Ottawa hockey fans know a thing or two about playoff heartbreak — and right now, they're getting a front-row seat to what a truly dominant postseason run looks like, as two NHL heavyweights are rewriting the record books.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche have both stormed through the early rounds of the 2026 NHL playoffs without dropping a single game, a feat that puts them in rare historical company. According to Sportsnet, both franchises are making history with their undefeated postseason starts — the kind of commanding performance that leaves the rest of the league, Ottawa included, taking serious notes.
What Makes These Runs So Rare
Going undefeated deep into the NHL playoffs is extraordinarily difficult. The league's best-of-seven format is designed to expose weaknesses, and even the most talented rosters typically stumble at least once in the opening rounds. For two teams to simultaneously sustain perfect records this late into the postseason is genuinely unprecedented in the modern era.
Carolina has built their dominance on suffocating defensive structure and goaltending depth — a system that's been years in the making under their coaching staff. Colorado, meanwhile, leans on elite talent up front and a transition game that can dismantle opponents before they even get set.
The Ottawa Angle
For Senators fans, these playoff runs carry a bittersweet sting. Ottawa has been steadily rebuilding toward a contender, and the hope in the capital is that the Sens are just a season or two away from genuine playoff relevance. Watching Carolina and Colorado operate at this level is a reminder of how wide the gap still is — but also what's possible when a franchise commits to a system and sticks with it.
The Hurricanes in particular have drawn comparisons to the kind of tight-checking, team-first hockey that Ottawa's front office has been quietly trying to construct. Ottawa has the young talent. The question has always been whether they can develop the playoff culture to match.
What It Means for the Rest of the Postseason
With both the Hurricanes and Avalanche showing no signs of slowing down, the 2026 playoffs are shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory — at least for the teams left standing against these two juggernauts. Any team that has to face either club in the next round faces a daunting task.
For Ottawa and its fans, the silver lining is that this kind of excellence is observable and learnable. The Senators' management will be watching closely, taking mental notes on roster construction, goaltending depth, and the systems that turn regular-season success into playoff dominance.
The dream in Ottawa is simple: a few more summers of smart moves, a bounce or two in the right direction, and the Sens could be the ones making history.
Until then, Sens nation watches, takes notes, and waits for their turn.
Source: Sportsnet via Google News
