So far, it’s just a consolation prize, but the Carolina Hurricanes don’t ever have to talk about their 15-game conference finals losing streak again. On Monday night, May 26, they avoided a series sweep by the defending champion Florida Panthers, and snapped that 16-year streak in the process.
What did it mean to end the 15-game losing streak?
Streaks usually start or end with goaltending, and that was the case Monday, as Frederik Andersen stopped all 20 shots he faced from the Panthers. That was a comeback in itself, considering Andersen was pulled after the second period of Game 2 and then benched in Game 4.
“We’re a proud team,” Andersen said. “We knew we haven’t really played our best hockey for much of the first three games. And that was really our focus, just to try to put our best game at them and see how it went.”
Their best game was good enough, at least for one night. The streak they snapped is so old that Carolina captain Jordan Staal was on the Pittsburgh Penguins team that started it all 16 years ago.
“There’s a lot of character in this room and a lot of guys that didn’t want to go home,” Staal said. “We know we have a huge hill to climb here, got a great team on the other side that is going to come back with a better effort. We know that.”
How did the Hurricanes get it done, and what’s next?
Monday night’s game was a tight 1-0 affair until two late goals gave the Hurricanes some breathing room. It was a stark contrast from the first three games of the series, when the Panthers just skated right over Carolina, outscoring them by a combined 16-4. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour now needs his team to prepare for a Game 5 that could alter the series.
“We know they’re not going away,” Brind’Amour said. “We have to keep the gas down, keep the hammer down and give us a chance again.”
What does history say about the comeback?
Only four teams in NHL history have ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit to advance: the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, the 1975 New York Islanders, the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2014 Los Angeles Kings.
No one has done it against the defending Stanley Cup champions, and the Panthers don’t want to be on the wrong side of history. They know they can’t give the Hurricanes any more hope.
“Credit to them,” Florida head coach Paul Maurice said. “I haven’t been nearly as down on that hockey team as you fine people have been over the last three games, and I won’t be as down on my team tonight. They were good –– had good sticks, they had good quickness.”
Game 5 of the series is Wednesday night, May 28, in Raleigh, North Carolina. The winner of the Eastern Conference final series will take on the winner of the Western Conference final between Edmonton and Dallas. The Oilers are up two games to one, with Game 4 scheduled for Tuesday night, May 27, in Edmonton, Canada.
