RALEIGH, N.C. – For the second year in a row, the Carolina Hurricanes failed to win a game in their final postseason series until they were on the brink of elimination.
This time, the journey stopped at another Eastern Conference final, a stage that proved to be an obstacle in their multi-year attempt for the Stanley Cup.
The Hurricanes fell 5-3 to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night in Game 5, sending the Panthers back to the sport’s final for the third consecutive year, while Carolina’s latest and extensive playoff run fell short of the ultimate goal.
The outcome was similar to that of the previous year: Carolina lost the first three games of the series, fought to get out of the hole, and then squandered a two-goal lead at home in the game that ultimately ended their season.I think we essentially lost in the first few games.
Jordan Staal, Carolina captain
A year ago, the score was 3-0 in the series against the New York Rangers, winners of the Presidents’ Trophy, in the second round. The Hurricanes regrouped to win two elimination games and led 3-1 in the third period of Game 6 at home, only to see the Rangers resurge.
This time, the deficit was 3-0 against the current Stanley Cup champion, a proven and deep team that wasn’t afraid to play and overcome Carolina’s aggressive pressure approach. And it ended with the same final score.
We knew it was going to be a big task trying to beat them.
Sebastian Aho, Carolina player
As the final horn sounded, Carolina’s lamentations went back to the loss of the first two home games, the second being a 5-0 thrashing in which the Panthers were surprisingly dominant and the normally noisy Hurricanes fans were left frustrated, shouting: “Shoot the puck! Shoot the puck!”
You’d probably want to get those first two games back, but it’s too little, too late.
Seth Jarvis, Carolina player
In Game 3, Carolina had seen a 1-1 game entering the third, turn into a 6-2 loss, adding their fifteenth straight loss in a conference final, dating back to sweeps in 2009, 2019 and the one in 2023 against these Panthers. The Hurricanes regrouped to win Game 4 on the road and avoid another sweep, but faced a long climb to achieve the improbable.
Carolina took a 2-0 lead with Aho capitalizing on two Panthers errors in the neutral zone. But the Panthers’ three-goal burst on consecutive shots in the second period, two of them within a 30-second span, erased that deficit and silenced a roaring crowd excited for Carolina’s start.While the Hurricanes responded with Seth Jarvis’s tying goal midway through the third period, the game’s dynamic had completely changed after a flurry that coach Rod Brind’Amour called “a backbreaker.”
You could feel it… it’s natural, the building, everything, took a little life from us.
Rod Brind’Amour, Carolina coach
Carolina’s five-week playoff offensive had included series victories in five games against the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals, the latter being this year’s top seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the Hurricanes went from having a 5-0 home record in those two series to losing all three home games against the Panthers.
Carolina has won at least one postseason series in their current streak of seven consecutive playoff appearances, although three have ended in the Eastern finals.
We’ve had slow starts in the series, when you get to the top four teams, they’re great teams, and having a slow start is never good.
Jordan Staal, Carolina captain
