By Greg Wyshynski
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes firmly believe their roster possesses sufficient offensive capability to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
Forward Andrei Svechnikov asserted, “Easily.” He continued, “I think we have plenty of offense. We have a lot of skill. The best part is that we also have the system.”
They insist that critics are mistaken about their offensive issues – that the narrative of their goal-scoring consistently declining later in the postseason under head coach Rod Brind`Amour is incorrect. They push back against the perception of being a team unable to net crucial goals in tight playoff series.
They dispute the notion, even after being limited to just one regulation goal in their 5-2 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers (Jackson Blake added a late power-play goal), which marked their fifth consecutive conference final defeat to the Panthers and their 13th straight loss overall at this stage, dating back to 2009.
Skeptics would point out Carolina`s implicit acknowledgment of offensive shortcomings by acquiring proven playoff scorers in the last two seasons: Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2024, and the notable temporary addition of Mikko Rantanen in 2025. Neither player is currently on the team`s roster.
However, within the Hurricanes` locker room, there is strong conviction that they have the necessary scoring punch to finally contend for the Stanley Cup under Brind`Amour this season.
“I`m very confident about that. I mean, we have a ton of skill,” said center Sebastian Aho. “We`ve got a lot of guys who can score goals.”
BY MANY MEASURES, the Hurricanes are a successful organization. Since Rod Brind`Amour took the helm as head coach in 2018-19, they boast a regular-season points percentage of .654, ranking third in the NHL behind only the Boston Bruins (.660) and Tampa Bay Lightning (.656).
Their defensive record is impeccable; the Hurricanes are statistically tied with the Bruins for the league`s best defense during Brind`Amour`s tenure, allowing just 2.62 goals against per game. Offensively, they rank seventh over that same period (3.22 goals per game), thanks to contributions from players like Aho, Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis.
Carolina has advanced beyond the first playoff round in every season under Brind`Amour, including three appearances in the Eastern Conference Final. Their defensive performance has remained consistent in the playoffs, allowing 2.64 goals against per game over 85 postseason contests. The Canes have rightfully earned their reputation as a puck-possession team that relentlessly pressures opponents.
“I don`t think anyone really enjoys playing Carolina,” commented Florida star Matthew Tkachuk. “They`re a tough team to play against, and they make it hard on you every game.”
Yet, while Carolina has replicated its regular-season defensive success in the playoffs, their offense has not followed suit. The Hurricanes have averaged just 2.93 goals per playoff game through 85 games under Brind`Amour.
A deeper look at the data reveals a trend. From 2021 to 2024, the Hurricanes averaged 3.39 goals per 60 minutes (at all strengths) in the playoff rounds they won. However, in the rounds where they were eliminated, that scoring rate plummeted to 1.91 goals per 60 minutes.
Numerous theories attempt to explain this recurring pattern for Carolina. Power-play effectiveness is a factor: In the regular season under Brind`Amour, their power play converted at a 21.7% rate, which dropped to 16.5% in the playoffs. Curiously, this postseason their power play has been more successful (27.8%) than their regular-season mark (18.7%).
The caliber of their opponents also plays a role: Carolina`s playoff exits have come against strong defensive Bruins teams twice, against New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin twice, and once each against Tampa Bay`s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Florida`s Sergei Bobrovsky – two of the top postseason goalies in recent NHL history.
Another theory revolves around their “quantity over quality” shot strategy.
“Their style of volume shooting from everywhere doesn`t generate enough high-danger chances. They don`t get sufficient traffic to the net before their shots to create rebounds or deflections,” noted one NHL analytics expert. “They lack patience. Teams understand their approach and can anticipate their shot-blocking efforts, making it easier to defend.”
The Hurricanes have lost an astonishing 13 consecutive games in the conference finals. They were swept by the Penguins (2009), Bruins (2019), and Panthers (2023), and then dropped Game 1 to Florida this Tuesday, extending the streak.
