Carolina Hurricanes’ Morning Presser: Brind’Amour & Players’ Thoughts Ahead of Game 5 – The Hockey Writers – Carolina Hurricanes

The 2026 Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights has been historic, with 33 goals scored through four games, tying the record set in the 1980 Stanley Cup Final between the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers.

In Game 5 on Thursday night, the Hurricanes will try to go up 3-2 and take their first lead of the series. Here’s what head coach Rod Brind’Amour and some of the Hurricanes had to say ahead of tonight’s contest.

Jordan Martinook

The Lenovo Center is one of the loudest houses in the NHL, especially in the playoffs. For Games 3 and 4 in Las Vegas, the Hurricanes hosted watch parties, selling out both events while the games were played 2,000 miles away. The series shifts back to Raleigh tonight.

Jordan Martinook expressed how excited the team is to be back in front of their own crowd for Game 5: “Obviously, we love playing in front of our fans. They make it hard for other teams to play in here. Whenever you have a little advantage, we feel like it’s an advantage. It definitely helps.” Expect a huge welcome for the Hurricanes tonight, following their Game 4 win on Tuesday.

Jordan Staal’s playoff performance is the storyline everyone wanted. The Hurricanes’ captain has five goals through four games in this series, and seven through 17 playoff games, after scoring 20 goals in the regular season. He’s leading the team on and off the ice.

When asked about Staal, Martinook said, “He’s putting up goals, points, and all of that right now, but he leads us all year. Obviously, everybody that’s been around here all year, you see the way Jordo plays every night. Some stretches aren’t filled with however many goals he’s scoring right now, but every night he’s the guy that sets the tone for our team. In the most important series of our season, he’s setting the tone every night and playing phenomenal. That shows you what type of captain he is.”

If the Hurricanes want to take a 3-2 series lead tonight, they’ll need to lean on their captain once again, especially after he scored two goals in Game 4.

Jaccob Slavin

Defense has been a talking point in this series, especially for the Hurricanes, who are known for it. Many of the team’s blueliners have said they need to be better and make adjustments to shut down the Golden Knights. Jaccob Slavin is the heartbeat of Carolina’s defense, and as the league’s best defensive defenseman, expectations for him to perform are high.

Now that the series is down to a best-of-three, what adjustments have the Hurricanes made? “They’re minor adjustments,” Slavin said. “I feel like they make adjustments; we make adjustments. It’s an evolving game, if you will, during a series. We feel great about our game. I feel like we’re starting to play better hockey. Our second period, obviously, wasn’t the result that we wanted last game. But I felt like we played better hockey in the second period.”

“I know that’s been a topic of conversation, wanting to clean that up. I think we’re continuing to get better,” he added.

When asked about Staal’s play in the series, Slavin said: “It’s unbelievable. I’ve been with him for 11 years now; he’s been my captain the whole time. Obviously, he wasn’t wearing a letter for the first couple of years, but he was a leader on this team, always has been. It’s welcoming to see; he’s what, 37 years old and still one of the hardest workers on the team. He puts in his time, always wanting to get better, and even learning from the young guys, some of the young forwards.”

“It’s just the way he comes about the game, the way he is as a person, you couldn’t wish anything better for him,” he added.

Heading home for Game 5, the players know it’s going to be electric at the Lenovo Center. “It’s awesome, I know our fans are passionate. This building gets unbelievably loud,” Slavin said. “It definitely helps with our momentum. Coming back home, fresh series, if you will, for a best-of-three. It’s always awesome to play at home in front of our fans.”

Taylor Hall

Game 5 will be the biggest challenge in what has become an instant-classic series. When asked about his team’s confidence, Taylor Hall said, “We’re excited about where we’re at. Obviously, you know Game 4 is a big swing game, down 3-1 or tied 2-2, so we’re pumped. We’re excited to be at home. I think our game has been trending in the right direction all series long. Doing a lot of really good things.”

“We feel like we’re an in-shape team; we can go as long as this series needs to go. The fact that we had three short series to start with, we’re confident in where we’re at,” he added.

The vibes at the morning skate seemed more positive compared to before Game 4 on Tuesday. The Hurricanes have not lost back-to-back games since mid-January and will need to win two in a row to take a 3-2 series lead.

Rod Brind’Amour

It’s well known that Brind’Amour doesn’t number his lines but refers to them by their center. When asked about the Logan Stankoven and Staal lines, he said, “It’s been great all playoffs, you’re right. All year. Their game hasn’t changed all that much, honestly. Getting more and more production out of both of those guys’ lines, which has been huge. We need that to continue.”

Staal leads the team in goals during the Stanley Cup Final, but Stankoven leads the team in playoff goals, with 11 through 17 games. Nikolaj Ehlers has tallied seven goals and 14 points in his first playoffs with the Hurricanes, while Hall and Jackson Blake lead the team in assists (12) and points (18). It’s been a team effort, but those two lines have been the driving force throughout the postseason.

If the Hurricanes want to take a 3-2 lead into Sunday night’s Game 6 in Vegas, they’ll need those two lines to continue leading the way. They are part of the reason the organization is two wins away from its second Stanley Cup championship.