Reality smacked the Carolina Hurricanes square in the face on Thursday, as the team faced its first game after being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. It also happened to be the team’s home finale.
The visiting Washington Capitals got the better of the two divisional foes with a 5-2 win.
“It wasn’t a good game overall,” Canes coach coach Kirk Muller said. “To me, it looked like two teams that pretty much, in the last few days, were mathematically out of the playoffs It looked like a sloppy game, and I don’t think it was a good hockey game by either team. But for our last game at home, we were hoping for more.”
Captain Eric Staal said the team’s effort wasn’t clearly not good enough. “We had breakdowns, and it ended up in our net. It just wasn’t good enough. There’s not much else to say. We need to be better.”
The Hurricanes have two away games left before the season ends. There are sure to be some big changes before next season.