Hurricanes Collapse After 3-0 Lead, Brind’Amour Doesn’t Hold Back: “We Were That Bad”
Saturday night in Washington started with promise for the Carolina Hurricanes-and ended with a thud. After racing out to a 3-0 lead, the Canes watched it all unravel, giving up four unanswered goals and falling 4-3 in overtime to the Capitals.
It wasn’t just the loss that stung. It was how it happened.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour didn’t sugarcoat a thing postgame. In fact, his words hit as hard as the collapse itself.
“We sure didn’t get to it,” Brind’Amour said when asked if his team found its game at any point. “From opening puck drop to the end, I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a 60-minute game where we were that bad.
Somehow we managed a point. I mean literally.
There was zero way we should have. They dominated us from start to finish.”
That’s not just frustration talking-that’s a coach calling out a complete no-show. And he wasn’t wrong.
From the first shift, Carolina looked flat. The energy wasn’t there, the execution was off, and the urgency that’s typically a Brind’Amour hallmark?
Nowhere to be found.
“There was zero intensity,” he continued. “We just wanted to get through the game.
That’s very rare for this group. But it was just nothing.”
It’s not often you hear Brind’Amour speak this bluntly about his team’s effort. And when he does, it means something.
He’s not a coach who throws his players under the bus lightly. But Saturday’s performance clearly crossed a line.
One of the few bright spots? Goaltender Frederik Andersen, who made several key saves to keep Carolina in it-at least long enough to earn a point in the standings. That silver lining didn’t do much to soften the blow, though.
“Freddie made some big saves to keep us alive. It is what it is. We move on.”
And that’s the mindset now. Move on.
With another game less than 24 hours away, there’s no time to dwell. But Brind’Amour made it clear: the only direction to go is up.
“It’s easy because you can’t get any worse than that,” he said. “You just move on. We’ve got a game tomorrow, so we should have a good answer.”
Still, the disappointment lingered in his voice. Not just because of the blown lead-but because of the lack of fight.
“I get it. It’s hard,” Brind’Amour admitted. “You have all these games and it’s just, ‘...here we go,’ but you have a job to do and that was not it tonight.”
This wasn’t a case of bad bounces or a hot opposing goalie. This was a team that didn’t show up after building a three-goal cushion. And for a group with postseason aspirations and a reputation for playing hard, that’s not something they can afford to repeat.
The Hurricanes have been through enough battles to know how to respond. But Saturday night in D.C.? That was a wake-up call-loud and clear.