The Carolina Hurricanes won Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final 6-1 on Friday and eliminated the Montreal Canadiens from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Hurricanes, now 12-1 through three rounds in the postseason, will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final beginning June 2.
| Game | Date | Time (ET) | Home team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 2 | 8 p.m. | Hurricanes |
| 2 | June 4 | 8 p.m. | Hurricanes |
| 3 | June 6 | 8 p.m. | Golden Knights |
| 4 | June 9 | 8 p.m. | Golden Knights |
| 5* | June 11 | 8 p.m. | Hurricanes |
| 6* | June 14 | 8 p.m. | Golden Knights |
| 7* | June 17 | 8 p.m. | Hurricanes |
* If necessary
"I think we'll have a day off, two practices. It's perfect. Let's get this thing rolling," Taylor Hall said postgame regarding the short break between series, according to Cory Lavalette of North State Journal.
It's the first run to the Cup Final involving one loss or fewer since the Edmonton Oilers went 11-1 in 1983 (when the opening round was a best-of-five). The Oilers were swept by the New York Islanders. No team had accomplished the feat since every round became a best-of-seven in 1987.
It's Carolina's second appearance in the Cup Final and the first since 2006, when the franchise claimed its only championship by beating the Oilers. Current head coach Rod Brind'Amour was the captain of that club.
Frederik Andersen set the record for the longest shutout streak in playoff history during the series. The 36-year-old went 160 minutes and 16 seconds without allowing a goal before Cole Caufield scored the Canadiens' lone tally of Game 5 with 9:10 remaining.
Entering this campaign, the Hurricanes had made it to the Eastern Conference Final twice in three seasons but lost both times.
This ends a Cinderella run for the Canadiens, who qualified for the playoffs as the Atlantic Division's third seed with 48 wins. They beat both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres in seven-game series as the lower seed. Montreal's Game 1 victory is the Canes' only loss so far this postseason.
The Hurricanes opted not to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy.
