With the three worst series out of the way, we'll slowly start making our way to the right side of Carolina Hurricanes history. However, there are still a few tough series to get through before we can celebrate. While not nearly on the same level as their troubled times in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Canes' second trip to the postseason came and went without anything grand.
The 2000-01 season marked the second time in four years since relocation that the Hurricanes made the postseason, and the first time they'd do it in Raleigh after waiting a few years to finally play in their home arena. Standing across from them was the New Jersey Devils, a team with their eyes on defending their Stanley Cup crown.
The Devils were the top team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, edging out the Ottawa Senators by two points to earn home ice through the conference finals. Meanwhile, the Canes barely skated into the playoffs. They snuck into the final spot after beating the Bruins on the tiebreaker, putting them in an unenviable spot against the class of the East.
#31: The Devils put the Canes in a spot that they couldn't dig out of
The tone was set in Game 1 by the Devils, and they did so emphatically. It was a baptism by fire for a Canes team that largely lacked the postseason experience of New Jersey. The Devils scored the first five goals of the series, with Josef Vasicek breaking the shutout midway through the third period of a 5-1 loss. Little did we know how much we'd miss the Canes scoring.
The next two games belonged to Martin Brodeur. The Devils' all-world netminder, who'd finish third for the Vezina and fifth for the Hart in 2001, was literally unbeatable. Game 2 was a little tighter, with the Devils scoring just twice, but only one goal was needed in a 2-0 win. This game was also infamous for Scott Stevens' series-ending hit on Shane Willis with 12 seconds left, which we recently covered.
Game 3 was another ugly performance from the Canes. Along with Stevens adding Francis to the press box early in the contest, the Devils' offense found a little more life. They scored twice in the first period and led 4-0 after 25 minutes. The game devolved from there. Carolina saw Tommy Westlund, Darren Langdon, and David Tanabe earn game misconducts in the third period of a 4-0 drumming.
With their season on life support, the Hurricanes had to take it day by day. They hadn't scored a goal in over 128 minutes. Two of their best offensive threats were done for the postseason. The Devils were battering them up and down the ice, outscoring them 11-1 to this point. Seeing their season slipping away, the Canes searched deep to find something.
While too late for a miracle, the Canes kept pushing for another day
Game 4 turned into a battle of special teams. The Canes broke the shutout streak and snagged their first lead of the series when Sami Kapanen scored on the power play 2:00 into the contest. New Jersey got it back with a power-play goal from Jason Arnott. Tanabe put Carolina ahead in the second with another while up a man, but Petr Sykora's short-handed strike in the third tied it again.
Just one New Jersey goal away from their season being over, the Canes wasted little time extending the series. Kapanen showed some patience inside the offensive zone, pump-faking and waiting for Rod Brind'Amour's stick to become available as he sprinted to the front of the net. The future captain redirected the pass home to avoid the sweep 46 seconds into overtime.
Carolina enjoyed winning so much that they did it again in New Jersey in Game 5. Goals by Vasicek and Kapanen sandwiched a New Jersey goal in the first period, and Jeff O'Neill scored what proved to be the game-winner in the third period of a 3-2 victory. Game 6 would be the end. As they had in the first three games, the Devils dominated, finishing the Canes' season with a 5-1 victory.
On the one hand, the Canes showed some fantastic fight in this series, coming back from looking completely dead in the water to win a few games. However, aside from the three conference finals appearances we've talked about, there's no other series that saw the Canes look that bad through three games in their history.
The Canes' offense was nowhere to be found, with only five players scoring a goal in the series. Brodeur finished with a .930 save percentage and allowed just eight goals. Carolina couldn't generate much. Of course, not having two solid scorers didn't help. This series was not as close as the final count might've indicated. Therefore, it ranks very low on the list.
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