The Carolina Hurricanes Have Lost 13 Straight ECF Games...

[WetcoastOrca]

It will ruffle a lot of feathers but it’s time to admit the Leafs were the second best team in the eastern conference this year

Third. Behind Tampa.

 

[TomKosto]

No toughness

 

[Turin]

A remarkable thing to do. Teams that make the conference finals should theoretically be close to each other in talent. NHL absolutely needs to change the seeding system. The current one sucks and has gotten boring with the same matchups year after year. To hell with this creating rivalries crap the NHL says the current system promotes. Conference finals should be tight affairs.

it doesn't even create any more rivalries than the other system did. It makes no sense.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Oh geez you're sticking with that one? Geez dark times in NC. I wish I had an eternal excuse for almost succeeding at my job

Fortunately, this forum keeps receipts.

When asked to rank the 16 teams by Cup favorite, not one single person had Carolina in their top 4.

Thread 'Rank the Playoff teams in terms of Cup Favo(u)rite'

Apr 16, 2025

I find this to be a hard playoffs to judge as each top contender has some holes that could be used to justify dropping them in lists. Like a month ago I had Dallas 1st and when I out this together have them at 11th. Seems too low still..

1 Tampa Bay
2 Las Vegas
3 Colorado
4 St Louis
5 Carolina
6 Toronto
7 Washington
8 Florida
9 Winnipeg
10 Los Angeles
11 Dallas
12 Edmonton
13 Ottawa
14 Montreal
15 Minnesota
16 New Jersey

• M2Beezy
• Replies: 60
• Forum: Stanley Cup Playoffs

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When asked to name the team they expected to win the Cup, out of 320 responses, only 5 answered Carolina.

Thread 'Who will win the Stanley Cup?'

Apr 17, 2025

Only 3 days to vote. This is a public poll!

• Hank Plank
• Replies: 104
• Forum: Stanley Cup Playoffs

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A series of polls in March ranked Carolina the #9 most likely team to win the Cup.

Thread 'Stanley Cup Favorites - #9'

Mar 21, 2025

Who's the ninth favorite for the 2025 Cup?


#1. Florida Panthers (44.8%)
#2. Dallas Stars (47.6%)
#3. Colorado Avalanche (40.6%)
#4. Vegas Golden Knights (33.3%)
#5. Winnipeg Jets (58.3%)
#6. Washington Capitals (38.7%)
#7. Edmonton Oilers (63.6%)
#8. Tampa Bay Lightning (75%)

• GlitchMarner
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Polls - (hockey-related only)

Sadly the Polls section has lost its data from before March, but Carolina was a popular pick for the ~6-8 range in playoff seeding in the preseason polls.


Yet they’re here in the Final Four. Yes they’re getting their wheels blown off by a better team, but they’re playing hockey after 28 teams went home. They do this year after year, even when bleeding talent. It’s the definition of overachievement.

 

[SillyRabbit]

They would've been a better team if they just kept Necas.

 

[HabsMD97]

Since the Caps won in 2018, the Metro division has been absolute trash, whatever Atlantic team that comes out is basically guaranteed to dog walk whoever comes out of the Metro (which is usually CAR). Truth is they are worse than the Leafs.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

In a proper 1-8 seeding this would’ve been a 1st round matchup as the 4/5 seeds

The Cats phoned in half of the season. I thought they were legitimately tired and beat up, but it turns out they mostly just didn't care and weren't trying.

I don't think 1-8 seeding makes things better when you have a team playing that way for the first 82. In fact, I think it might even make things worse.

 

[Sky04]

The Metro division sucks

 

[Sky04]

It will ruffle a lot of feathers but it’s time to admit the Leafs were the second best team in the eastern conference this year

Who cares though? Nobody cares about 2nd place let alone 2nd place in a conference, if you're contending and don't win the cup you're all just losers that year.

