In the first round of the NHL Playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes took down the New York Islanders 6 games. Thanks to a OT winning-goal from Paul Stasny, Carolina is waiting on the winner of a pivotal game 7 between the Devils and Rangers.
Although the first round series didn’t exactly go as planned for Carolina, their “find a way” mentality pushed them to find goals when they needed them most.
Over the course of the series, Carolina suffered a few losses due to injury. Both Teuvo Terevainen and Jack Drury missed games with their given injuries. It has been reported by Hurricanes reporter, Walt Ruff, that Jack Drury will be available for game 1 in Raleigh.
Teravainen on the other hand will need more time. A “tomahawk chop” slash as Rod Brind’Amour, head coach, called it, caused Teuvo to go into surgery on his hand immediately following game 3. He will likely be out for the remainder of the playoffs unless Carolina advances to the Stanley Cup Final.
Rod Brind’Amour also mentioned possibly going with alternating goalies for round 2. Carolina started both Antti Raanra and Freddie Andersen in round 1. Raanta started games 1 through 5 and Andersen secured the series win in game 6.
The thought of alternating goalies creates a tough decision for the Hurricanes staff. In limited time, Antti Raanta has been spectacular at home this season. It is going to be tough for Rod to keep him out of the net in PNC Arena.
On the flip side, Andersen returned to his 2021 form in games 6 for Carolina. If he is able to sustain that kind of consistency, he needs a few starts.
Carolina showed great toughness and grit in their round 1 victory. They now await the winner of a game 7 between the young guns from Jersey and the seasoned veterans from Manhattan.
Both the Devils and Rangers will be tough draws for the Canes but they have defeated both of these teams during the regular season.
With Boston losing their series with Florida, the path is clear for Carolina to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final. They will have home ice advantage throughout the remainder of the playoffs.
If Carolina is able to stay healthy and the goaltending can remain consistent, they certainly make a case to be the favorites to bring home Lord Stanley for a second time.
I play wide receiver here at Leesville. I love writing and talking about sports!