March 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) plays the puck while being defended by Seattle Kraken goalie Joey Dacord (35) during the third period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Image The Carolina Hurricanes took the stance that a single loss was no big deal.
Still, as the Hurricanes continue their four-game road swing when they face the last-place Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, they’re motivated to make sure one loss doesn’t turn into two more.
The Hurricanes arrive in Vancouver after beginning their trek with a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Monday. The loss not only snapped a five-game winning streak, but also marked their first setback in regulation since mid-January, and they have since posted a 10-0-2 record.
“It’s about what comes next,” Capt. Jordan Stahl said. “We will learn from what happened (on Monday), take care of our bodies and prepare for the next game. This trip is tough, everyone has to go through it and we have to work a little harder and get a good result.”
The 12-game point streak is tied for the fourth-longest in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history.
As disappointing as the loss was for the Hurricanes, which left them atop the Metropolitan Division, there are plenty of positives to take from it.
Carolina dominated play with the drop of the puck and outscored the Kraken 36-15. The only thing lacking was the finishing touch, but coach Rod Brind’Amour said his attack could have added some extra oomph to their game.
“We played well,” Brind’Amour insisted. “To be honest, we gave up too many (offensive opportunities) in the zone and just tried to force things. … We should be scoring more than one point with the zone time we had.”
The Canucks are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Vancouver, bottom of the league standings, is coming off a 6-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday.
Vancouver is winless in six games and has only two wins in its last 22 games (2-16-4).
“We have to find a way,” forward Marcus Peterson said of the situation. “We can’t just fall down and die. We’ve got to get back on the horse. … It’s up to us, our veterans here, to get the team back on track. And I think we can do a better job of that.”
Amid rampant trade speculation as the team flounders toward the finish line, the Canucks look like a club with some fighting left.
The 14 shots taken against Dallas were a season low. Vancouver, which has scored two or fewer goals in nine consecutive games, fell to 30th in points per game and last in points per game.
Evander Kane actually put the Canucks on top against Dallas, scoring his 11th goal of the season midway through the first period.
“We’re all human. We know this isn’t very funny,” Kane said. “At the same time… you have to have a certain amount of mental toughness, a little bit of pushback, a little bit of fight. Whether you have to make something up in your head to get angry and get things started, that’s what you have to do.”
In anticipation of a trade, Vancouver has kept defenseman Tyler Myers out of the lineup for the past few games, but may need to reintroduce him after defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph left the Dallas game early in the third period.
–Field level media
