The Carolina Hurricanes were swept by the Florida Panthers in the NHL’s Eastern Conference Finals – but don’t tell their head coach.
Rod Brind’Amour spoke to reporters after the Hurricanes’ season ended, and despite what the box score says, he doesn’t want the idea circulating that his team was eliminated in some pretty embarrassing fashion.
“That’s the unfortunate part of it all, is we’re going to look back and everyone is going to say you got swept away and that’s not what happened,” Brind said. ‘Love. “I watched the game. I’m in it. We’re in the game. We haven’t lost four games.”
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Referee Wes McCauley talks to Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida on Wednesday . (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
In fact, they’ve lost four games in a row – but he developed his point.
“We were beaten, but we were right there,” he said. “It could have gone the other way. It could have been four games the other way.”
In that sense, he is certainly right. Game 1 was the sixth longest game in NHL history, as it was a quadruple overtime thriller. Game 2 also ended in overtime. Game 3 was a 1-0 victory for the Panthers, and the fourth and final game was 4.6 seconds into overtime until Matthew Tkachuk found the back of the net, giving Florida the 4-3 victory and the scan. (Tkachuk also scored the two overtime winners of the series.)
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, left, and left wing Matthew Tkachuk hold the Prince of Wales Trophy after the Panthers won Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes in Sunrise, Florida on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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The Hurricanes became the seventh team in NHL history to be swept in a series and lose every game by a single goal. The last time this happened was in 2018 when the Los Angeles Kings dropped their streak to the Vegas Golden Knights, who ultimately lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Washington Capitals.
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour looks on during the first period of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla. on Monday. (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
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The Panthers are set to make their first Cup final since 1996 and are waiting for the series winner Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars to have Vegas lead three games to nil.