by Max Goren
The Carolina Hurricanes are one win away from uncharted territory.
1-12 in the Eastern Conference Final since 2019. 1-16 since 2009. Those are the stats that Caniacs have heard often, and are likely to continue hearing from national media heading into game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens tonight at the Lenovo Center. If Carolina wins tonight, they will lead an undecided conference final series for the first time since winning game 5 against Buffalo to take a 3-2 series lead in 2006.
Did anything notable happen that year?
The Hurricanes won that series in seven games, and the rest is history. But they didn’t win game 1 against Buffalo; Carolina failed to defend home ice at the then-RBC Center, dropping the first game of the series 3-2. In fact, Carolina also lost game 1 to Toronto at home in the 2002 Eastern Conference Final- a series the Hurricanes went on to win in six games. So, heading into tonight, the Carolina Hurricanes have never won game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Is this team truly different? I think so. Most goals scored in a season in franchise history. Second-most goals scored of any team in the NHL this season. Scoring depth coupled with elite shot suppression. A goaltender playing some of the best hockey of his career. All of this adds up to a historic start to the postseason for Carolina, which became the first team to sweep their first two opponents since the NHL moved to its current playoff format in 1987. One more win, and the Hurricanes can match the 1985 Edmonton Oilers for the longest win streak to start the playoffs in NHL history.
In 2006, I was five years old. I had just completed preschool, largely unaware of what life had in store for me in the next two decades. I don’t remember watching that Canes playoff run, but I’ve tried to capture the feeling of it by watching the highlights and the championship DVD. I get a sense of the magic, but I know it doesn’t compare to watching that run unfold, live and in color. I am just one fan in a generation of Caniacs that has been waiting to experience the feeling of a true contending playoff run.
Obviously, it’s a seven-game series. One win doesn’t guarantee anything, and the series is far from over even with a home loss in game 1 (again, see 2002 and 2006). I can understand the hesitance of some Caniacs to get too excited- we’ve built up a lot of scar tissue over the last seven years of untimely playoff exits. But, if the Hurricanes win game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final tonight…that makes this team officially, statistically different, and the hope among Caniac nation will be limitless.