The Carolina Hurricanes finished last season with the third most points in the league. They exceeded expectations after finishing fourth in the Metropolitan division and losing in the first round in the 2019-20 season.
The 2021-22 season ended with the Hurricanes winning the Central Division - their first division championship since winning the Southeast Division in 2006. The Hurricanes concluded the regular season with 54 wins, the most in the team’s history.
In the previous playoffs, the Hurricanes defeated the Boston Bruins in the first round before beating the New York Rangers in seven games.
Colloquially known as the Canes, the Carolina Hurricanes are an American ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They play in the NHL as a part of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference.
The team was formed in 1971, originally as the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and were based in Hartford. In 1979, the team joined the NHL as a member of the NHL-WHA merger, renaming themselves the Hartford Whalers.
The franchise relocated to North Carolina in 1997 and won their first Stanley Cup during the 2005-06 season, beating the Edmonton Oilers four games to three.
The PNC arena, known initially as Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena, is an indoor arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. As well as the Hurricanes, the venue is home to the NC State Wolfpack men’s basketball team of NCAA Division 1.
The arena offers an incredible atmosphere to take in hockey at the highest level. It provides three seating levels including a mixture of affordable seats along with premium seating and facilities. Games typically draw a good crowd, with the arena seating 18,680 for ice hockey and 19,722 for basketball, including 61 suites, 13 loge boxes, and 2,000 club seats.
In terms of rivalries, the Hurricanes are usually competitive against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres were favored to win the Stanley Cup the same year the Hurricanes did in 2005-06, and some Sabres fans still hold a grudge that their team was pipped.
Sabres fans have been known to ridicule Hurricane fans, mocking the team’s geographical location in the Southern United States and their lack of knowledge of the game. This has created some animosity between both groups of fans. If the teams meet in the playoffs, it’s safe to say that sparks will fly!
The Hurricanes also share a rivalry with the Florida Panthers, due in part to their reasonably close proximity. Carolina have usually been the more talented team when the teams have met, winning over half of the games they have ever played against each other. Whenever both teams play, it seems like the Panthers, or perhaps more accurately their fans, have a chip on their shoulder.
The Boston Bruins have had the Hurricanes’ number in previous playoff meetings. They swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2018-19 Eastern Conference Finals and won the 2020 First Round Playoff series convincingly four games to one.
The Bruins have a unique playing style that seems to get the better of the Hurricanes. And with the Hurricanes being a team that relies on its young talent, their physical class doesn’t feature aggressive play regularly.
