‘Never seen that in eight years’: Hurricanes coach Brind’Amour on Slavin’s Game 1 performance vs. Canadiens
Well, that was one to forget.
The Carolina Hurricanes lost 6-2 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Final matchup to the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night, with top defender Jaccob Slavin posting a minus-four rating in 20:49 of ice time.
The two-time Lady Byng Trophy-winner has been arguably one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL for several years, and has been a major reason for the Hurricanes’ success through the first two rounds of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But Slavin struggled mightily in Game 1. According to Hockey Reference, it’s the first time in 95 playoff games the Denver-native has finished a game with a plus-minus rating worse than minus-three.
Hurricanes’ head coach Rod Brind’Amour was blunt in his post-game assessment.
Rod Brind'Amour on Jaccob Slavin, who was -4 in Game 1 of ECF: "He had a tough one. I've never seen that. Eight years."
“Yeah, he had a tough one,” Brind’Amour said. “I’ve never seen that. Eight years. So, it happens … (the Canadiens) have the ability that if you give them a little room, it’s over, and that’s what happened tonight. So, he’ll bounce back.”
Slavin didn’t hold back in his own criticism of his performance.
“Personally, I think I handed them the game,” the 32-year-old blueliner told reporters after the game. “I’ve got to be better.”
Carolina’s Game 1 loss comes after a 12-day break between games, as the Hurricanes swept both the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Forward Taylor Hall leads the team in points with 12 (three goals and nine assists) while Logan Stankoven has seven goals. Slavin leads the team in average ice time with 23:48 per night, while goaltender Frederik Andersen leads the playoffs with an 8-1 record, a .932 save percentage and a 1.51 goals against average.
Game 2 is Saturday night in Raleigh, N.C., Puck drop is 7 p.m. ET.