Hurricanes need to fix these 5 problems as they head into Game 2 against Vegas
The Carolina Hurricanes have a problem in the Stanley Cup Final.
In truth, more than one.
• First: The Vegas Golden Knights are not the Montreal Canadiens. The Golden Knights do not have a young team that will become rattled by the Hurricanes’ aggressive pressure and strain game. It’s an experienced, hardened group.
As Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour put it Wednesday, this series is about “hard hockey.”
• Second: Vegas, which took a 5-4 win in Game 1, has the most disruptive forecheck the Canes have faced in the playoffs.
“There’s going to be ebbs and flows, and you might spend more time in your D zone than you’re used to, or we have in the first couple of rounds,” defenseman Sean Walker said Wednesday. “Just tighten up a couple of things and I think we can swing it our way.”
• Third: The Canes’ power play has been generally punchless much of the playoffs, and again may not be a factor in the Stanley Cup Final.
“It’s definitely something that we want to fix and fix quickly,” forward Taylor Hall said. “I don’t think it was about turning down shots. It was more about execution, more about being a touch more patient.”
• Fourth: The Canes’ top line, centered by Sebastian Aho, has not posed enough of an offensive threat much of the playoffs.
“I think we can be a little bit smarter with the puck,” Aho said Wednesday. “When you have the chance to shoot, you have to shoot. At the same time, you have to play the game the right way.
“Obviously, I know we have better in us. We have to show it.”
• Fifth: After the Game 1 loss, If the Canes don’t win Game 2 Thursday at Lenovo Center, they will go to Vegas down 0-2 in the series.
Ask the Colorado Avalanche how that worked out against Vegas. The answer: The Western Conference Final was over in four games, a sweep.
Canes made adjustments against Canadiens
Some might say that’s seeing the glass half-empty when it comes to the Hurricanes. They did some good things in Game 1: Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice, the penalty killing was sharp, the Canes twice came from behind to tie the score.
Against the Canadiens, the Canes took a 6-2 beating in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Final at Lenovo Center. But the Canes made some adjustments, took away the stretch passes to forwards blowing the zone, stayed above the puck more defensively, pressured on the forecheck more and straightened things out quickly.
The Canadiens crumbled, to a certain extent.
The Golden Knights are a far different animal, as they say.
“I think it’s the two best teams going at it,” Hall said of the Cup Final. “They’re heavy. They’re big, bigger than we’ve played. They’ve lived up to the billing in a lot of ways.”
Vegas made Carolina look indecisive in Game 1
Vegas made the Canes look indecisive and mistake-prone in the Carolina zone in Game 1. They kept the puck in the Canes zone and made shifts run long too many times, having a wear-and-tear effect during the course of the game.
The Canes did not practice Wednesday, going through another lengthy video session.
“It’s similar to the last series in that there were a lot of areas we didn’t like in the game,” Brind’Amour said. “You not going to win if you don’t play to your capabilities. Again, you’ve got to give the other team a lot of credit. They’re making you play that way. We have to be sharper in a lot of areas.”
The Canes had a chance to tie it up late, when the work along the boards by Andrei Svechnikov and setup pass by Aho gave Jarvis a good look from the right circle. But Vegas goalie Carter Hart gloved that attempt and that was that for the Canes. Vegas’ Tomas Hertl scored the winning goal moments later.
“They made more plays than we did,” Brind’Amour said. “Tip your hat to them. It’s clear they know how to win. “
What to expect in Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final
What to expect in Game 2?
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said Tuesday. “I’ve said it all through the playoffs, it’s a find-a-way league. We found a way tonight.”
If the Golden Knights find it again in Game 2, that’s a huge problem for the Canes.
This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Hurricanes need to fix these 5 problems as they head into Game 2 against Vegas."
