In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Rod Brind’Amour has expressed a lot of frustration with his team after losing yet another Eastern Conference Final game by blowout. Elsewhere, we look at a few of the latest injuries around the league in the playoffs, including Niko Mikkola and Roope Hintz. Finally, Ivan Demidov is sticking around in Montreal for the summer, which could be a great thing for his transition into next season.
Brind’Amour Calls Out Star Players
After yet another loss in the Eastern Conference Final, Brind’Amour, the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, expressed his frustration with the team and was clear about who needed to be better.
“The four rookies in the lineup can’t be some of your better players. Like, that can’t happen. So there are a couple of guys in there that I don’t think came to play the way they needed to in this type of time of year…It can’t be Jordan Staal and Martinook being our best players like that. That can’t always be that way. And there they are every night. So we needed more out of some guys.”
Some harsh words from the coach may be true, but too little, too late to get the team back on track. The Hurricanes are being outscored 16-4 over the course of the first three games of the series, and are facing a sweep for the fourth straight time in the Conference Final.
Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov led the way with the forward group through the first two rounds, but they need to step up in this series. The rookies Brind’Amour is referring to include Alexander Nikishin, Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, and Scott Morrow. They have all had some different-looking games, but in Game 3, they all looked good.
Related: NHL Rumours: Shanahan, Islanders, Berube, Maple Leafs, Senators
As mentioned by Brind’Amour, Staal and Martinook are playing well, but they are going to need more from players like Taylor Hall, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Seth Jarvis, and others. But defensively, it is players like Dmitri Orlov who need to step up.
Hintz Uncertain for Game 3
After taking a heavy slash to the top of the foot in Game 2, the availability of Roope Hintz is unclear for Game 3. Some expected a suspension after the slash, and Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer was vocal about wanting a five-minute penalty called on that play.
There are some reports saying Hintz left the arena…
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