- Jaccob Slavin took full blame for Carolina’s stunning 6-2 Game 1 loss to Montreal
- The Hurricanes’ top shutdown defenseman finished minus-4, the worst playoff plus-minus of his career
- Read below for Slavin’s quote, Rod Brind’Amour’s reaction, and the post-game video
Jaccob Slavin didn’t sugarcoat it.
After Carolina’s stunning 6-2 loss to Montreal in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night, the Hurricanes’ top shutdown defenseman put the whole result squarely on his own shoulders.
Asked about a brutal first 20 minutes that saw the Canadiens score four times inside the opening 12, Slavin took full ownership.
“We had a couple of breakdowns, gave them a couple of goals and they came out and they were flying. Personally, I think I handed them the game, so I’ve got to be better.”
Watch the full Hurricanes post-game media availability here:
The numbers backed up the self-assessment. Slavin finished minus-4, the worst postseason plus-minus of his career, and was on the ice for three of Montreal’s four first-period goals.
Rod Brind’Amour was asked about his top defenseman’s night and refused to spin it.
“I’ve never seen that. Eight years. So, it happens. Again, they have the ability that if you give them a little room, then it’s over, and that’s what happened tonight. So he’ll bounce back.”
Here’s the head coach laying out what went wrong:
This was a brand new look for a defenseman who’d been near-flawless all spring. Carolina entered Thursday 8-0 in the 2026 postseason and hadn’t given up more than two goals in any of those wins.
Slavin had been on the ice for just four even-strength goals against in the entire postseason run before Game 1. He matched that total in one period of work.
Game 2 goes Saturday night at Lenovo Center, and Carolina will need its top blueliner back to his usual form in a hurry.
