Of the 34 postseason series that the Carolina Hurricanes have played, we've already tackled all 11 losses, wrapping that up on Sunday. Now, let's talk about all of their wins. Using basic math, the Canes have won their other 23 series, winning at least one series in each of their last eight postseason appearances under Rod Brind'Amour.
As you know, the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs were decided in bubble cities, with the Eastern Conference battling in Toronto and the Western Conference doing the same in Edmonton. Since they were outside of the Top 4 in the East, the Canes' journey began with a best-of-five Qualifying Round against the New York Rangers, who would've missed the playoffs under normal circumstances.
During the regular season, the Rangers had Carolina's number. They won all four meetings, including a pair of multi-goal victories in Raleigh. However, in a neutral site after months off, everything reset once the playoffs began. The sides took the ice on August 1, 2020, to begin the playoffs, and the Canes made quick work of their division foe.
#23: Several firsts help the Canes send the Rangers home in three games
By acting as the opening game of the 2020 postseason, Carolina and New York earned the honor of being the first NHL game played in August. The Canes immediately set the tone. Brady Skjei, who the Canes acquired from New York at the deadline in March, laid a hard hit on Jesper Fast 32 seconds in, knocking him out of the series immediately.
They set the tone on the scoreboard as well. The first August goal belonged to Jaccob Slavin. The defenseman activated from the blue line and found the slightest bit of daylight against Henrik Lundqvist to get the ball rolling. We also witnessed a fight between Justin Williams and Ryan Strome within the opening three minutes, so these teams clearly had some pent-up aggression.
Sebastian Aho doubled the lead early in the second with a redirection on the power play. Mika Zibanejad broke through for New York before the end of the frame, but Martin Necas' fortunate bounce in the third helped the Canes get it back. Marc Staal scored a short-handed goal late in the third, but it wasn't enough to keep Carolina from taking the first game, 3-2.
Another major first for the organization was achieved in Game 2, courtesy of Andrei Svechnikov. In his sophomore campaign, Svechnikov had been everything the team hoped he'd be and more, topping 60 points before the pause. In Game 2, he opened the scoring, sneaking a shot past Lundqvist's blocker, an admittedly tough goal for the Rangers' netminder to allow. He wouldn't be done there.
Artemi Panarin tied it up on a 5-on-3 before the end of the period, sending the sides into the second tied at one. Once again, Svechnikov was there. His second of the game also came on the power play, blasting a one-timer from the right dot by Lundqvist to restore Carolina's lead. Jordan Martinook doubled their advantage 71 seconds later, pushing the Canes ahead by two.
To close it out, Svechnikov completed the first postseason hat trick in franchise history. Aho, who assisted on all three of his linemates' goals, found him in transition, and Svechnikov finished it into the top of the net. It would be more than enough for the group, as the Canes cruised to a 4-1 win and put themselves one win away from the first round of the playoffs.
The future arrives for New York to a rude welcome from the Canes
Igor Shesterkin arrived at the end of the regular season and was dominating for the Rangers. However, he hadn't been available for the first two games of this series. That changed in Game 3. The rookie was between the pipes for the first time in the playoffs, bringing an end to Lundqvist's streak of 129 consecutive postseason starts for the Rangers, the third-longest in NHL history.
Up 2-0 in the series, the Canes made a change in the net as well, giving James Reimer a chance to shake off the rust. For the first time in the series, the Rangers struck first, though it didn't come until the second period. Chris Kreider scored 12 seconds into the middle frame, splitting the Canes' defense and giving the Rangers their first lead of the series.
That lead was short-lived. Teuvo Teravainen got it back with a gorgeous backhand goal between the dots to tie the game at one. Heading into the third period tied, the Canes put the series away. Warren Foegele broke the deadlock early by tipping Skjei's shot from the point. With layers of traffic converging in front of the net, Shesterkin had no chance.
The dagger came from Aho midway through the period. After stealing the puck from Jacob Trouba, Aho made Tony DeAngelo look like an amateur, putting the puck under DeAngelo's stick and finishing his chance on his backhand. Aho completed the job with a short-handed empty-net goal in the final minute, giving the Canes their second "sweep" with another 4-1 victory.
The series lasted four days, making the Hurricanes the first team to advance to the first round. Sebastian Aho finished the series with eight points, recording multiple points in all three games. He and Andrei Svechnikov combined for six of the team's 11 goals. Sami Vatanen, who'd been hurt during the regular season after the Canes acquired him, finally played and recorded three helpers.
It really was a perfect storm for the Canes. Their offense showed up. Their goaltending was magnificent, with both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer looking good after months on the shelf. They made the Rangers earn their goals. Little did we know at the time that it would be the last start that Henrik Lundqvist would make during his Hall of Fame career.
While we all had a fun time watching the Canes sweep the Rangers, I can't help but penalize it for not being a best-of-seven. Obviously, the teams were working with what they were given, so it's not the Canes' fault that they advanced with three wins. Still, it's not as satisfying as winning four games. Plus, their run was short-lived, losing to Boston in five games in the first round.
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