Hurricanes’ Playoff Journey to Secure Second Stanley Cup

As the celebrations continue for the Carolina Hurricanes, it’s time to unpack the journey for the 2026 Stanley Cup champions. From Ottawa to Philadelphia to Montreal and eventually Las Vegas, the Hurricanes carved their path to their second-ever Stanley Cup, going 16-3 in the process. What happened along the way for Rod Brind’Amour and his team to bring back Lord Stanley to Raleigh 20 years after their first championship?

Setting the Tone Against Ottawa

When it comes to hockey, especially the playoffs, it’s always important to set the tone. Regarding the Hurricanes in the first round against the Ottawa Senators, the tone was set early. Right at puck drop, captain Jordan Staal dropped the gloves with Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, getting the win quickly.

Following that quick bout, the Hurricanes went on to win Game 1 2-0, with Frederik Andersen getting his first of three shutouts in the playoffs. Jordan Martinook scored the game-winning goal in Game 2, in double overtime, after Mark Jankowski’s goal was taken off the board in the first overtime. Martinook got the game-winner after missing a penalty shot in the first overtime. Talk about poetic justice.

Logan Stankoven led the way in Game 3, scoring in three straight games, as the Hurricanes took a 3-0 series lead. After the game, Sean Walker described Stankoven’s play style as, “He’s a little pitbull. He gets after pucks, chases it down, works his ass off, and then his skill takes over. I don’t know if you want to say he’s mature beyond his years, because he is young, and he loves the game. He works so hard. He’s got a motor that never stops.”

Game 4 saw the Hurricanes sweep their first-round series, winning 4-2 in a fiery contest that saw a plethora of penalty minutes. Newcomer Nic Deslauriers made his presence felt when it came to policing the extracurriculars. Thankfully, the Hurricanes avoided being baited and advanced to the second round for the eighth postseason in a row. The impressive thing about that series was the Hurricanes never trailed once in the four-game sweep. That first-round win started a chain reaction to the best playoff run in the eight years under Brind’Amour.

Not So Brotherly Love With Philadelphia

Just like the first round against the Senators, there was some noise about how the Philadelphia Flyers were going to make it a tough series for the Hurricanes. As we saw in Game 1 of Round 1, the Hurricanes went on to shut out the Flyers, 3-0, for Andersen’s second shutout of the playoffs. Stankoven kept his hot streak going, tallying two goals, while Jackson Blake also had a multi-point night to kick off Round 2.

While Game 2 against the Flyers went to overtime, as the Senators’ series did, the Hurricanes had to battle back to force overtime. For the first time in the playoffs, they had to stage a two-goal comeback to make it a 2-2 game and take it to overtime. The Junkyard Dog line of Stankoven, Blake, and Taylor Hall really showed why they were the best line in the playoffs, with the veteran in Hall scoring the overtime winner. His game-winning goal in overtime gave the Hurricanes a 2-0 series lead, giving them six straight wins to begin the playoffs.

Once the Hurricanes won Game 2 in the comeback victory, it felt like they could win in any way possible. Regardless of whether they are up in a game, tied, or behind, they will find a way to win. Game 3 saw them tally two power-play goals and one shorthanded goal, leading to a 4-1 win and a 3-0 series lead. Jalen Chatfield scored the only shorthanded goal for the Hurricanes in the playoffs.

Game 4 was another close one; like Game 2, it went into overtime. To cap off a two-goal night and a player-of-the-series performance, Blake scored the game-winning goal, giving the Hurricanes a 3-2 win. They became the first team in 41 years to win eight straight games to begin the playoffs. The last team to do so was the 1985 Edmonton Oilers.

Following their sweep of the Flyers, Hall had some great things to say about playing with Stankoven and Blake: “It’s unreal. It’s everything I could ask for. To play on a line with Blakey and Stank and to be a line for 50-60 games, it’s a lot of fun to come to work right now. We’re winning, and it feels like everyone is contributing. We work hard, and we do it with a smile on our face. That’s a fun work environment. It’s not like this everywhere. There are some places where it’s like this, but this is pretty cool.”

