Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour was not pleased. Brind’Amour had that intimidating look on his face. Well, actually, he always has that look. Although his expression matched his emotions this time and he let TNT reporter Jody Shelley know of it halfway through the second period.
“We haven’t gotten to (our game) all night,” Brind’Amour said to Shelley. “We’ve got to find another gear … find a little more energy.”
In an attempt to find that spark, Brind’Amour reshuffled his lines right before his interview with Shelley. He had to try something. The Washington Capitals were controlling the game up until that point on the Hurricanes’ home ice, peppering goaltender Frederik Andersen, who made save after save to bail out the rest of his team.
So he moved center Seth Jarvis to the top line, right wing Jackson Blake to the fourth and left wing William Carrier to the third.
If Brind’Amour was trying to send a message to the boys on the bench by mixing the lines, it was received. Just over two minutes after his interview with Shelley, right wing Andrei Svechnikov boxed out Capitals defenseman John Carlson on a face-off Washington had won and ripped a shot past goaltender Logan Thompson for a 1-0 lead.
It was an extra effort play that the Canes weren’t making earlier in the game. But after Brind’Amour shuffled his lines, the Hurricanes played with newfound energy on the way to a dominant 4-0 win over the Washington Capitals Saturday night at Lenovo Center to take a 2-1 series lead.
“I didn’t like how the momentum was going,” Brind’Amour said. “We had to do something. Just change it up a little bit, and the guys responded.”
Through the first 30 minutes, the Capitals were the better team, especially in the first period. Thirty seconds into the game, Washington right wing Tom Wilson easily skated by defenseman Dmitry Orlov for a breakaway that Andersen denied. Andersen bailing out his teammates was a common theme in the first period.
Three times in a 22-second span in the first frame, the Hurricanes gave left wing Alex Ovechkin point-blank looks. You know, the guy who has the most goals in NHL history.
The first time, defenseman Jalen Chatfield turned the puck over to Ovechkin in front of the net. Save made by Andersen. Then Ovechkin received a pass unmarked in the slot. Save made by Andersen. Ovechkin alone in the crease with the puck. Save made by Andersen.
In the first period, Andersen stopped all nine shots he faced, most being high-danger opportunities like Ovechkin had. His play in the first allowed the Hurricanes to regroup and go into the second period tied instead of being down two or three, which they easily could’ve been.
“Hats off to Freddie,” said left wing Eric Robinson. “He kept us at 0-0 when we didn’t necessarily have our stuff.”
Even through the first 10 minutes of the middle frame, the Canes still seemed to have cement in their skates, but then the line changes happened. Svechnikov scored to break the ice, and center Jack Roslovic netted one on the power play six minutes later for a 2-0 lead going into the final period.
Carolina added two more goals in the final period and outshot Washington 22-12 over the last 40 minutes. The Hurricanes got back to their style of relentless forechecking and took control of the game. Washington had no answer once Carolina refound its game.
“That was textbook Hurricanes hockey,” Andersen said. “Long shifts in their end, making it tough on them to break out, and that sets up the next line. I guess it’s tough to kind of change that momentum when you’re the defending team.”
Brind’Amour didn’t wait for his team to figure it out on its own. The energy was off, he sensed the game could be slipping away and made the kind of in-game adjustment only a coach with deep trust in his group can make. The line changes weren’t just tactical — they were a message.
But it wouldn’t have meant anything without Andersen, who held the line early and gave the Hurricanes a chance to regroup. From there, Carolina responded, turning a sluggish start into a statement win and series lead. Brind’Amour knew exactly what his team needed and when they needed it.
