Powering their way into the Eastern Conference Final with an 8-2 record through the first two playoff series, the Carolina Hurricanes couldn't care less about critics who call their playing style boring.
"We're trying to win hockey games. That's it," forward Sebastian Aho said, per The Athletic's Michael Russo. "Our style is hard work. Every team works this time of year, and they compete, there's no question about that. But I think we're willing to work our tails off for each other.
"Our base is hard work - to be the hardest-working team on the ice every night. But our goal is to hound the puck and wear down opponents offensively. It's more fun to play in the offensive zone and have a chance to score goals, and that is how we play, no matter what people may think."
The Hurricanes rank third among the four conference finalists with 3.4 goals per game in the postseason while leading the group with 1.8 goals against. Carolina has heavily tilted the ice in its favor across two rounds, controlling 58.78% of shot attempts and 53.80% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
"I feel if this was Toronto or a different team shutting teams down, they'd be getting praised out of this world," said winger Seth Jarvis. "But it's just the way it is because we're not Toronto, and we're totally fine with it. We don't think we're boring at all.
"We create plenty of offense, maybe a little different than other teams. But scoring goals is scoring goals, and that's something that we've gotten better at and started to do more consistently, especially in the playoffs now. I mean, I have a blast playing this style."
The Hurricanes will play the Florida Panthers in Round 3 for the second time in three years. Florida swept Carolina in 2023 after winning four consecutive one-goal games.
This year's series begins Tuesday in Raleigh.
