To say Carolina Hurricanes fans are frustrated would be an understatement. They didn't just lose in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday, but they were humiliated, falling 5-0 against the Florida Panthers. They now trail 2-0 in the series, with the scene shifting to Florida in Games 3 and 4. At this point, it's hard to imagine this series even gets back to Raleigh for a Game 5, and Hurricanes fans know that based on how they acted during Thursday's tilt.
Things got so ugly to the point where fans were chanting "Shoot the puck!" as the team had just seven shots on goal with almost 40 minutes elapsed. To make matters worse, the Hurricanes failed to record a shot on goal for the remainder of that period, leading fans to boo them off the ice.
It'd be one thing to lose a series to the defending champions. It's another thing entirely to get embarrassed like this. With that, Hurricanes fans are beside themselves, and it's hard to blame them.
Hurricanes fans are beside themselves as another Eastern Conference Finals sweep feels inevitable
This season has been a whirlwind for Hurricanes fans. They had originally gone all-in on winning a Stanley Cup this season by acquiring Mikko Rantanen, only to then flip him to the Dallas Stars shortly after landing him due to his refusal to ink an extension with the franchise. Hurricanes fans didn't have high Stanley Cup hopes after trading Rantanen, but a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals had everyone bought back in. This is what they got in exchange for their belief.
This is Carolina's fourth time making the Eastern Conference Finals since winning the Stanley Cup back in the 2005-06 campaign, and somehow, they haven't won a single game in that round since their Cup-winning year. They've now lost 14 straight Eastern Conference Finals games.
Again, the Panthers are a different beast, especially in the playoffs. They're defending champions for a reason. Had the Hurricanes lost to them in a hard-fought series, especially after trading Rantanen, the fan base would be fine. Losing like this, though, feels unacceptable.
The Hurricanes lost this game 5-0 and managed just 17 shots on goal. They showed more life in Game 1, but still lost that game 5-2. They were outscored on their home ice, a place they dominated during the regular season and in the first two rounds of these playoffs, by a combined score of 10-2.
At some point, something has to change. Hurricanes fans hope that will happen sooner rather than later, but with the series shifting to Florida, it's tough for even the biggest Hurricanes homer to believe in this team even making this series competitive, let alone winning four of five to make it to the Stanley Cup Final.