On Friday night, the one thing New Jersey Devils fans didn’t want to happen going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs happened. The Carolina Hurricanes overcame their Eastern Conference Finals demons, and they are headed to the Stanley Cup Final. For years, the Hurricanes would falter in the Conference Finals after dominating the Metropolitan Division. This includes two season where the Canes took out the Devils, including their best team in 2023.
This season, the league essentially laid down a red carpet for the Hurricanes on their way to the Final. They started off with a sweep of the Ottawa Senators. Then, they swept the Philadelphia Flyers, two teams who were overwhelmed by the Hurricanes’ system. (We’d like to point out that, despite all the injuries, the Devils were able to muster one win in the playoffs last season, keeping their streak of never getting swept alive).
Seeing the Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final is a worst-case scenario
In the ECF, the Hurricanes didn’t have to play the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, or Toronto Maple Leafs. The Boston Bruins are still building, and the Buffalo Sabres are not ready for primetime, yet. Instead, they got the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens might be the next dynasty in this league, but it’s way too early to tell. And that was clear in this performance. They have young stars across the lineup, including Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky. It wasn’t enough to beat a veteran team like the Hurricanes.
Essentially, the Hurricanes got an easy path to the Final. That happens sometimes.
The rivalry between the Canes and Devils has grown, but this current run will put some distance between Carolina and New Jersey. They get to hold the distinction of the reigning Eastern Conference champs. And with the Canes facing the Vegas Golden Knights, who are an overall unlikable team, it’s really a no-win situation for many Devils fans.
This is such an unideal situation that it had us rooting for the Canadiens and allowing them a chance to break the decades-long streak keeping Canada away from the Stanley Cup.
This is not what any Devils’ fan wanted, but it’s the Stanley Cup Final we were given. It also shows how important it is to make the playoffs right now. The right team can make a run to the Final because the path in the East is in such flux that they are waiting for the right team to take the torch now that the Panthers are past their dynasty aspirations.
Add us as a preferred source on Google