Normally that type of playstyle is effective but has high requirements on the players' fitness levels and gets hard-countered by tough opponents over the grind of the playoffs. As a result, the Canes have historically tapered-off right around the Eastern Conference Finals in previous years despite always having strong teams.
But this year the Canes played a depleted Ottawa team in the first round and won in 4, then faced a weak Metropolitan division team in the Flyers in the second round and won in 4.
Then Carolina faced Montreal in the third-round, who had been to 2 prior Game 7s, and were obviously exhausted by the brutal Atlantic division gauntlet to that point as well as not being an experienced-enough team.
The Canadiens obviously gave everything in Game 1 and won convincingly, lost in overtime in games 2 and 3, and then had nothing left in the tank for games 4 and 5 on their way to getting absolutely routed.
But the Canadiens don't really play a very physical game, that's not MSL's style, and so it was very hard for them to try and counter Carolina's style.
And that win in 5, combined with the Canes facing a depleted Ottawa and a weaker Philadelphia, means that the Hurricanes came into the Finals quite well-rested for once instead of previous years where teams like Florida would "tenderize Carolina's meat" in the first couple of games, and then beat them on the scoreboard once they were exhausted, slower, and their gameplan less effective.
Instead, as a result of not having to expend too much stamina through 3 rounds, the Canes will likely win the Stanley Cup this year using their stifling playstyle, and good on them.
But the Canes' playstyle is HARD on its players physically, and can get hard-countered by the right kind of physical team.
There is no be all, end all in the playoffs.
Just try to slowly build your team up, and then try to win. That's all you can realistically do.
As for the OP, he's out to lunch AND a massive sensationalist if he thinks this year's Eastern Conference is the "worst ever".
The East completely dominated the West this year and has been generally dominant for the last couple years after teams from the West were the stronger ones in the 2000s and early 2010s.
I expect the East to continue dominating for the foreseeable future, then for us to reach a state of general balance, and then for the West to take over sometime after.
These things are cyclical in nature, and as rebuilding teams rise, contending teams will slowly peter-out and then turn into rebuilding teams themselves.
That's the rise and fall of franchises across the league, and it's this very volatility that makes Hockey great, instead of always having say the Dodgers at or near the top of the league each year, same for Real Madrid/Manchester City, and the list goes on.
