The Carolina Hurricanes kept on winning in their first matchup with the Kraken in Finland. In doing so, they drew a rare comparison.
Carolina steamrolled the Kraken on Thursday by a score of 4-1, winning the first half of their Finland trip. That improved Carolina to 15-3-2 over their first 20 games. It also gave them three straight wins and seven wins in their last eight games. Only the Nashville Predators have slowed them down.
Their latest victory may seem like nothing more than an early-season Global Series win. One that puts them on the cusp of potentially making history as the first 4-0-0 team in the NHL’s Global Series.
But the win held even more significance. It put Carolina alongside two historically significant teams — the 1929-30 Boston Bruins and the 2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning.
On Thursday, Peter Dewar and Walt Ruff of Hurricanes.com shared:
“The Hurricanes (15-3-2) tied the 2020-21 Lightning (15-4-1) for the second-most wins by a reigning Stanley Cup champion through 20 games of a season. The only team with more is the 1929-30 Bruins (18-2-0). The Lightning went on to repeat that season, while the Bruins reached the Final.”
That is a rarity in the NHL, given its history that goes back over a century. What’s rarer? Carolina has done something only one team has done in the post-Original Six Era. And it worked out well for that team.
Hurricanes Join Exclusive Group Of Defending Stanley Cup Champions
Boston reached the 1930 Stanley Cup Final, but the Montreal Canadiens swept them in two games. Tampa Bay successfully defended its 2020 Stanley Cup championship. Ironically, the Canadiens faced the Lightning and lost to them in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
What’s even more ironic? During Carolina’s 2026 Stanley Cup championship run, they defeated the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals to make it to the Stanley Cup Final in the first place.
Montreal, in one way or another, has had a hand in all three teams’ respective follow-up seasons. In Carolina’s case, the Canadiens were part of the path to the Final. That gave the Hurricanes a chance to repeat what the 1929-30 Bruins and 2020-21 Lightning accomplished.
Carolina Showing Little Signs Of A Stanley Cup Hangover
The Hurricanes have dominated the NHL since the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs started in Apr. 2026. They went 16-3, which caused them to enter 2026-27 with enormous expectations.
But those expectations clearly didn’t faze Carolina, or else they wouldn’t have matched the 2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning’s pace. And it isn’t limited to just a few players carrying the team.
Sebastian Aho’s two goals on Thursday were a prime example. But so are Nikolaj Ehlers’ continued production, Jackson Blake’s point streak, and Andrei Svechnikov’s consistent uptick in play.
Through roughly the first quarter of the season, it is tough to count out the Carolina Hurricanes. They have been a model of consistency that most other NHL teams have yet to match so far in the second half of the decade. If they keep playing this well, Carolina will continue to match even more defending Stanley Cup champions across numerous accomplishments.
Hurricanes’ Latest Win Draws Rare Stanley Cup Repeat Comparison