Head coach Rod Brind'Amour and his Carolina Hurricanes lost Game 3 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night. They lost forward Jackson Blake early in the game, and things got worse for them from there. The Florida Panthers skated away with a 6-2 victory at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

There was a common theme for the Hurricanes, especially in the third period. Carolina did not take care of the puck well at all. They routinely coughed up possession in the neutral zone. And they were unable to cover for the mistakes they made. Brind'Amour called these mistakes “demoralizing” in his postgame press conference while saying his team had no room for those sorts of errors.

“You can't do that, and you can't do that anytime. In a preseason game, it's going to cost you. But against that team? And you turn it over for an odd-man rush? Forget it,” the Hurricanes head coach said, via team reporter Walt Ruff.

Hurricanes extend brutal East Final losing streak

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Carolina Hurricanes center Seth Jarvis (24) goes for there puck during the first period against the Florida Panthers in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena.
Rod Brind’Amour calls out Hurricanes players after Game 3 loss
Carolina Hurricanes right wing Jackson Blake (53) watches his shot during the warmups before the game against the Washington Capitals in game three of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center.
Hurricanes’ Jackson Blake exits Game 3 after dangerous Eetu Luostarinen hit
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (52) and forward Jordan Martinook (48) defend against Florida Panthers forward A.J. Greer (10) during the second period in game two of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center.
Hurricanes make huge lineup change for Game 3 vs. Panthers
Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho (20) looks on during the third period against the Florida Panthers in game one of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center.
James Guillory-Imagn Images

The Hurricanes entered this East Final with one major objective, other than the obvious goal of winning the series. Carolina needed to win one game. They have not won an East Final game since 2006. They defeated the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 that year before going on to beat the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.

However, they have had no luck in the East Final since then. They were swept in 2009 by Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2019, they had no luck against Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins. In 2023, they had their hearts broken by Matthew Tkachuk and these Panthers.

Coming back from a 3-0 series deficit is beyond difficult. Carolina cannot afford to repeat their mistakes from these first three games. They need to take things one at a time. And this starts with Game 4 on Monday night at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.