We are just two days from Game 1 (May 20) of the Eastern Conference Final for the Carolina Hurricanes. After winning their Round 2 matchup on Thursday, May 15, the Hurricanes have gotten some extra rest and are now back on the ice practicing for the next round of the playoffs. Before that, however, it’s been a while since we’ve done a mailbag for Hurricanes, and hockey fans from us here at The Hockey Writers’ Hurricanes crew. What did the people ask us about the Hurricanes?
“What Do You Think Needs to Happen for the Hurricanes to Reach the [Stanley Cup Final], Regardless of Opponent?” – @TJBennettt37 & @justingiam
This one was asked kind of similarly but worded differently from Tommy Bennett (THW Boston Bruins writer) and Justin Giampietro (THW Philadelphia Flyers writer), so we will combine this question here. The Hurricanes are waiting for the winner of the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs series – Game 7 on Sunday night (May 18) – and regardless of the winner, they need to focus on their game. Since the 2009 Eastern Conference Final (ECF) against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they have gone three consecutive ECFs without winning a single game (2019 vs the Bruins & 2023 Panthers). Their first objective is to win an ECF game, and their second objective is to make the Stanley Cup Final. The last time they were in the latter was 2006 when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7.
They defeated the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals in five games each in their respective series. One of the big components of that is that they’ve won on the road three times. For teams to be successful in the playoffs, they need to win on the road. The Hurricanes in the regular season went 16-21-4 on the road. That’s a huge difference from their NHL-best 31-9-1 home record. The fact that the Hurricanes have already won three times on the road will go a long way, regardless of whether they play the Maple Leafs or the Panthers. The only difference is whether they will be the home team or not, because the former has a better seed than the Hurricanes.
Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Hub
Another factor, the special teams for the Hurricanes have been elite this postseason. More importantly, the penalty kill has been rock solid. In 10 games, they’ve killed off 28 of 30 penalties, putting them at 93.3%, which leads all playoff teams. The next best, the Panthers, at 89.5%. Fun note: the Hurricanes have a…
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