Having beaten the New Jersey Devils and the Montreal Canadiens in six games each, the Carolina Hurricanes arrived in the Eastern Conference Finals with a lot left to prove. They'd never made it this far before, so the franchise was in uncharted territory. The only team standing between them and the Stanley Cup Final was a franchise with a ton of history on its side.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were in the conference finals for the second time in four years and the fourth time in the last decade. They'd fallen short in their previous three trips, but they had plenty of experience at this point. They were coming off a 100-point campaign, finishing second to the Bruins in the Northeast Division.
Toronto boasted one of the best offenses in the league, finishing third in goals scored with the help of 41-goal scorer Mats Sundin. However, they'd been through two grueling series to this point, beating the Islanders and the Senators in seven games. Having played the maximum number of games through two rounds, there's no doubt that rest could've played a part in this daunting series.
#7: Overtime was the Hurricanes' friend against the Maple Leafs
Starting on home ice, the Hurricanes got off to a quick start in Game 1. Jeff O'Neill parked himself at the side of the net and worked the puck past Curtis Joseph on the power play just 3:23 into the game, getting the Canes on the board first. The lead was short-lived. Less than four minutes later, Alexander Mogilny tied it, putting his own rebound into the net against Arturs Irbe.
In the second period, the Maple Leafs' power play pushed them in front. Jonas Hogland's drive from the point hit something in front of the net and beat the Canes' netminder to give Toronto its first lead. That's all Joseph needed. He made 31 stops to stifle the Hurricanes' offense, which was scorching at the end of the Montreal series, and hold on for a 2-1 win on the road.
Game 2 was another intense goalie battle between Irbe and Joseph. Neither team broke through for two periods, but the home team eventually drew first blood. Bret Hedican got Joseph to overcommit before sliding a shot past him midway through the third. With 7.2 seconds left in regulation, Alyn McCauley tied it up, sending the game to overtime with some last-second heroics.
The Maple Leafs weren't aware that the Hurricanes had acquired a secret weapon for overtime during the Montreal series. In the fourth period, Niclas Wallin was the hero once more. He made the smart decision to pass on his initial chance, getting a Toronto defender to slide by him. Erik Cole put it on a tee for him to one-time past Joseph, evening the series at a game apiece with a booming shot.
The Canes tried to build on their win in Game 2 when the series moved to Toronto. Early in the game, their power play got another. Sami Kapanen's one-timer from the point was tipped by Ron Francis, allowing the Canes to take an early 1-0 lead. In the second, Toronto's power play struck. Bryan McCabe scored in the final minute of the period, tying the game. That's where they stood after 60.
Needing overtime again, it would take a special moment to get the job done. O'Neill was sporting a shiner for much of the game after taking a puck to the face early in the first. Early in overtime, the Canes attacked, but the puck was stuck in Francis' skates. While he probably didn't mean to, Francis dislodged the puck for O'Neill to swoop in and snap home, giving the Canes a 2-1 series lead.
With the lead, the Canes applied enough pressure to break Toronto
Having played three straight one-goal games, the Canes tried to make a statement when they took the ice for Game 4. They had the lead, but it wasn't good enough. They'd scored first in all three contests, though Toronto had fought back to win in Game 1 and force overtime in Games 2 and 3. With one more guaranteed game in Toronto, Carolina needed a cushion.
It took a lot of work to get the first goal, and Carolina did the honors once more. Jaroslav Svoboda was persistent in front of the net, knocking his second chance past Joseph on the power play in the final minute of the first period to start the scoring. Meanwhile, Toronto was desperate for goals, outshooting the Canes mightily through two periods, but to no avail.
The shot gap widened in the third, yet so too did the score. Kapanen, who hadn't scored in almost two months, received a pass from Francis, who'd stolen the puck behind the net, and doubled the lead against a surprised Joseph. Francis finished the job, scoring a 5-on-3 goal late in the third for the dagger. Irbe stopped 31 shots to record a 3-0 shutout as the Canes pushed their lead to 3-1.
Back in Raleigh with a chance to win the conference, the pressure on both teams was immense. On this night, Toronto was the team that withstood it best. Dracy Tucker redirected a shot on the power play in the first period, and that's all of the support that Joseph needed. Toronto's netminder finished with 27 saves, shutting out the Canes, 1-0, to extend their season by at least one game.
In most ways, Game 6 was no different than the five games before it. It was another masterclass in goaltending by Irbe and Joseph, with neither wanting to be the reason their team lost. The teams went almost 50 minutes without a goal. O'Neill changed that. Stealing the puck from Tomas Kaberle, O'Neill scored with 10:24 left to put the Canes on the verge of the final round.
It was an unfortunate mistake, but it wouldn't cost Toronto their season. With 21.8 seconds remaining and Joseph on the bench, Sundin located a loose puck in the crease, putting it into the net to tie the game at one. Kaberle helped start the chaos by throwing it at the net and hoping his teammates would find it. For the third time in the series, we were heading to overtime in a 1-1 game.
With the previous two times ending the same way, there was no reason to believe it would be any different the third time. Toronto's season ended on an ill-advised pass behind the net. Josef Vasicek intercepted the puck. Martin Gelinas, as he cruised through the top of the crease, put the pass into the net, stunning the Toronto faithful as the Canes won the Prince of Wales Trophy for the first time.
Terms like "overrated" and "underrated" get thrown around a lot, but I really think this is a series that doesn't get enough shine, both within the Canes fandom and the hockey community at large. Sure, it might not have been the most exciting series in the world. There were only 16 goals in six games. Yet, every game was close, and the series could've gone in any direction on a given night.
I also don't think we give enough of a spotlight to the duels that Arturs Irbe and Curtis Joseph put on each night. They faced a nearly identical number of shots, with Irbe stopping 152 of the 158 that he faced (.962 SV%). He never allowed more than two goals in a game, finishing with a 0.93 GAA. It's in the conversation for the best rounds of hockey that a Hurricanes goalie has ever played.
The miracle run came to an end with a five-game loss to the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final, but there's no reason for the Hurricanes to hang their heads. Still, the team carved an impressive path to the end. They got their pound of flesh against New Jersey before beating two of the most decorated franchises in the NHL. Not bad for a team from the lowly Southeast Division.
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