- Carolina’s 11-day wait before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final is the longest gap between playoff series in modern NHL history
- Only the 1919 Canadiens, 2003 Ducks, and 2019 Bruins have waited 10-plus days, and all three were sitting before a Stanley Cup Final
- Read below for how the Hurricanes ended up with this much time off and what they plan to do with it
The Hurricanes aren’t going to play hockey again for a while. And by the time they do, they’ll own a modern NHL record.
Carolina’s 11-day layoff before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday is the longest gap between playoff series in modern NHL history, per James Mirtle of The Athletic. The Canes become the fourth team ever to sit 10-plus days between two playoff games, joining the 1919 Montreal Canadiens (12 days), the 2003 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (10 days), and the 2019 Boston Bruins (10 days).
What sets Carolina apart from the other three is the round itself. The Habs, Ducks, and Bruins were all waiting on a Stanley Cup Final. The Canes are the first team to require a wait this long before any round other than the Cup Final.
How did they end up here? Carolina swept the Senators in Round 1 and started the second round early, before Montreal had even wrapped up its first-round series with Tampa Bay. Then Jackson Blake’s overtime winner finished off a sweep of the Flyers on May 9, leaving the Canes nothing to do but watch the Sabres and Canadiens grind it out to a Game 7.
The flip side of all this rest is what got Carolina here. They’re the first team to sweep through Rounds 1 and 2 since the NHL went to best-of-seven in every round in 1987, and they’re 8-0 in the postseason. Frederik Andersen has been the best goalie of these playoffs (1.12 GAA, .950 save percentage) and gets another reset for his 36-year-old body.
Veteran forward Taylor Hall was asked about the long break after the Flyers sweep and pitched it as the upside of doing the job efficiently:
“The big positive is we’re on to the third round relatively unscathed and healthy. Rod, our strength staff, all of our staff, do a good job of making sure that we’re ready athletically to play. And from there, we get our footing pretty quickly.”
Rod Brind’Amour’s group already showed they can shake the rust off. Carolina took nearly a full week between Round 1 and Round 2, then came out and dominated Game 1 against Philly in a 3-0 win. They’ll need the same trick on Thursday in Raleigh.
