Brind’Amour, Gostisbehere & Jarvis Speak on Hurricanes’ Game 1 Loss

After jumping out to a 2-0 lead early in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Carolina Hurricanes lost a tough one 5-4 to the Vegas Golden Knights. It was a tight contest throughout the game, but the Hurricanes came up just short, going down 1-0 in the series. Thankfully, this is a seven-game series, and the Hurricanes have bounced back before. Here is what some of the players and Rod Brind’Amour said postgame about Game 1 as a whole.

Shayne Gostisbehere

The Hurricanes are known for their defense, especially when the blueliners can contribute offensively as well. Regarding Shayne Gostisbehere, he had a huge goal for the Hurricanes to tie it 4-4 with under nine minutes left in the game. However, he blames himself for the game-winning goal, as he said he “took a breath”.

When asked about his big goal late in the game, along with the team being close to winning Game 1, Gostisbehere stated, “That’s why there are seven of these things [games]. We did a lot of good things tonight. They obviously did some great things, too. It was a back-and-forth game for sure. So it’s good to be out there and see how the series goes. It’s going to be a tough one for sure.”

Despite the loss, the Hurricanes showed that they can hang with the Golden Knights, even lead them. It was never going to be an easy series, but these two teams showed in Game 1 how tight it will be. As Gostisbehere said, there are seven games, and the Hurricanes have a chance to bounce back in Game 2 on Thursday (June 4).

Seth Jarvis

While the top line wished they could have done more, they certainly had their chances. Seth Jarvis had a couple of chances throughout the game, especially in the third period. However, the puck went over the net, and a chance did not go his way. The Hurricanes have bounced back before in the playoffs, especially after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. They lost 6-2, but they won the next four, taking the series in five games.

Following the game, Jarvis stated, when asked about the confidence in this team bouncing back in Game 2 and tying the series, “A ton of confidence in this group. We’ve bounced back before. We felt like we were there tonight. We’ll clean up a few things and move on from it.”

Jarvis is leading the way in a sense for the first line with five assists and eight points. He did have three shots in Game 1 but couldn’t find the twine. Now it comes down to how they and the rest of the Hurricanes respond on Thursday night as they look to even the series before heading out west to Las Vegas.

Rod Brind’Amour

Ahead of Game 1, following the morning skate, Brind’Amour said, “When you win a Stanley Cup, you’re brothers for life.” Even after a loss, you can tell how much it means to these guys. While they made mistakes throughout the game, there were still some positives to take away.

The Jordan Staal line led the way in scoring, mainly Nikolaj Ehlers with two goals. When asked about that line trying to keep the momentum going, Brind’Amour said, “They were great. They had a tough matchup; they did their part for sure. They gave us a chance. What more can you say?”

Even with them being known as a “shutdown line”, they have some scorers who can be clutch when needed. Staal and Ehlers were two of seven guys to score 20 goals in the regular season, and have, at certain points in the playoffs, contributed to some key moments. The size that Staal and Jordan Martinook bring can open up space for Ehlers to use his speed. That was evident in the first period when Ehlers scored a goal 25 seconds into the game, and another just 11 minutes later.

There is a long way to go in the series, and the Hurricanes have shown they can bounce back. It’s only Game 1, and the Hurricanes will seek to tie the series before Game 3. It’ll come down to how they respond, and that’s been shown already in the playoffs. It’s about learning from Game 1 and preparing to win the next one.