Rod Brind'Amour may be risking everything on one major decision
Jesperi Kotkaniemi stays out and Rod Brind'Amour is not blinking after Carolina's 6-2 loss to Montreal in Game 1.
That is the headline coming out of Raleigh before Game 2.
A lot of people around the Hurricanes expected some kind of shakeup after that opener got away fast.
It is not happening.
The file says Nicolas Deslauriers and Kotkaniemi will both remain extras for Carolina tonight. Walt Ruff shared the full group, and Brind'Amour kept the exact same lineup that got run over Thursday.
That is a strong call from the Carolina bench boss.
Because after a 6-2 playoff loss on home ice, coaches usually feel pressure to change something, even if only to send a message through the room.
Instead, Brind'Amour is betting on response, not reaction.
Everything looks the same at morning skate ahead of tonight's Game 2 (7 p.m. ET).
Svechnikov - Aho - Jarvis
Hall - Stankoven - Blake
Ehlers - Staal - Martinook
Carrier - Jankowski - Robinson
Deslauriers - Kotkaniemi
Slavin - Chatfield
Miller - Walker
Gostisbehere - Nikishin
Reilly
Andersen | Bussi
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Rod Brind'Amour is betting everything on one risky decision
Deslauriers looked like the obvious option if Carolina wanted more bite.
The file says several observers thought he could return to bring some muscle against the Canadiens, especially in a series that is already getting hotter after one ugly night.
Kotkaniemi is the more interesting scratch.
Leaving him out again after that kind of loss feels like a loud internal message, and the file goes even further by saying his long-term place with the Hurricanes now looks compromised.
That is not a small detail in this market.
Carolina is basically saying the answer to a bad Game 1 is not Deslauriers, not Kotkaniemi, and not emotion-driven changes.
It is the same 18 skaters.
That can work if the Hurricanes come out flying and even the series. It looks smart if they get the push Brind'Amour is expecting.
But if Montreal grabs Game 2 as well, this decision is going to get picked apart fast.
The Canadiens already stole home-ice edge with that 6-2 win. Confidence is on their side, and Carolina just handed them the same matchup picture all over again.
That is the gamble.
Brind'Amour is trusting his structure, his leaders, and the idea that one bad night does not mean the lineup was wrong.
We are about to find out if that was conviction or stubbornness.
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MAY 23, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Eric Robinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Jankowski | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | - | - | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Cole Caufield | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Phillip Danault | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | - | - | |
| Jakub Dobes | - | - | - | |
| Noah Dobson | - | - | - | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | - | - | |
| Jake Evans | - | - | - | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | - | - | - | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||