What to know about the Carolina Hurricanes heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs

Yes, but: While the team has gotten close, it has not yet made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals since its 2006 championship win.

Between the lines: The Canes are the only men's major league team in North Carolina to ever win a championship.

Driving the news: The team finished second in the Metropolitan Division, sitting behind the New York Rangers by three points.

• The Hurricanes play the Islanders in Game 1 at 5pm on Saturday, April 20.

Here's what to know about the Canes heading into the playoffs:

• The team is the odds-on favorite to lift the cup, according to FanDuel. The Florida Panthers have the second-best odds.
• The Canes' move at the trade deadline for Pittsburgh's star winger Jake Guentzel has bolstered confidence it their winning chances. He's averaged five points per 60 minutes since joining — the most on the team and fifth highest in the league, per The Athletic.
• Since landing Guentzel on March 7, the Canes have won 16 of their 21 games.

• Seb Aho is still a star for the Canes. The center led the team with 89 points this year — the 17th most in the NHL.
• Carolina beat the Islanders in six games in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. They were 2-1-1 against the Islanders this season, according to StatMuse.

Yes, but: The Islanders are riding their own mid-season turnaround after replacing their head coach with former NHL goaltending legend Patrick Roy.

Editor's note: We've updated this story with details about the first playoff game.

• This story has also been corrected to say the Canes are the only men's (not only) major league team in North Carolina to ever win a championship.