For as long as they've been in North Carolina, the Carolina Hurricanes had not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three consecutive seasons until this year.
Their ascent to a perennial contender began in 2018-19, when they surged up the standings in the second half of the season to break a decade-long playoff drought. The Canes then re-captured the hearts and minds of a yearning fanbase in a magical run to the Eastern Conference Final. That was only the beginning.
Though they bowed out in the First Round after sweeping their way through the Stanley Cup Qualifiers in the Toronto bubble, the Canes took another step in the 2020 postseason. Still, it was only a step.
The 2020-21 regular season, in all its uniqueness and with all of its challenges, was about the Canes establishing themselves as an elite team in the National Hockey League. They did just that, finishing atop the Central Division to claim their first division title since 2005-06.
The Canes worked night in and night out, winning 36 of 56 games and failing to earn a point in just 12 outings, to put themselves in prime position to make another run at the Cup. That, after all, is the ultimate goal, and the journey begins in the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a match-up against the Nashville Predators, the first-ever postseason meeting between these two teams.
"The expectation here is to win," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We've got a long road ahead of us, and it's going to be a huge challenge, but that's the expectation."
First Round Series Preview: Hurricanes vs. Predators
Canes enter playoffs as Central Division's top seed