There are no “easy games” in today’s NHL. Back in the 1980s and up until the early 2000s, before the 2004-25 lockout, some games could declare a winner before puck drop. Since then, any team can win a game on any given night, and everyone is beatable. Sure, there are teams like this season’s Colorado Avalanche, who are absolute wagons, but even they are beatable. It all comes down to preparation.
Against a struggling St. Louis Blues team on Tuesday, the Carolina Hurricanes were looking for that “easy win.” They were shut out, 3-0.
No “Easy Wins” in Today’s NHL
Following their loss on Tuesday night, captain Jordan Staal stated, “I think we were just hoping for an easy one, really. It just seemed like we were kind of hoping for a ‘We’ll outscore them, we’re going to get our few chances, we’ll give them a couple, and we’ll see what happens’ kind of game. We weren’t really ready to play that forechecking game or that stress game that we’ve been talking about. There wasn’t a whole lot of spark from anyone throughout the lineup. It wasn’t pretty.”
For a team built on grinding their opponents down in all three zones, relying on skill and cheating on offense will not get them wins. This is the same team that said they had “no spark” following their 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 30, to close out 2025.
Since a three-game stretch of blowing leads in December, the Hurricanes are playing Jekyll and Hyde hockey – they rise up to a challenge one night and then show up the next with no life. In a very tight Eastern Conference race, there are no off nights, and there are no easy teams. But this has been an issue for weeks.
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When asked about Staal’s comments following their first shutout loss of the season, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said, “It was obvious, right from the start, we had no life. You could just see how we were turning pucks over. It’s not how we play. They capitalized. They played a good team game. Structured, how they’re supposed to. We were trying to do other things, and that never works.”
The Hurricanes have been turning over pucks, suffering defensive breakdowns, and their transition game has been up-and-down, forcing their goalies to cover for their mistakes. In back-to-back games against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday and the Blues last night, the forwards and defensemen left Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi out to dry multiple times. Of the seven goals given up in the two games, only one might be blamed on the goalie, at most.
Brind’Amour said, “We were trying to do other things, and that never works.”
Every team has stars on its roster. Every team can make their opponents pay when they try to cheat on preparation or positioning. Every team is also playing a heavier schedule with the Olympic break next month, and every team is dealing with injuries. It’s about getting ready mentally for every game, and there are no nights off.
Brind’Amour noted, “This is part of being a pro. We’ve gone through this with other games too this year, where we’ve had these stretches of three (games) in four (days), and travel, and we have the same result. This is where you have to buckle down and not look the other way…”
There are no easy games, and every game matters.
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This season, every team in the Eastern Conference is over .500 except for the New York Rangers (20-21-6). In the West, only five teams are under .500, including the Blues. The Hurricanes rank fifth in the NHL with 60 points in 47 games. They’re one win from jumping into third over the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Minnesota Wild. The Blues are 29th with 44 points.
The Hurricanes must know they cannot underestimate any opponent in today’s NHL, heading into a match with the mentality that ‘we’ll outscore them, we’re going to get our few chances, we’ll give them a couple, and we’ll see what happens.’ Not today. The Blues proved that.
If the Hurricanes want to make another deep playoff run and reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006, they need to be ready for every game. When they play the right way, the Hurricanes’ way, led by Brind’Amour, they can win the Stanley Cup. But they need to understand it will never come easy.
It’s about preparing every night and showing up for 60 minutes each game. They need to stop cheating and looking for easy wins from teams below them in the standings. When they figure that out, they will be unstoppable.
