The Carolina Hurricanes' perfect start to the playoffs has now given them a historic wait for their Eastern Conference final series. Other teams with that long a wait in NHL history haven't fared well, however.
The Carolina Hurricanes have been outstanding to kick off the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
They have a perfect 8-0 record after sweeping the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers ahead of their Eastern Conference final against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Hurricanes drew attention this week for having 11 full days between Game 4 against the Flyers on May 9 and Game 1 versus the Canadiens on May 21. That's the longest wait between the end of one playoff series and the beginning of another in the NHL's Modern Era and the second-longest wait in NHL history.
Three other teams in NHL history had at least a 10-day wait. Carolina will not want to end its season the same way those squads did, however.
The 1919 Canadiens had 12 days of rest from Game 5 of the NHL final and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final against the Seattle Metropolitans of the former Pacific Coast Hockey Association.
That year ended up being the first of just two years in NHL history that the Cup was not awarded.
The Metropolitans took a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five final, and Game 4 ended in a 0-0 tie because of exhaustion. Montreal won Game 5, which meant a sixth game was necessary to account for the tie and determine a winner.
Before that rubber match could take place, the influenza epidemic made several players ill and led to the death of Canadiens defenseman Joe Hall. The series was cancelled.
It took 84 years before the next team's break between series reached double digits.
The 2003 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim completed their sweep of the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference final on May 16. The New Jersey Devils, meanwhile, needed seven games to upset the Presidents' Trophy-winning Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference final.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final was on May 27. The Devils may have had just three full days of rest between rounds, but they never fell behind in the series and won in seven games.
The 2019 Boston Bruins faced a similar situation to the Ducks. They finished their sweep of the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final on May 16, while the St. Louis Blues eliminated the San Jose Sharks five days later in Game 6.
Both teams had a Stanley Cup final media day on May 26 before playing Game 1 the following day. The Bruins took 1-0 and 2-1 series leads, but in the end, the 10 days of rest did not benefit them. The lower-seeded Blues won the series in seven games.
The Hurricanes will now look to avoid suffering the same fates as the Bruins and Ducks after their long rest between series. Given how talented a team the Hurricanes are, they enter the Eastern Conference final as the favorites.
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