Will The Same Issues Plague The Hurricanes In The NHL Playoffs?

Once again, the Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the NHL’s best regular-season teams. But there’s something about this Hurricanes team that feels familiar, and not in a good way.

This is, after all, a team that has made the Eastern Conference final three times since 2018-19, and it’s the same team that had a combined total of one win in those three Eastern Final series.

If this writer is being honest, we’re developing a hunch that the same fate could be in store for the Canes in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

It’s not that we don’t see how good the Hurricanes can be. They’ve finished first or second in their division every season for the past five seasons, and they’re going to extend that streak to six seasons when this year’s regular season wraps up. 

Carolina is far and away the best team in the Metropolitan Division this season. They have 10 more points than the next-best team in the Metro – but from our perspective, that’s more about the division’s weakness than it is about the Hurricanes’ strength.

So, is this the season when that pattern of conference final eliminations changes for the Canes? We’re not so sure.

The reason for that is the same reason that’s quietly dogged Carolina for years now – their goaltending.

Last year, in the conference final, Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen posted a save percentage of .833 or worse in three of four games against the Florida Panthers, and Pyotr Kochetkov was worse, posting a save percentage of .800 or worse in his two appearances against Florida.

The goaltending wasn’t the only reason the Hurricanes were pummeled and eliminated in five games against the Panthers, but there’s a reason why first-year Canes goalie Brandon Bussi has replaced Kochetkov as part of the tandem with Andersen. A netminding change had to happen. 

Bussi has been solid for Carolina for much of this season, posting a 28-6-1 record. But in eight of his past 12 games, Bussi’s save percentage has been .895 or worse. The Hurricanes are a data-driven team, but Bussi’s save percentage must carry more weight than many of his other numbers.  

But it isn’t just the goaltending that’s making us skeptical the Canes will get to the Cup final and win their second Cup in franchise history.

Carolina has had a strong offense and defense this year and the seasons prior, but their offense dried up substantially in last year’s playoffs, falling below the three-goal mark. This year’s roster is very similar to last year’s roster, so why should this year be any different?

Ultimately, given the Hurricanes aren’t blessed with much in the way of physical size, it’s understandable why they struggled to produce more goals in last season’s playoffs. They don’t have a superstar talent on the level of a Nikita Kucherov with the Tampa Bay Lightning or Aleksander Barkov in Florida.

When there’s a wafer-thin line that separates winners from losers deep into the playoffs, it makes sense that the Canes weren’t able to win in the conference finals. 

In fairness, outside of the Lightning and Panthers, no other team has the experience the Canes have. So is this the year they overcome their issues beyond the second round? Or are we headed for the latest chapter of a book that’s been painfully familiar?

Until they prove otherwise, the Hurricanes will have skeptics about their ability to get the job done. They’ve got to earn their respect, and if that happens, we’ll happily give it to them. But until then, it’s reasonable to point out their history. They’ve earned that, too.

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