There was good, and there was bad for the Carolina Hurricanes in an unusual 2021 NHL season.
The good was that the Canes were always competitive and one of the top teams in the league, seemingly in every single game and in the race for the President’s Trophy right down to the wire.
The bad, however, was that the Hurricanes exited the playoffs in the second round, falling to a loaded Tampa Bay Lightning team 4-1. After making the Eastern Conference finals in head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s first season in 2019, 2021 marked the second straight season the Canes didn’t get past the second round.