Carolina Hurricanes Playoff Tickets

The Hurricanes reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time just five years after relocating from Hartford to North Carolina. Though the 2002 Hurricanes won their division, they were underdogs throughout their entire playoff run.

In the first round, they played the defending-champion New Jersey Devils. The Devils had finished the season with more points than Carolina, but the Hurricanes had the higher seed because they won their (weaker) division. The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead in the series and ended up eliminating the Devils in 6 games. Carolina’s Cinderella story continued as they eliminated Montreal and Toronto in the next two rounds. In their first Stanley Cup Final appearance, the Hurricanes faced the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately, the 2002 Red Wings were one of the deepest teams ever assembled (ten of their players were future hall of famers), and the Hurricanes were eliminated in five games.

The 2005-06 season marked the NHL’s return after a lockout had cancelled the entire 04-05 season. Though few people expected much from the Hurricanes, the team emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the "new" NHL. The Hurricanes capitalized on strong seasons from captain Rod Brind’Amour and future captain Eric Staal. Carolina won the Southeast Division and matched with the Montreal Canadiens in the first round.

The Hurricanes lost the first two games of the series. In an effort to light a spark under the team, head coach Peter Laviolette started rookie goalie Cam Ward in Game 3. The Hurricanes stormed back and won the next four games with Ward in net. Ward began an MVP playoff run, finishing with a .920 save percentage and two shutouts. Carolina reached the Stanley Cup Final, where they played the Edmonton Oilers. The two teams played a close series, but Carolina ultimately prevailed after a 3-1 Game 7 win at home, and the Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup.

NHL Playoff Format

The NHL is split into an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference. A total of 16 teams -- eight from both conferences -- make the playoffs.

There are four rounds in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, each a best-of-seven series. The third round is the Conference Final. The winners of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Finals face each other in the Stanley Cup Final.