in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division after losing 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. The team has yet to earn a point during their current six-game road trip, suffering losses to the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames. After their latest defeat, the players held a meeting to discuss their frustrations and the need to come together as a team. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour has led the Hurricanes to an impressive record over the past five years, but this season has been challenging with a points percentage of .537. Despite the adversity, the team remains focused on improving and supporting each other.
The Canucks were more focused in their game against Carolina, outshooting their opponents 13-7 in the first period, with the Hurricanes only managing two shots on goal in the last 1:27 of the period when they had a man advantage. Vancouver took the lead in the first period when Sam Lafferty scored off an Elias Pettersson shot. Pettersson then assisted Ilya Mikheyev’s goal in the second period to extend the Canucks’ lead to 2-0, but the Hurricanes responded quickly with a goal from Jordan Martinook. J.T. Miller scored for the Canucks to make it 3-1, but Brady Skjei’s last-minute goal kept the Hurricanes in the game. Stefan Noesen tied the game at 3-3 early in the third period before Pettersson scored the game-winning goal with a wraparound effort. Despite the win, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour criticized his team’s missed coverage on the earlier goals and said they didn’t play to their potential. The Hurricanes won the special-teams battle but are struggling in the standings and have the worst team save percentage in the league.
