The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 on Thursday to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Andrei Svechnikov's game-winning goal with two minutes left ended the series. Seth Jarvis popped one into the empty net to secure the victory. The Hurricanes have been called boring throughout the playoffs and responded to those critics on social media after the game.
ECF berths are so boring! pic.twitter.com/6HNgWmjmY0
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 16, 2025
The Hurricanes accumulated some social media responses and podcast clips calling their style of play “boring.” Rod Brind'amour preaches a defensive style that does not lead to many goals. It has led them to success, so Hurricanes fans and the team should not be too worried about what other people are saying.
The Capitals only scored five goals in the five-game series, proving that the Hurricanes' style is working. In their five-game series against the Canadiens, Washington scored 18 goals. They suppressed their offense, holding Alex Ovechkin to just one goal and not allowing any players to score multiple goals.
The Hurricanes await the winner of the Panthers and Maple Leafs series in the Eastern Conference Final. Both Paul Maurice and Craig Berube also preach a defensive style, so the next series could be boring as well. But this has been where things fall apart for the Hurricanes in the past.
The Hurricanes have made the playoffs in all seven seasons with Brind'amour behind the bench. This is their third trip to the East Final in those runs. But they have never won a game in this round, getting swept in 2019 and 2023. They have leaned into the boring style, and while that has led to many comments, it could lead them to the Stanley Cup Final.
After unseating the Capitals in the first round, the Hurricanes await their next opponent. Despite everyone calling them boring, they have a chance to make the Stanley Cup Final.