Facing this persistent frustration, Brind`Amour stated that the team must remain true to its identity.
“You guys are going to discuss it, but what alternative is there? You can`t alter your game dramatically; that won`t work. I know it doesn`t work. Trying to open up, take risks, or do different things won`t be the solution,” Brind`Amour said Wednesday. “We analyze it constantly: How can we generate more scoring opportunities while conceding fewer? That`s the essence of the game. That`s what we`re trying to solve.”
Examining their 2023 elimination by the Panthers, Carolina`s shot volume wasn`t drastically different between the earlier rounds (65.7 shot attempts per 60) and the four-game sweep (65.4). Their expected goals per 60 minutes even improved from 2.9 in the first two rounds to 3.1 in the conference finals. However, their actual offense collapsed – dropping from 2.93 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 in the initial rounds to a mere 0.9 goals per 60 minutes in the conference finals.
One significant difference between that series and the current one for Carolina is Andrei Svechnikov`s health.
And he could potentially be the difference-maker they need.
IN 2023, SVECHNIKOV WAS 22 YEARS OLD. He had scored 30 goals in 78 games the previous season and posted 55 points in 64 games for a Hurricanes team that finished with 113 points. But disaster struck: Svechnikov suffered a non-contact tear of his right ACL on March 11, 2023, with just over a dozen regular-season games remaining. One of the Hurricanes` key offensive difference-makers would be unavailable for the postseason.
“That`s probably the hardest thing in my life, honestly. Just being with the guys throughout the whole season and then being unable to help them in the playoffs,” Svechnikov told ESPN. “It was so difficult to attend every game. I recall the feeling sitting in the car and thinking, `I don`t even want to go to the rink to watch.`”
Despite the difficulty, Svechnikov watched his teammates defeat the Islanders in six games and eliminate the Devils in five. Then came the series against the Panthers. Carolina was swept, but each game was decided by a single goal. They scored only three total goals in the first three losses, their offense having evaporated.
Svechnikov prefers not to dwell on whether his presence could have altered the outcome in those close defeats.
“Maybe not, maybe yes. Who knows? But right now, I`m just focusing on this series and not worrying about the past,” he stated.
Seth Jarvis was resolute in his belief that Svechnikov could have made a difference then and can make one now against the Panthers.
“You see what he`s done in the playoffs so far,” Jarvis said. “The impact he has on the game, not only with scoring but with the plays he makes with his physicality and speed. He was definitely a force we missed the last time we played them.”
This season, Svechnikov has accumulated 10 points in his first 11 playoff games, including a team-leading eight goals. His influence has been undeniable, from his Game 4 hat trick against New Jersey, which effectively sealed that series, to scoring in three straight games against Washington in their elimination series, including the Game 4 winner.
“He has been phenomenal for us through the first two rounds, and we need that to continue,” commented forward Jordan Martinook. “He can be a game-breaker. When he`s playing physically, he`s incredibly difficult to contain.”
Captain Jordan Staal has observed Svechnikov`s growth as an offensive threat and is impressed by his consistency during the current playoff run.
“He`s just been great. No question,” Staal stated. “He`s been on his game every night, playing physically, shooting the puck, being the playoff player we know he`s capable of being.”
Carolina has certainly been seeking that impactful “playoff player.”
THE 2023 SWEEP BY THE PANTHERS, with its razor-thin margins of defeat, spurred the Hurricanes to search for ways to finally break through the conference final barrier.
Not typically known for making splashy trade deadline acquisitions, especially for potential unrestricted free agents, Carolina acquired winger Jake Guentzel from Pittsburgh in 2024. Guentzel had won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2017 and established a reputation as a reliable postseason performer.
He lived up to this reputation with nine points in 11 games during the 2024 playoffs, but it wasn`t enough to propel Carolina past the Rangers in the second round. Guentzel opted not to sign an extension with Carolina, which subsequently traded his rights to Tampa Bay for a third-round pick. Guentzel then scored six points in five games for the Lightning in their first-round loss to the Panthers.
