Rod Brind’Amour finally got to enjoy a win in the Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers. It was a strong game for the Carolina Hurricanes, who still trail in the series, but the head coach was very clear about how they need to play moving forward.
After the 3-0 victory, Brind’Amour didn’t hesitate to send a warning to his players, saying, “We have to keep the gas down, keep the hammer down, and give us a chance again next game,” following the Game 4 win.
Even after celebrating their Game 4 victory, Rod Brind’Amour is well aware that Carolina still trails the series 1-3. They’ll enjoy the moment, but as he hinted postgame, the team has to quickly get back to reality.
A quietly historic win for Carolina
This wasn’t just any conference final win for the Hurricanes. After dropping the first three games of the series, they broke a long drought — it marked their first victory at this stage of the playoffs since 2006. That previous win came when Brind’Amour was still playing for the team.
First win against Florida in the conference finals
The win also snapped a troubling 0-7 skid against the Panthers in conference final games. Carolina had been swept 4-0 by Florida in the 2022-23 NHL Eastern Conference Final.
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Still, the Hurricanes haven’t captured a conference title since 2006. They’ve made three appearances in the conference finals since then — all losses, including ones to the Penguins and Bruins in addition to last year’s defeat against the Panthers.