August marks the final month before the hockey season begins in September. Last year, I ran a month-long series discussing some of the biggest trades in franchise history, highlighting one a day through the end of the month. This year, I'm undertaking a new project by ranking each of the Carolina Hurricanes' postseason series from worst to best.
Seeing as August has 31 days and the Hurricanes have played 34 series, as of August 2026, the math means there will be a few days when I'm tackling more than one series. Today is one such day. For many years, especially since 2019, the Canes have been plagued with the label of being unable to get over the hump, though that changed this year.
Still, it took them nearly 20 years to win a game in the third round, losing 15 straight contests in the Eastern Conference Finals from 2009 to 2025. To begin our series, we're talking about the three worst series the Hurricanes have ever played, and they all happened to come when the team was one step away from the Stanley Cup Final.
Truthfully, there's not a lot separating these three series, especially the bottom two, though there is a clear winner for the worst series in team history. We'll break down all three series, explaining why they fall where they do while also trying to pick out a few of the highlights, if there were any. For the first few days, things are going to be pretty bleak, but it'll culminate with something awesome.
#34: The 2019 Eastern Conference Finals is the Canes' worst series
In many ways, the Carolina Hurricanes weren't supposed to be in the conference finals in 2019. Sure, they'd won their first two series in almost a decade to earn the chance, but they were seen as huge underdogs against the Boston Bruins. They came into the series on a roll, winning their last six games, but the Wild Card darlings were in for a rude awakening.
Starting on the road once again, the Canes were in a good spot in Game 1. After conceding an early goal, Sebastian Aho scored on the power play, and Greg McKegg pushed them ahead in the second period. However, allowing a pair of goals on the power play 28 seconds apart isn't a recipe for success. Boston took the lead, and it only got bigger in a 5-2 win to open the series.
Game 2 was never close, with Boston peppering Petr Mrazek for six straight goals in a 6-2 win. Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour turned to Curtis McElhinney for Game 3, and while his team put up a valiant fight, a flurry in the second period allowed Boston to take a 3-0 series lead with a 2-1 victory. The Perfection Line was just that in Game 4, scoring all four goals to finish the sweep, 4-0.
The reason this series ranks dead last is very simple. At no point did anyone think that Carolina was going to beat Boston. They led for just over 13 minutes in four games. They beat Tuukka Rask, who was phenomenal in the series, just five times on 114 shots. Their penalty kill went 8-for-15. The Canes were outmatched worse than ever before and since. It was an ugly series from start to finish.
#33: The 2009 Eastern Conference Finals wasn't much better
Like the 2019 team a decade later, the 2009 Hurricanes were fortunate to be in the third round, though they'd scratched and clawed their way through a pair of seven-game series to face the defending Eastern Conference champions for the Prince of Wales Trophy. There is one thing that keeps this series from the bottom spot: it was just a little more fun to watch.
The Penguins won Game 1, but the Canes stuck around. Game 2 was bananas. Momentum swings were wild in the first period, but the Canes came out of it with a 3-2 lead. Pittsburgh regained the lead with two in the second, but Patrick Eaves tied it in the third. Evgeni Malkin took over from there, scoring twice to complete the hat trick as Pittsburgh scored three unanswered goals to win, 7-4.
When the series returned to Raleigh, it was a lot less fun. The Canes scored first in Game 3, but Pittsburgh scored three times, including twice in the final minute of the opening frame, to take the lead, and they'd never look back in a 6-2 victory. In Game 4, Pittsburgh finished the job, once again conceding the opening goal before scoring four in a row to end the Canes' season.
In many ways, 2009 and 2019 are the same series. Carolina was grossly outmatched by a team whose top players showed up. Malkin was a menace, scoring six goals and nine points in the sweep. However, the Canes played from in front a little more in this series, even if it was short-lived. The better team won, but it wasn't always as easy as the final scores indicated.
#32: The second time wasn't the charm against the Panthers
By the time the Hurricanes faced the Panthers in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, they had lost 12 straight games beyond the second round. Coming off convincing wins in their previous two series, the Canes sought a little revenge two years after their last bout with the Cats. While the series went longer, it was far worse this time around.
Right from the hop, the Panthers started swarming. They scored twice in the opening period, and while Sebastian Aho got one back in the final seconds, the Panthers cruised to a Game 1 win, 5-2. Game 2 was worse, with the Canes getting shut out, 5-0. They played a good 40 minutes in Game 3, but Florida scored five times in just over nine minutes to win 6-2, pushing the Canes to the brink.
Then, a miracle happened. The Canes put something together. Logan Stankoven scored in the second period, and the team added two empty-net goals to finally break their losing streak at 15 games and send the series back to Raleigh. For a minute, the Canes looked like they might extend the series again, but Florida proved too relentless, winning Game 5 late to finish the series.
Obviously, the biggest difference between the two series below it on this list is that the Canes actually won a game. They were the better team for an entire game, finally getting the piano off their backs. Still, Florida was superior in every way, making it look way too easy at times. It's a good thing that the Hurricanes bucked that trend a year later, but we'll talk about that series down the line.
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