The Hurricanes had to wait 12 days between series because the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens series went the distance, playing seven games. Once the Hurricanes learned they were taking on the Canadiens, it was time to begin their third Eastern Conference Final in the last four seasons. Was the third time the charm to get over the hump?

Ole, Ole, Ole, Canadiens

Unlike the first two rounds, where the Hurricanes shut out their opponents to begin a series, it was the Canadiens who came out flying right away. In a rare loss at this point in the playoffs, the Hurricanes lost 6-2 in Game 1 to go down in a series for the first time all postseason. It was certainly a shock for the fans to see their team lose a game for the first time. Eventually, the Hurricanes were going to lose a game, but no one expected that result.

However, the Hurricanes all season knew how to bounce back after a loss like that. When it came to Game 2, they did just that. When it comes to Game 2, it almost felt like a pattern for the Hurricanes to go into overtime after Game 1 in a series. Nikolaj Ehlers scored two goals in Game 2, including the game-winning goal in overtime, to even the series up 1-1 heading back to Bell Centre, or Centre Bell.

The Bell Centre is well known as a bucket-list arena to visit for any hockey fan. It can hold over 21,000 fans in any given game, and when they chant “ole” at you all game, it can become a hostile place for visitors. However, the Hurricanes showed that, when on the road or at home, they were up for any challenge. Just like Game 2, where the Hurricanes won 3-2 in overtime, they went on to win 3-2 in Game 3 with an Andrei Svechnikov game-winning goal to take a 2-1 series lead. For the first time all postseason, the Canadiens lost back-to-back games.

When it came to Game 4, Andersen secured his third shutout of the postseason, saving 18 shots to win 4-0 and take a 3-1 series lead. The Hurricanes scored three goals in 2:46 in the first period, leading the way to the victory. A Sebastian Aho power-play goal got things rolling, followed by Staal’s second of the playoffs, and capped off by Stankoven’s eighth. After winning three straight games, could the Hurricanes pull off the gentleman sweep?

In Game 5, the Hurricanes were a Cole Caufield goal short of back-to-back shutouts to close out the Eastern Conference Final. In a clinical finish to wrap up the series, the Hurricanes won 6-1, giving the Canadiens a piece of what they saw in Game 1. Andersen almost had two straight shutouts, but did pick up his 12th win of the playoffs, going 12-1 through the first three rounds.

Furthermore, for the first time in 20 years, the Hurricanes punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final. Up to that point, they were 5-0 in overtime and showed they were locked in from the word go at the beginning of the playoffs. Seth Jarvis said it best when it comes to staying calm in tight games, especially when going to overtime. “We have a lot of experience. We have a lot of guys who have been around for a long time and in these situations. It’s pretty easy just to keep it light in there. It’s the greatest moment of all of our lives. This is the best time. So you kind of just go into OT, and you want to make the memories.”

After dispatching the Canadiens, it was off to the Stanley Cup Final to face the Vegas Golden Knights for their chance at a second Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Forget Gold, Give Us Silver

Regarding the Stanley Cup Final, this was the Hurricanes’ toughest test yet. Ehlers got the party started with a goal 25 seconds into Game 1 to get the Lenovo Center rocking early. He would add a second to make it a 2-0 game in the first period. After that, the game went into pure chaos mode, and it headed into overtime. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes ended up losing 5-4 in bonus hockey on a backbreaking Tomas Hertl goal. While they lost the game, they showed they were in this one and weren’t going to let it get to them.

Game 2 saw the Hurricanes once again battle back to erase a two-goal deficit with 10 minutes left in the game. They ripped off three goals to take a 3-2 lead in just 5:05 to send everyone into a frenzy inside and outside the building. Mark Stone tied the game to force overtime once again. Tell me if you heard this story before: the Hurricanes were in a Game 2 overtime. It would be Jarvis playing hero, scoring the overtime game-winning goal off a one-timer from a beautiful pass from Shayne Gostisbehere. For the first time in 20 years, the Hurricanes won a game in the Stanley Cup Final.

