Last night, the Carolina Hurricanes faced a disappointing defeat as they were swept by the Florida Panthers. This unfortunate loss marks the third consecutive time in three appearances that the Hurricanes have fallen short in the Conference Finals, dating back to 2009.
In an impressive turn of events, the Florida Panthers have secured their place in the Stanley Cup Finals. What makes their achievement even more remarkable is that they have become the first team since the NHL's expansion era in 1967-68 to reach the finals, despite spending less than 30% of the season in a playoff spot.
Interestingly enough, we find ourselves in this situation partly thanks to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They managed to miss a playoff spot, as they needed to gather three out of four points against the underperforming teams of Chicago and Columbus. If the Penguins would've accomplished this, the Panthers wouldn't have had the opportunity to make it to the playoffs.
Now, the Panthers are heading to the finals with an impressive record of winning 11 out of their last 12 games. Their journey has been anything but easy, as they have faced off against the top-ranked, second-best, and fourth-best teams in the league throughout the playoffs. It is truly an incredible run that they are on.
