from Michael Traikos of the National Post,

Fatigue is setting in with the Carolina Hurricanes. But it’s more mental than physical.

While they needed a Game 7 to get past the Washington Capitals in the first round, this is a team that has been playing what has felt like do-or-die games since the start of January just to get into the playoffs. Four months later, it’s finally catching up to them.

“It looked like we were really tired,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said a day after losing 6-2 to the Boston Bruins. “And we’ve only played two games in 10 days. But I think the mental fatigue got to us. It was a real strong push by our guys for about four months and it just felt like we didn’t have that extra gear that we needed at this time of year.”

It’s easy to forget — mostly because they looked so good against the Capitals and Islanders — that the Hurricanes weren’t a shoe-in to make the playoffs this year. They weren’t even close.

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Below, watch Rod Brind’Amour yesterday on his team.