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Carolina Hurricanes Maintain Consistent Lineup During 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff Run

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Carolina Hurricanes: 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Playoff Timeline and Series Progression

First and Second Rounds

The Hurricanes entered the playoffs after recording 53 regular-season wins. The team had seven players score 20 or more goals during the season. In the first round, Carolina swept the Ottawa Senators. The team then swept the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round.

Key contributions during this period came from the forward line of Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, and Jackson Blake.

Eastern Conference Final

The Hurricanes faced the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final. In Game 1, the team had a 12-day break following the sweep of Philadelphia.

Goaltender Frederik Andersen led all playoff goaltenders with a .950 save percentage and a 1.12 goals against average at that point in the postseason.

In Game 3, the Hurricanes limited Montreal to 13 shots on goal over more than 74 minutes of play. Through the first three games of the series, Carolina held the Canadiens to 47 total shots. In Game 4, forward Andrei Svechnikov scored his second goal of the playoffs in a back-to-back overtime win. The team won the Eastern Conference Final to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Stanley Cup Final

In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, forward Nikolaj Ehlers scored two goals in the first 12:08 of the game. Defenseman Jalen Chatfield recorded assists on both goals. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere scored a third-period equalizer.

Goaltending

Frederik Andersen has been the starting goaltender throughout the postseason, barring an injury absence earlier in the season. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour stated Andersen remains calm regardless of his workload in net. Andersen has played in 85 previous playoff games in his career.

Over the past five years, his .909 save percentage in the postseason ranked fifth among goaltenders with at least 30 games played in that span.

Andersen set franchise records for most shutouts in a single playoff run (3) and career playoff shutouts by a Hurricanes goaltender (5).

In one mid-season stretch, he secured three out of four possible points in two starts and recorded a 6-3 victory against New Jersey, stopping 19 of 22 shots. Brandon Bussi has also filled in as starting goaltender during the regular season when Andersen was unavailable.

Player Injuries and Roster Changes

Long-Term Injuries

  • Pyotr Kochetkov: Underwent hip surgery (reported as likely out for the season as of Dec. 29)
  • Charles Alexis Legault: Hand injury (reported as out 3-4 months from Nov. 11)
  • Noah Philp: Concussion protocol (no timetable for return reported)

Mid-Season Injuries & Returns

  • Shayne Gostisbehere: Missed multiple games with a lower-body injury during the regular season. Returned for the playoffs and was reported as having a point streak of four games, including a goal in the Eastern Conference Final-clinching win.
  • William Carrier: Missed games during the season with a lower-body injury. Returned to the lineup for the playoffs.
  • Jaccob Slavin: Sidelined for 29 regular-season games with a lower-body injury. Returned to action and, according to coach Rod Brind'Amour, was scheduled to play in back-to-back games for the first time that season.
  • Joel Nystrom: Recalled from Chicago (AHL) during the regular season to fill in on defense. Also a healthy scratch at points.
  • Mike Reilly: Was a scratch on multiple occasions.

Playoff Status

For the duration of the playoff run, the Hurricanes reported no injuries among forwards or defensemen for Game 1 of the first round. The team has consistently had no injuries listed in their lineup notes throughout the postseason.

Projected Lineup (Consistent Across Playoffs)

Forwards

  • Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
  • Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake
  • Nikolaj Ehlers - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook
  • William Carrier - Mark Jankowski - Eric Robinson

Defense

  • Jaccob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield
  • K'Andre Miller - Sean Walker
  • Shayne Gostisbehere - Alexander Nikishin

Scratches

  • Nicolas Deslauriers
  • Pyotr Kochetkov
  • Jesperi Kotkaniemi
  • Mike Reilly

Power Play Units

  • PP1: Sebastian Aho, (Nikolaj Ehlers or Jordan Staal), Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, and Shayne Gostisbehere
  • PP2: Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, Logan Stankoven, and K'Andre Miller

Power Play Faceoff Strategy

Jordan Staal takes faceoffs for the power play units. If he wins the draw, he remains on the ice briefly. On the first unit, when the puck leaves the zone, Nikolaj Ehlers replaces Staal. On the second unit, Mark Jankowski replaces Staal after a successful faceoff.