Wrapping up the second-round exit portion of our countdown, the Carolina Hurricanes had seemingly hit a wall. After exiting against the Lightning in 2021 and the Rangers in 2022, the Canes enjoyed a slightly longer postseason run in 2023. They remained among the favorites in the Eastern Conference, but they ran into New York once more in the second round.
The Canes saw their run of division titles ended in 2023-24 by the Rangers, who finished the regular season with the most points (114). Carolina wasn't far behind, finishing second in the Metro and third in the league with 111 points. Neither team faced much resistance on their way to the second round. New York swept Washington in four games, so they were rested and feeling pretty good.
The sting of that loss in 2022 was still present for the Hurricanes. Now, home ice belonged to the Rangers, something that the Hurricanes hadn't dealt with since the 2020 first round against Boston in the bubble. This meant an early pair at Madison Square Garden, a barn famously known as the Canes' kryptonite and where they lost three times two years prior.
#27: The Hurricanes' push comes up short after a Game 6 meltdown
The second time around wasn't as friendly, but the games in New York were much closer in 2024. Mika Zibanejad scored 2:46 into the contest against Frederik Andersen, but Jaccob Slavin responded after his drive from the point deflected off Alexis Lafreniere's stick. New York's power play joined the fun late in the first, with Vincent Trocheck and Zibanejad pushing the Rangers ahead after 20 minutes.
New York's lead stuck through the second period before Martin Necas cut it back to one early in the final frame. However, Artemi Panarin restored the multi-goal lead before the halfway point, and it wasn't a particularly good one for Andersen to allow. Seth Jarvis got one to go with 1:30 remaining in regulation, but it wouldn't be enough. The Canes dropped another at MSG.
Game 2 started similarly, with Lafreniere opening the scoring for New York. The Canes fought back, though. In the final five minutes of the first period, Jake Guentzel and Dmitry Orlov gave the Canes their first lead of the series with two beautiful tips. Lafreniere's second of the game tied it again, but Guentzel's second late in the middle period had the Canes rolling into the third with a one-goal lead.
That good feeling disappeared before the end of regulation. Chris Kreider scored on the power play midway through, tying the game at three and sending us to overtime. Nothing was resolved after 80 minutes, and the Canes' penalty kill would let them down again in the fifth period. Trocheck roasted his former team on the power play, moving the series to Raleigh after New York defended its barn.
Back in their dojo, the Hurricanes sought refuge in the Caniacs. The team also made a change in the net, giving Pyotr Kochetkov his first look of the series. Knowing what historically happens to teams in 3-0 holes, they needed to show something in Game 3. They got off to a better start. Guentzel's third goal in two games was the lone tally of the opening frame.
Despite a better start, the Rangers pushed back. Kreider continued to tip the special teams' scale in New York's favor with a short-handed goal in the second period. Things took an even tougher turn when Lafreniere scored early in the third period to put the Rangers ahead. However, Andrei Svechnikov tied it with 90 seconds remaining, giving us overtime for the second straight game.
Unlike the last game, the Rangers didn't wait long to win it. Panarin scored 103 seconds into overtime, giving New York a commanding 3-0 series lead. It's not as if the Canes weren't playing well. They were one shot away in all three games, but they couldn't get it done. New York had their number. All Carolina could do was hope to fight another day.
Just like in 2001, all the Canes could do was take it one day at a time
This was not the first 3-0 deficit in team history. Carolina had been here three times before. In 2009 and 2019, they were finished in four games. However, their clash in 2001 with the New Jersey Devils saw the Canes fight to keep the series alive twice. The biggest difference was that Carolina probably deserved at least one game in 2024, unlike their 2001 counterparts.
As always, the next game provided plenty of opportunity for the Canes to right the ship. They did that in spades during the first period. Evgeny Kuznetsov opened the night with a lethal snipe, and Stefan Noesen backhanded one home as he cruised through the slot. Even when Will Cuylle got one for New York, the Canes got it back before the end of the period, courtesy of Sebastian Aho.
Of course, things couldn't be that easy. Barclay Goodrow scored the lone goal of the second period, and Lafreniere banked one home early in the third. The biggest difference was that the Canes found a way to finish the job this time. Even better, they did it on the power play. Brady Skjei's drive from the point beat Igor Shesterkin late in the period, and it was enough to get the Canes back to New York.
The Rangers thought they had the Canes where they wanted them in Game 5, leading 1-0 after Jacob Trouba scored a short-handed goal, but Carolina scored three times in three-minute intervals in the third before Martin Necas scored into the empty net, putting the Canes one win away from forcing a seventh game, something the 2001 team couldn't do. It turns out, neither could the 2024 squad.
I called the 2022 series a demoralizing loss for the Hurricanes. Their loss in Game 6 wasn't as bad, but it hurt all the same. The Canes had done everything right, leading 3-1 after 40 minutes. They just didn't have an answer for Chris Kreider in the third period. A natural hat trick in just under nine minutes pushed the Rangers ahead, and the empty-netter sealed the Canes' fate once more.
There were so many moments in Game 6 that could've changed everything. A brutal turnover led to New York getting on the board in the second. Jordan Martinook made a Save of the Year candidate and hit the post in the third period. It's all in the past now, and there's no guarantee that it changes anything. Still, watching the Rangers end the Canes' season in their barn again wasn't fun.
This series boils down to two things. First, Shesterkin was miles better than Andersen and Kochetkov. He faced almost 70 more shots in the series and posted a .919 save percentage to the Canes' .878. Second, the Rangers outscored the Canes 7-2 on special teams in the series, including 5-0 in the first three games. Carolina backed itself into an avoidable corner.
While one of the tougher pills to swallow, this was the closest of the three second-round losses that the Canes suffered from 2021 to 2024. All six games were incredibly tight, with only Games 5 and 6 being decided by more than one goal. If the series made it back to New York, I'd think the Rangers would've maintained their edge, but it really makes you wonder what could've been.
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