 

[Anglesmith]

Several years ago I asked when they start blaming Rod and I got some roster nonsense about how he's overachieving. What about now? Are we still sticking with that excuse?

As a fan of one of the many teams that hasn't had the opportunity to watch my team in the conference finals in a long time, I think it's honestly not a statistic that necessarily requires an excuse. You can't say that a team that has regularly visited the conference finals is incapable of playing well in the playoffs. But if you aren't the best team in the conference at any point, you are always going to eventually run into someone better than you. And when you do, why does the inevitable losing require an excuse?

 

[MikeFolignosHelmet]

Blow the team up. Package a deal around Rod.

 

[SharksFan1992]

it doesn't even create any more rivalries than the other system did. It makes no sense.

Proof: Kings and Oilers have faced eachother 4 years in a row and no rivalry exists.

Too often, with this playoff format, there's one undeserved team reaching the CF due to being in a weak division. Under the old format, Panthers v Canes would have been in the 1st round and the Canes rightfully disposed of early.

 

[PistolPete]

Carolina is a paper tiger and the league knows it. Guentzel didn't want to stay, Rantanen didn't want to stay, Marner nixed a trade there.

I'd compare them to the Thornton - Marleau era Sharks but the west was a bloodbath back then and the east is lukewarm at best right now, so I dunno.

You've piqued my curiosity; what is the total interconference record?

 

[Calad]

Rod's system clearly falls apart when they run into a team that has good defensive structure or good goaltending. It's predicated entirely on forechecking and throwing everything on net and hoping for a good bounce

 

[PistolPete]

Carolina is a paper tiger and the league knows it. Guentzel didn't want to stay, Rantanen didn't want to stay, Marner nixed a trade there.

I'd compare them to the Thornton - Marleau era Sharks but the west was a bloodbath back then and the east is lukewarm at best right now, so I dunno.

Not everyone can be a Glass Tiger.

I'll leave now., but

Don't forget me when I'm gone!
(Or my heart would break)

 

[awegrzyn]

Out of all the teams that made the playoffs, Caroline has the worst scoring from their top 6 guys.
They are 1.0 point per game short. Even if they shot down Florida, they still have to score somehow.

 

[King 88]

Weak forward core. Kidna deep but not real star power. Who is gonna score goals for that team?

 

[HydratedByStormBrew]

The team absolutely overachieved this year and they absolutely deserve to be trolled to oblivion for what looks like another sweep.

Hopefully, some organizational and fundamental roster changes are on the way as a result. A lot of flexibility and assets this offseason to construct a more talented roster.

 

[Moridin]

Its a weird statistic..

If the Hurricanes get swept now, it can become as mental as the Leafs and game 7s

 

[Rcknrollkillnmachine]

I think I read somewhere that due to their 'all in as a team' system they lack that goal scoring superstar like funnily enough a Rantanen to come through in clutch moments or in finishing off plays in crucial moments with goals (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

[Shark Finn]

They have no business even being in the playoffs. Biggest paper tiger ever.

The Caps already got eliminated.

 

[BB88]

What happened to the great scoring we heard so much after the last 2 rounds??

Maybe just maybe Metro is by far the worst division in the NHL right now

 

[ItWasJustified]

It’s the definition of overachievement.

There's no such thing as "overachievement". It's literally impossible by definition. You can achieve to the top of your ability as an individual or as a team, but you cannot achieve more than your ability.

 

[avocadosmoothie]

There's no such thing as "overachievement". It's literally impossible by definition. You can achieve to the top of your ability as an individual or as a team, but you cannot achieve more than your ability.

idk man pretty sure it’s in the dictionary and stuff

 

[BB79]

There's no such thing as "overachievement". It's literally impossible by definition. You can achieve to the top of your ability as an individual or as a team, but you cannot achieve more than your ability.

I suppose it could be based on expectation versus ability. "The Capitals overachieved this season" as in no one expected them to do anywhere near as well as they did in the regular season.