The 19th-seeded ’10-’11 Carolina Hurricanes

• Bryan Allen (D)
  • 10 GP   0 G   1 A  1 P   +1   0 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Anton Babchuk (D)
  • 14 GP   0 G   9 A  9 P   -4   14 S   0 GWG   4 PIM   0 Stars
• Troy Bodie (RW)
  • 14 GP   0 G   0 A  0 P   +4   11 S   0 GWG   4 PIM   0 Stars
• Ryan Carter (C)
  • 2 GP   0 G   0 A  0 P   Even   0 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Erik Cole (LW)
  • 14 GP   5 G   9 A   14 P   -5   73 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   1 Stars
• Joe Corvo (D)
  • 14 GP   2 G   11* A   13 P   +7   58 S   0 GWG   2 PIM   0 Stars
• Patrick Dwyer (RW)
  • 14 GP   3 G   1 A   4 P   -4   25 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Tim Gleason (D)
  • 14 GP   0 G   5 A   5 P   +7   17 S   0 GWG   2 PIM   0 Stars
• Jussi Jokinen (LW)
  • 14 GP   8 G   2 A   10 P   +4   37 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Derek Joslin (D)
  • 8 GP   0 G   0 A  0 P   Even   0 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Tom Kostopoulos (RW)
  • 14 GP   3 G   4 A   7 P   +9   15 S   3* GWG   0 PIM   3 Stars
• Patrick O’Sullivan (C)
  • 2 GP   0 G   0 A  0 P   Even   0 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Justin Peters (G)
  • 2 GP   0 GS   0-1-0   1.50 GAA   .917 SV%   0 SO   0 Stars
• Joni Pitkanen (D)
  • 14 GP   0 G   11* A   11 P   +9   32 S   0 GWG   2 PIM   0 Stars
• Tuomo Ruutu (LW)
  • 14 GP   6 G   5 A   11 P   +9   35 S   1 GWG   2 PIM   3 Stars
• Sergei Samsonov (LW)
  • 11 GP   1 G   1 A  2 P   -1   0 S   2 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Jeff Skinner (RW)
  • 14 GP   13* G   11* A   24* P   +14*   120 S   1 GWG   6 PIM   10 Stars
• Eric Staal (C)
  • 14 GP   11 G   10 A   21 P   +1   132* S   1 GWG   14* PIM   6 Stars
• Cory Stillman (LW)
  • 12 GP   3 G   5 A   8 P   +6   22 S   1 GWG   0 PIM   2 Stars
• Brandon Sutter (C)
  • 14 GP   4 G   5 A   9 P   +4   43 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   3 Stars
• Cam Ward (G)
  • 14 GP   14 GS   7-2-4   2.86 GAA   .931 SV% (T-2nd-highest in tournament)   0 SO   15* Stars (3rd-most by goalie in tournament)
• Ian White (D)
  • 14 GP   1 G   4 A   5 P   +8   17 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   2 Stars

* – Team Best

Team Stats:

• Record: 7-3-4
• Goals Scored: 60
• Goals/Game: 4.29
• Goals Allowed: 46
• Goals Allowed/Game: 3.29
• Shots: 664
• Shots Allowed: 633
• Shots/Game: 47.4 – 2nd highest in tournament
• Shots Allowed/Game: 45.2
• # of PP’s: 22
• PPG’s: 4
• PP%: 18.2%
• TSH: 14
• PPGA: 2
• PK%: 85.7%
• Penalties in minutes: 36

For a franchise that has been to the Stanley Cup Final twice, to see a team that did not even make the playoffs representing them was surprising. The ’10-’11 Carolina Hurricanes posted the most points for a Canes team in the last seven seasons. In their first trip to the Ultimate NHL Playoff, they were able to match what the inaugural representatives were able to accomplish, but had a tough time getting there.

First Round:

Blew a 3-1 series lead, but ultimate defeated 46th-seeded ’19-’20 Quebec Bulldogs in seven games

Second Round:

Fell behind 2-0 in the series, only to win the next three to take a 3-2 series lead, but then lost the next two to get eliminated in seven games by the 14th-seeded ’34-’35 Montreal Maroons

The ’10-’11 Canes were led by head coach Paul Maurice, who was in his second tour of duty with Carolina. They posted a record of 40-31-11, which was good for 91 points and third in the Southeast Division. That was also good for only ninth in the Eastern Conference as they missed the final seed by just two points. Carolina ranked 13th in the league offensively, averaging 2.88 goals per game, and 21st defensively, allowing 2.91 goals per game. The Southeast Division at this time, if you remember, was not very good, which helped the Hurricanes to a 22nd ranked strength of schedule, according to Hockey Reference, who also rated the Hurricanes as the 20th-best team in the league that year using their SRS.

Longtime captain Eric Staal led the Canes in goals (33), assists (43) and points (76) while 18-year-old rookie Jeff Skinner was second in two of those three categories. He scored 31 goals and totaled 63 points while veteran Tuomo Ruutu was second in assists with 38. Skinner was awarded the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie for his stellar season. Carolina did not have a true tough guy for the ’10-’11 season so it was veteran defenseman Tim Gleason that led them in penalties in minutes with just 85. Staal was tied for second with defenseman Jay Harrison as they both finished with 72 PIMs. In net, longtime Cane Cam Ward was a horse. He made 73 starts and posted a record of 37-26-10 to go along with a 2.56 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. In terms of analytics, it was some familiar names that led Carolina. Staal posted the highest Corsi% at 51.9 while veteran forward Chad Larose was second at 50.6. Those two were also first and second in Fenwick%, but Larose was at the top instead with a 50.0 while Staal was second with 49.4. Lastly, the highest Point Share for Carolina, by far, belonged to Ward who posted a 16.8 share while Staal was a distant second at 8.4.

Up next are the 18th-seeded ’10-’11 Tampa Bay Lightning!