What was the 2020-21 season like?

To borrow a word from every television commercial in the calendar year 2020, it was unprecedented.

It was wildly successful for the Carolina Hurricanes, who finished with 36 wins and 80 points, second-most in the league, in 56 games and their first division title since 2005-06.

It was an unpredictable adventure, from the first drop of the puck in January to the final horn in June.

It was fun and challenging. It was a grind. It was lonely. It was trying. It was abnormal. It was memorable. It was unique.

It was many things, and I'll remember two diametrically opposed scenes from it: how it began and how it ended.

The Carolina Hurricanes were eliminated from the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs in a 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Second Round.

In a do-or-die Game 5, the Carolina Hurricanes could get an injection of offense into their lineup.

Nino Niederreiter, who practiced with the Canes on Monday, and Vincent Trocheck will both take warm-ups and are "hopeful" to play, according to head coach Rod Brind'Amour. Meanwhile, Warren Foegele is "50-50" with an upper-body injury.

GAME 5 PREVIEW

Here is the projected lineup for the Hurricanes.

With their backs against the wall, the Carolina Hurricanes fight to see another day in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Second Round.

"Nothing has come easy for this group, ever," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said after a tight 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Second Round.

On the eve of Game 5, the same remains true - and it's not going to get any easier from here.

TAMPA - The Carolina Hurricanes had a two-goal lead in the second period, but the Tampa Bay Lightning stormed back and scored four unanswered goals to take Game 4, 6-4.

TAMPA - Vincent Trocheck and Warren Foegele are game-time decisions for Game 4, according to head coach Rod Brind'Amour.

Trocheck missed Game 3 with a lower-body injury, while Foegele suffered an upper-body injury in Game 3.

GAME 4 PREVIEW

Based on the group that played in Game 3, here is the projected lineup for the Hurricanes.

TAMPA - The Carolina Hurricanes have a chance to even the Second Round series when they face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon.

TAMPA - Jordan Staal tallied a power-play goal in overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes to a gutsy 3-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the Second Round.

Brett Pesce and Sebastian Aho also scored for the Canes, and Petr Mrazek made 35 saves in his 2021 postseason debut.

"I'm always proud of the group," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "Whatever happens to them, they just seem to find a way to focus on the game and go do their job. That's kind of what happened tonight."

TAMPA - The Carolina Hurricanes will tinker with their lineup as they travel to Tampa in search of their first win against the Lightning in the Second Round.

Vincent Trocheck, who suffered a lower-body injury late in the second period of Game 2, did not participate in the morning skate and is doubtful to play, according to head coach Rod Brind'Amour. Morgan Geekie is likely to draw into the lineup, and Petr Mrazek gets the nod in net.

"Petr has been ready for a while. We'll give him a shot tonight," Brind'Amour said. "Ned has been great. That's not really the issue. He's played a lot of games, and we're going to need everyone as fresh as possible."

GAME 3 PREVIEW

Here is the projected lineup for the Hurricanes.