Hurricanes Continue Historic 8-0 Playoff Run With Round 2 Sweep – Hockey Writers – Carolina Hurricanes

What a history the Carolina Hurricanes made to start the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 4, 3-2 in overtime, they punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in four seasons. In addition, they joined elite company of teams to start the postseason 8-0.

Joining Elite Company

Following their second straight sweep, the Hurricanes joined the 1985 Edmonton Oilers (9-0), 1969 St. Louis Blues, 1960 Montreal Canadiens, and 1952 Detroit Red Wings. In addition, they became the first team in NHL history to sweep two consecutive rounds after the best-of-seven four-round format was adopted in 1987. Even more remarkable: they became the fourth team in playoff history to allow two or more goals to start the postseason, joining the 1928 Montreal Maroons, 1962 Detroit.

When asked about his team’s two-game losing streak, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said, “What’s impressive is the way we’ve gone. Obviously we’re getting big plays, but everybody’s doing it. That’s the way we have to do it. Go down the lineup, every guy had a hand in that two-game winning streak.”

The Hurricanes have allowed just 10 goals in eight games, five in each round. Frederik Andersen has started all eight games and has a 1.12 goals against average (GAA) and a .950 save percentage (SV%). He also had two shutouts, giving him seven career playoff shutouts. Andersen leads all goaltenders in wins, GAA, and SV% so far this postseason. Another reason why the Hurricanes are successful is their penalty kill. They are currently 38 of 40 (95%), second only to the Boston Bruins (95.8%), eliminated in Round 1 in six games.

Along with Andersen playing lights-out hockey, the second line has been the best as they have combined for 31 points in eight playoff games. In addition, they are a combined plus-25, with Taylor Hall a plus-10 by himself. Hall leads the Hurricanes with nine assists and 12 points, while Logan Stankoven leads the way with seven goals. As for Jackson Blake, he tallied seven points in Round 2 against the Flyers, including the series-winning goal in Game 4. Overall, the trio was a force no team could contain.

The advantage for the Hurricanes is that the team is healthy and everything is going well. During the 2023 Playoffs, Andrei Svechnikov, Jesper Fast, and Brett Pesce were missing as they lost in the Eastern Conference finals to the Florida Panthers. Fast forward to the 2025 Playoffs, and they didn’t have Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker. All of these were due to injuries. Now, this is the Hurricanes’ healthiest team in recent seasons. In addition, the goaltending is elsewhere, while the special teams do their jobs, especially the penalty kill, but the power play is heating up.

Also, the Hurricanes’ depth is greater than ever, and they’re getting contributions from all over the place. As long as the defense and the goal is kept shut, that will go a long way. Also, if the top line of Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Svechnikov really gets going, this could be a tough Hurricanes team to beat. In all the games they never deviated from the plan and won in different ways. The Hurricanes have shown they can win from a high score to a two-goal deficit; they did not stop fighting.

It will be interesting to see who they will face in the Eastern Conference finals against the Buffalo Sabers or the Montreal Canadiens. Either way, the Hurricanes are in a historic spot, and appear to be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. For now, they can rest and train as they wait for their next opponent. They deserve a break after sweeping two straight series and are now 8-0 to start the playoffs.