The Carolina Hurricanes are preparing for another comeback after being unable to rally in the NHL’s Eastern Conference final.

Two days after their magical playoff run ended, the Hurricanes cleaned out their lockers on Thursday and management conducted exit interviews - with the focus on a repeat performance next season.

“There’s no reason why we can’t be in the same situation next year with the same team,” goalie Cam Ward said. “Everybody’s gotten a taste of what it takes, for the guys that haven’t been in the playoffs. For the guys that were in the playoffs, it was just another taste of how much enjoyment we had (in 2006).

“Falling short is never fun,” he added. “A lot of guys are going to be working extremely hard this summer to do whatever it takes to get ourselves ready for another great run next year.”

And what a run it was this year for Carolina.

The Hurricanes seemed destined to miss the playoffs for a third straight year, then streaked through March and April to claim the East’s No. 6 seed. They appeared done in each of the first two rounds, then went on the road and rallied to win back-to-back Game 7s.
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