A lot of the losses that we've covered have been from the Carolina Hurricanes' most recent stretch of postseason runs. However, it's time to turn the clock all the way back to 1999. The Canes had just moved to North Carolina in 1997, but they'd yet to take the ice at their permanent home in Raleigh. Instead, the first two seasons were played at the Greensboro Coliseum.
After failing to make the playoffs in their first year, the Hurricanes reached the 1999 postseason by winning the Southeast Division with just 86 points. Despite finishing the regular season with the fewest wins (34) and points of the East's eight playoff teams, their status as the division champions meant that their first series since relocation began at "home".
If I were the Bruins, I'd be pretty upset. While they'd only finished third in the Northeast Division, they still put together a good regular season. The Bruins also featured quite a collection of players, including Ray Bourque near the end of his career, Joe Thornton in his second season, future Hurricane Sergei Samsonov, leading scorer Jason Allison, and Vezina finalist Bryan Dafoe.
#26: The Canes' first trip started well, but they couldn't hold their lead
For the organization, their trip to the postseason in 1999 marked the first in seven years after the Hartford Whalers dropped a double overtime contest in Game 7 to the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round in 1992. However, for the crowd in Greensboro, it was the first time they'd get to experience postseason hockey and the pursuit of the toughest trophy to win in sports.
Game 1 served as a bit of an eye-opener for all parties involved. For 40 minutes, Dafoe and Arturs Irbe kept their opponent in check. However, a turnover in the defensive zone allowed Rob DiMaio to break the deadlock early in the third. Ken Belanger added some insurance a few minutes later, and Dafoe finished the night a perfect 19-for-19 to shut out the Canes in their first postseason game.
The wait for their first postseason goal continued well into Game 2. Samsonov opened the scoring in the second period, but the moment eventually came. Ray Sheppard's seemingly harmless shot from between the dots snuck past Dafoe's glove, giving the Caniacs their first big reason to celebrate. Boston regained the lead midway through the third when Steve Heinze deposited a rebound.
At risk of falling behind 2-0 in the series, the Hurricanes fought to knot it up. With 5:32 remaining in regulation, Robert Kron redirected a Bates Battaglia pass between Dafoe's pads, forcing overtime. Then, the magic night got its perfect ending. Steve Chiasson's initial shot was stopped. Martin Gelinas hit the post. Sheppard put it home. For the first time, the Canes earned a playoff victory.
With the change in venue for Game 3, Carolina opted to play from in front. Gary Roberts scored 65 seconds into the contest, but Samsonov's response seconds before the halfway point tied it up. He wasn't the only future Hurricane on the Bruins' roster. Anson Carter was, too, and he scored on the power play in the second period to give Boston its first lead of the night.
Carolina's power play struck in the second period as well. Game 2's hero was back at it again. Sheppard buried a gorgeous cross-seam pass by Keith Primeau to knot it at two just 2:13 later. In the third, the Canes regained their lead. Kron's second in as many games came early in the period, and it proved to be enough. It was a fluky goal, but it gave the Canes a 3-2 win and a 2-1 series lead.
It came crashing down in Game 4, but Game 5 was the real heartbreaker
The only "blowout" of the series came in Game 4, and it wasn't really that was until the third period. For most of the night, the Canes held a 1-0 lead after Sheppard potted his fourth goal of the series. Boston didn't get on the board until their current general manager, Don Sweeney, scored with 1:42 remaining in the second period. From there, it was all Boston.
Landon Wilson scored on the power play early in the third period to give the Bruins their first lead of the night. Heinze extended it in just past the halfway point, and DiMaio buried the dagger into the empty net, tying the series at two games apiece. With the series shifting back to Greensboro for Game 5, the opening round turned into a best-of-three.
With home ice still on their side, the Canes, once again, got off to a quick start. Chiasson's drive from the point on the power play helped Carolina get off and running. Sheppard continued his hot streak with another goal in the second period. However, the Bruins took it all away in the third. With three goals in under two minutes, Boston seized control of the game.
On the verge of defeat, the Canes wouldn't go down without a fight. With 1:45 left in regulation, Sami Kapanen buried a shot at the top of the crease to help the Canes force overtime for the second time in the series. Ultimately, they were just delaying the inevitable. In double overtime, Carter slid the puck under Irbe's pads to give Boston the 3-2 series lead, putting the Canes a loss away from summer.
The series ended the same way that it started, just in a different venue. Thornton gave the Bruins the lead on the power play in the first period, and it would've been enough. Carter added another goal in the second period for good measure, but Dafoe was perfect in Game 6. He stopped all 31 of Carolina's shots, picking up a 2-0 shutout victory and sending Boston to the next round.
Because the Hurricanes lost in six games, I think a lot of what Ray Sheppard did during this series goes underappreciated. He scored the team's first postseason goal. He scored the first postseason overtime goal to give the Canes their first postseason win. He scored a series-high five goals, accounting for exactly half of the team's goals and one-fifth of their points (6 of 29).
Arturs Irbe was pretty good, too. He just didn't receive the necessary run support. The Canes were shut out twice by Bryan Dafoe (.939 SV%, 1.46 GAA), and they failed to score more than three goals in a game. Meanwhile, Irbe held Boston to two or fewer goals four times. He finished with a 2.20 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
It would be three more years and two postseason trips before the Canes ever won a series, but you could tell how rabid the Caniacs were from the jump. They put their everything into supporting the home team, and they'd quickly become a big part of their identity during the good times. We've started to see that again now, so it's nice to see where it originated.
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