The Penguins have business to take care of first in Sunday's Game 7 against the Rangers in New York.
If the Penguins are able to win and advance to the second round, it's already known who their next opponent would be.
The Hurricanes eliminated the Bruins in Game 7 on Saturday with a 3-2 win in Raleigh and now await the winner of the Penguins-Rangers series for their second-round matchup.
The Penguins went 1-1-1 in three regular-season games against the Hurricanes this season. All three of those meetings came in the second half of the regular season.
The first game between the two teams this year was on Feb. 20 in Pittsburgh, with the Hurricanes earning a 4-3 decision. Jesperi Kotkaniemi had the lone first-period goal in that game, and then Jordan Staal extended the Hurricanes' lead nine seconds into the middle frame. Late second-period goals from Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby tied the game. Jesper Fast scored another goal that came nine seconds into the third period to regain the lead, and then Sebastian Aho extended that lead with a power play goal. Evan Rodrigues brought the Penguins back within one goal with 1:12 remaining, but the comeback bid fell short. Tristan Jarry stopped 26 of 30 shots faced in the loss.
The next meeting came on March 4 in Raleigh. First-period goals from Jake Guentzel and Crosby gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead before the first intermission, but Staal tallied goals twice over the next 40 minutes to tie the game and force overtime. Kris Letang took a retaliatory slashing penalty 2:47 into overtime, and Andrei Svechnikov scored the game-winner on the ensuing power play. Casey DeSmith started that game, making 39 saves on 42 shots.
The final matchup between the Penguins and Hurricanes this season came on March 13 in Pittsburgh. Brian Boyle opened the scoring with 70 seconds left in the first period, and Danton Heinen made it a 2-0 game midway through the second period. Brett Pesce got the Hurricanes on the board 4:40 into the third period, and then the Hurricanes pulled goaltender Antti Raanta late in the third period looking for a tying goal. Crosby scored an empty netter to put the Penguins up 3-1. The Hurricanes pulled Raanta again, and Aho scored a 6-on-5 goal to bring Carolina back within one. After the Hurricanes pulled Raanta once more, Zach Aston-Reese scored an empty-netter, his second goal of the year and final goal as a Penguin in his last game with the team. Jarry earned the win after making 41 saves on 43 shots.
The Penguins were outchanced and outshot in the regular-season series, controlling just 38.43 percent of all shot attempts, 42.24 percent of all shots on goal, and 42.01 percent of all expected goals at five-on-five. The games were kept close as a result of the Penguins receiving strong performances in goal, with a combined save percentage of .935 at five-on-five in those three games.
The Penguins and Hurricanes have met in the playoffs just once before: The 2009 Eastern Conference Final, when the Penguins swept the Hurricanes in four games to advance to the Cup Final en route to the franchise's third Stanley Cup.
