You might've heard it said once or twice recently, but the Carolina Hurricanes are the reigning and defending Stanley Cup champions, and they have been for the better part of two months. Their ride to the top of the mountain began with the Canes doing something that hadn't been done since the league changed the postseason format in the late 80s.
It was a season full of firsts and milestones for the organization, and the biggest was their first-ever finish atop the Eastern Conference. Not only did the Canes rule comfortably over the Metropolitan Division, but they also sat four points clear of Buffalo to earn home ice through at least the conference finals, should they get there.
The Canes sat at home waiting for their second-round opponent to be decided. The Philadelphia Flyers appeared set for a finish outside of the top three in the division before going on an incredible run after the trade deadline. They sent their interstate rivals home in the first round, giving us a first-ever postseason meeting between the Hurricanes and the Flyers for division supremacy.
#20: The Canes pull out the brooms again, keep their historic start going
The tone was set immediately and emphatically by the team's most dangerous line throughout the postseason. Mike Reilly, who stepped into the lineup after Alexander Nikishin suffered a concussion in Game 4 against the Senators, threw a shot at the net. Logan Stankoven set up in front of the net and tipped it past Dan Vladar. With just 1:31 gone in the game, the Canes were in front.
The lead was doubled soon after. Jackson Blake got loose, splitting the Flyers' defense. He lost control of the puck as he attempted his first shot, but he put himself in a good enough spot to slide it past Vladar with his second chance. The arena was bouncing, and the Canes were in control. Their 2-0 lead stood through the end of the first period and deep into the second.
Late in the middle frame, they got a little insurance. Noah Juulsen tried to exit the defensive zone. His pass hit Andrei Svechnikov's skate and bounced to Seth Jarvis. Suddenly on a quick-developing 2-on-1, Jarvis found Stankoven for the third goal. There were some fireworks in the third period, though nothing would prevent a 3-0 shutout victory for the Canes to open the series.
Game 2 saw the Flyers do something the Senators never did in the first round. They scored first and played from in front. A quick spurt gave the Flyers two goals in 39 seconds. Jamie Drysdale snapped home a shot on the power play, and Sean Couturier buried one at the top of the crease, putting the Flyers up 2-0 before five minutes had elapsed.
Of course, this meant that the Canes needed a furious comeback. Nikolaj Ehlers scored his first postseason goal as a Hurricane on the power play just past the halfway point of the opening frame, cutting the deficit in half. Midway through the third, the Canes tied it. Seth Jarvis beat Vladar from the right dot in transition, tying things up and sending Game 2 to overtime.
The winner wasn't the prettiest goal in the world, but it counted all the same. Taylor Hall took the puck to the net, but it became entangled in a mass of humanity near the crease. Blake swooped in to pry it loose, pushing it free to Hall at the side of the net. With Vladar out of position, Hall slid it home, completing the comeback and putting the Canes ahead 2-0 in the series.
Moving to Philadelphia, the Hurricanes looked poised to finish it there
The Flyers had some incredible chances to open the scoring in the first period of Game 3, including a few that rang the iron. However, nothing found its way past Frederik Andersen. Instead, it was Carolina's power play that found paydirt first. Svechnikov's shot missed the net, but Jordan Staal was quick to get his stick on the rebound, banking it off Vladar to get one late in the first.
Trevor Zegras, who'd done a number on the Canes during the regular season, scored during a delayed penalty to knot it up early in the second. Carolina's special teams continued to do their thing, though. This time, they got one short-handed. Jordan Martinook laid out to poke the puck free, sending Staal and Jalen Chatfield away on a 2-on-1. The captain set up Chatfield for a one-timer to regain the lead.
The third period was all about protecting the lead. The best way to do that is by scoring more goals. Svechnikov hit his mark on the power play in the third, ringing the post and having the puck pushed in by Vladar's skate. For some added insurance, Ehlers buried a breakaway. The Canes silenced the crowd and earned a 4-1 win, putting them a victory away from back-to-back sweeps.
With their season on the line, the Canes knew they'd get the Flyers' best. Tyson Foerster came off the bench and found enough space to skate in and snap a shot past Andersen to get the Flyers off to a quick start. They led for a while before Blake got it back. His shot from the wall got a bounce off Drysdale's leg as he tied it up late in the second.
The Stankoven line struck again early in the third. This time, Stankoven finished the chance from Hall to put the Canes ahead for the first time in the contest. The lead lasted 1:39 before the Flyers responded. A turnover behind the net allowed Travis Konecny to find Alex Bump in front of the net for the tying goal. For the second time in the series, we needed overtime.
Just as they'd done to begin the series, the Stankoven line finished the job. Jaccob Slavin intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, bumping the puck free. In transition, Hall found Blake as the trailer. Blake aimed right at Vladar's elbow and handcuffed him. Vladar got a piece of it. It just wasn't enough. The puck trickled over the line, sending the Canes through to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Flyers deserve a ton of credit for what they did in this series. The Canes had to earn everything they got. Dan Vladar faced 45 more shots than Frederik Andersen did, or just over 11 more per game. Andersen only allowed five goals and posted a .945 save percentage. He also got help from his defense, particularly with goal-saving plays from K'Andre Miller and Jaccob Slavin.
The Stankoven trio also did their share of damage. They outscored the Flyers by themselves, combining for seven of Carolina's 13 goals. Jackson Blake led the way with seven points and tied Logan Stankoven with three goals, including the clincher. Meanwhile, the Flyers' stars were shut down. Only Trevor Zegras and Porter Martone had multiple points.
Of their four series in 2026, I think this is probably the most one-sided, though I can see a case for the Eastern Conference Finals late in the series. Still, unlike the Ottawa series, the numbers skew heavily in the Canes' favor. However, there's more intrigue in this series' body of work than their wins over Boston in 2022 and New Jersey in 2023. There's still plenty to talk about from this run.
Add us as a preferred source on Google