Game 3 was the epitome of what the series was through the first four games: utter insanity where no lead was safe. The Hurricanes found themselves down 4-0 through two periods of play, as the Golden Knights ran roughshod all night. For the first time in the playoffs, Andersen was pulled from the crease, and Brandon Bussi made his playoff debut.

One of Bussi’s early tests after coming in relief for Andersen was to stop a Mitch Marner penalty shot. He made the save and saw the Hurricanes rip off three goals in 39 seconds to cut the deficit from 4-0 to 4-3 in the blink of an eye. The four-goal comeback was completed when Svechnikov tied it on a power-play goal late in the third period. The game eventually went into double overtime, but the Hurricanes couldn’t pull off the win on a weird bounce off the end wall by the puck, and it went in off of Bussi’s foot.

The 27-year-old came in and played 45 minutes of gritty hockey and lost on a backbreaker goal that he could do nothing about. However, despite the loss, doubt began to creep in that the Hurricanes would be a tough team to beat, especially after surrendering a four-goal lead in one period.

Game 4 was the Staal game, as he scored two goals to lead the way in the Hurricanes’ 5-3 win. At that point, the captain scored goals in four straight games and had five in the Stanley Cup Final after having two through the first three rounds. Bussi picked up his first playoff win in his first playoff start, becoming the third goalie to do so.

After evening up the series, the Hurricanes returned home to a loud Lenovo Center crowd in the biggest swing game of the series. Whoever wins Game 5 puts the pressure on their opponent heading into Game 6. The Hurricanes were down 1-0 after a power-play goal for the Golden Knights gave them a lead in the first period. However, the Hurricanes scored one of their own, thanks to the first of two man-advantage goals by Svechnikov to make it a 1-1 game. Staal ended up scoring his sixth goal of the Stanley Cup Final, seeing him score in five straight games. The Hurricanes ripped off four consecutive goals before Vegas cut the lead in half. Ultimately, the Hurricanes won 4-2 to take a 3-2 series lead.

Heading into Game 6, the nerves were high around the Caniacs as they were 60 minutes away from potentially seeing their team win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 20 years. Just like they have been all playoffs, it was the Junkyard Dog line to get the party started with a goal from Hall, his seventh of the playoffs. Blake got the assist before adding a goal of his own, also his seventh, giving the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead in the second period. They both had multi-point nights, finishing with 19 (Hall) and 20 points (Blake).

Ehlers put the nail in the coffin with less than two minutes left to give the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead with his eighth goal of the playoffs. Bussi got his first playoff shutout, stopping all 22 shots in the process. He became the second undrafted goalie to secure a Stanley Cup-clinching shutout.

Finally, after 20 years of waiting and eight years in the Brind’Amour era, the Hurricanes were Stanley Cup champions.

Staal was awarded the Conn Smythe, becoming the oldest playoff MVP. Scoring six goals in the Stanley Cup Final and winning 68% of his faceoffs en route to a championship: that goes a long way. After securing the Cup, Jaccob Slavin stated, “It’s so special. I love the Raleigh area, love the community there. The fans are passionate, as you can tell, a lot of them made the trip out here for this. I love it. I couldn’t be happier for the organization, the crowd, the city.”

The mission was accomplished, bringing a Stanley Cup back to Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes went 16-3 in the playoffs and never lost back-to-back games. Game 6 was the epitome of Hurricanes hockey: just smothering opponents, giving them no space or time, and just grinding them out on the forecheck. Brind’Amour became the fourth person to win a Stanley Cup as a captain and head coach of the same team.

After all the dust settled, the Hurricanes are atop the mountain once again in the NHL. They are now two-time Stanley Cup champions. Brind’Amour said it back in December, when the franchise was honoring the 2006 team for its 20th Anniversary, that he wants to win one bad for this team. He stated, “Those are my guys,” and that they’re brothers for life after winning in 2006. Six months later, the 2025-26 Hurricanes are now officially brothers for life, becoming Stanley Cup champions.