It’s undoubtedly been a rough series in the Eastern Conference Finals for the Carolina Hurricanes. They are down 3-0 to the Florida Panthers, and have lost all 3 games by 1 goal. It sure seems like it’s just part of the magical run the Panthers have been on since the playoffs began, but is there any hope for Carolina? The glass half full approach would be that you can win 1 goal games just as easily as you can lose them. Carolina is also the higher ranked seed, so they have a chance to build some momentum on their home ice if they can steal Game 4 in Florida. It’s been truly stunning to see their offense wither in this series. After an offensive explosion when they routinely did whatever they wanted against the Devils, the Hurricanes have mustered just 3 goals in the first 3 games of this series. Again, the glass half full approach would be that Florida hasn’t been that much better offensively.
Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour has to have this team ready to go. It goes without saying that the crowd tonight will be electric, as Florida’s fans hope they can wrap up this series and rest for the Stanley Cup Finals. Getting off to a fast start tonight is critical for the Hurricanes. Whether it’s Frederik Anderson or Antii Raanta in goal, they have to be ready to go as well. As we’ve seen, the defense and goaltending hasn’t been the issue for Carolina in this series, but they need to give the offense time to find a groove and perhaps even get an early lead tonight.
At the end of the day, 3-0 comebacks have happened in the NHL. If it happened before, it can happen again. For the Hurricanes, however, they can’t think of a historic comeback just yet. Right now they just need to be focused on keeping their season alive.