New GM Eric Tulsky, who replaced Don Waddell upon his departure for the Columbus Blue Jackets, made an even bolder move this season, trading leading scorer Martin Necas as part of a package to acquire Mikko Rantanen, the Colorado Avalanche star facing a contract impasse and pending free agency.
Tulsky argued that, from a systems perspective, Rantanen was an ideal fit.
“We employ a system focused on battling for pucks along the boards and making plays around the net front, and he excels at those exact things,” Tulsky commented at the time.
He added that the Hurricanes` identity was reflected in the play of Jordan Staal, who drives possession with size and strength within Brind`Amour`s system. “Mikko possesses the ability to do all of that, combined with elite-level skill,” the GM explained.
Rantanen arrived concurrently with former NHL MVP Taylor Hall, whom Carolina acquired from Chicago. The clear intention behind these moves was to enhance the team`s offense, which had been needed more in playoff scenarios.
“Ultimately, we felt one area where our team could benefit was an upgrade in skill and offensive production,” said Tulsky.
What followed was a defining moment of the 2024-25 season. Rantanen informed the Hurricanes he would not sign a contract extension. Rather than keeping him for a potential Stanley Cup run before losing him to free agency, the Hurricanes traded him to Dallas for a package that included promising young forward Logan Stankoven.
Through 13 games, Rantanen led the Stanley Cup playoffs with 19 points.
“It certainly changes things when you have a player of that caliber, a star. It alters your team`s identity,” said Dallas coach Pete DeBoer. “I think we`ve been built around depth, four lines, waves of pressure, and hard work – perhaps more akin to Carolina`s identity. I believe when you add a player like that, you have to adapt to a slightly different identity.”
Stankoven didn`t see many parallels between his previous team and the Hurricanes. He also didn`t think Carolina needed a single focal point player to achieve playoff success.
“The great thing I`ve observed so far is that we aren`t dependent on just one line to score goals. If you look at our lineup, everyone is contributing offensively at different times, which is fantastic,” he noted. “Obviously, having star players is great. Edmonton has [Connor] McDavid and [Leon] Draisaitl, and so on. We also have star players, but everyone chips in when needed, and that`s crucial for playoff advancement.”
This appears to be the prevailing message from the Hurricanes during this playoff run. As in previous years, the emphasis isn`t on individual stars but on the collective team effort to overcome offensive challenges.
“I think all four lines have contributed at various points in these playoffs, and that`s what`s required,” Hall stated. “I feel my role is to come in and play good Hurricanes playoff hockey, play the right way, and so on, but we need offensive contributions from the entire lineup. It simply won`t work if only one or two lines are carrying the scoring burden.”
“It`s definitely all four lines,” Aho affirmed. “You`ve already seen it in these playoffs: production isn`t coming from just one line; it`s the entire lineup. That`s how we`re constructed. We prefer it that way.”
History hasn`t favored Carolina`s offense late in the playoffs. Game 1 against the Panthers didn`t necessarily inspire confidence from the box score perspective, though Jarvis believes they created enough scoring chances to feel optimistic about the series.
“I`m not worried. The goals will come,” he asserted. “Naturally, we need to find different methods, but as I said earlier, it`s about execution, which is something we`ve been emphasizing. We know that when we generate chances, eventually they will go in.”
Like his teammates, Jarvis dismisses the idea that this Hurricanes team lacks the scoring power to finally reach the Stanley Cup Final under Brind`Amour.
“I have absolute confidence [in our offense]. More than enough. I think everyone is fully committed to our style of play, which might differ slightly from previous years,” he said. “I really like where our team stands right now.”
Despite not having a player like Jake Guentzel or Mikko Rantanen on the ice?
“We have everyone we need right here in this room,” Jarvis concluded. “Everyone wants to be here. That`s what we value.”
Duncan Priestley 
Gareth Tenby