Hurricanes 'hopeful' of bounce back in Game 2 of Cup Final

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes are not used to losing.  

Through 14 games this postseason, they have only lost twice. In the 82-game regular season, they lost 29 times (22 in regulation, seven in shootout or overtime).

And though reacting and adjusting after a loss isn't something they have had to do a lot of, it's not completely foreign either. They know what to do, how to respond before the next game. 

Of course, the stakes have never been higher than this next game, which is Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at Lenovo Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS, CBC).

They lost 5-4 in an epic back-and-forth Game 1 on Tuesday, and admittedly need to be better. 

It's nothing new to them. 

"It's an everyday process with us," coach Rod Brind'Amour said after Carolina's morning skate. "I mean, after every game, that's how we go about it. Nothing's really changing. In every game there's things you want to do better and the stakes are higher here now, but it doesn't change the process of how we're going about the way we do things. 

"I'm hopeful that we always seem to bounce back after a game where there are more errors in it, we're going to need to." 

The Hurricanes had plenty of errors in Game 1, losing defensive coverages, turning the puck over, blowing an early two-goal lead and allowing the game-winning goal from Tomas Hertl with 3:24 left in the game. 

"We've got to be better. We've got to be better in our D-zone," defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. "We've got to tighten up a couple of things and then we've got to break our puck out better. Obviously, they are a good team and they are here for a reason, so we know they are going to bring their best again and we've got to be able to bring ours."

Brind'Amour admitted he needs to get "some guys going," but is not ready to make changes to his lines or defense pairings after one loss. 

"You always think about it, but we really didn't have the need to do it," the coach said. "We've got to get some guys going, maybe we need to flip things, but I like our lines. The results have been there, so I'm not going to overreact on really one bad period of hockey here. We've got to let it materialize a little more, then obviously you're making adjustments if you have to." 

Though it's not necessarily a must-win for the Hurricanes, the numbers say a loss would stack to odds heavily against them.  

Teams that fall behind 2-0 in a best-of-7 Final own an all-time record of 5-50 in the series, including 2-10 when dropping the first two games at home.

Forward Mark Jankowski said the key for Carolina is a combination of calming down when dealing with Vegas' in-your-face pressure, and making the right play. 

"It's a little bit of both. Watching (Game 1) back, obviously our decisions and our reads weren't great," he said. "We blew some coverage, gave them some chances, some open looks. So, we've got some things we need to clean up, we see it and so we'll be better." 

Of course, it's easier said than done against a Golden Knights team that has won seven straight in the postseason and plays a style similar to Carolina. 

Hurricanes forward William Carrier knows all about Vegas, having played for the Golden Knights when they won the Stanley Cup in 2023.  He signed with Carolina as a free agent before the 2024-25 season and said both teams in the Final remind him of the 2023 Cup champs. 

"They are kind of built the same way. We're kind of built the same way, too," Carrier said. "We've got some players that know their roles. It's the same on both sides. Both groups are mature. They are definitely built for the playoffs."

So are the Hurricanes. They are also used to moving on from losses, something they need to do for Game 2.  

"I think you have to watch it back and address it and understand what went wrong and kind of turn the page and be ready to go," forward Eric Robinson said. "Once today hits, it's a new day, it's a new game. You can't think about the other game, let alone another series or the playoffs in general."