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Carolina Hurricanes: Cardiac Mail- Goalies

By Omar Abdelgawad

RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 08: Curtis McElhinney #35 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates back to the bench during warmups prior to an NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets on March 8, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 08: Curtis McElhinney #35 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates back to the bench during warmups prior to an NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets on March 8, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – MARCH 08: Curtis McElhinney #35 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates back to the bench during warmups prior to an NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets on March 8, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – MARCH 08: Curtis McElhinney #35 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates back to the bench during warmups prior to an NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets on March 8, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

I got many good questions in this week’s Cardiac Mail. Many of you had very good questions when it comes to this team’s Goaltenders.

This is the very first Cardiac Mail article. A big thanks to all our followers on twitter who contributed throughout the week with excellent questions. While I cannot answer all of them, I noticed that many people asked questions pertaining to the goaltending situation in Carolina. So instead of jumping across multiple subjects, I decided to dedicate the first Cardiac Mail strictly to the netminding in Carolina.

While the concept of good goaltending in PNC by a Carolina Hurricanes player was a foreign concept for this team for a very long time, the 2018-2019 season seems to serve as the curse breaker. For the first time in a long time the Carolina Hurricanes have average goaltending, and maybe perhaps above average goaltending, in the form of Free Agent signing Petr Mrazek and Waiver pickup Curtis McElhinney.

The unlikely duo has helped lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a playoff spot, one they aim to keep when April 6th comes and goes. Austin Vallejo, who has our first question, brings up a very good point of what this team will do with these two excellent netminders when that date comes and goes:

The best thing about the playoffs is that everyone gets to play. Trying to ride one netminder through a series is an easy way to exit the tournament early. The fact that we have two excellent netminders that pick each other up and challenge each other at all times helps this Carolina Hurricanes team to be one of the true contenders for the Stanley Cup.

As long as Coach Rod Brind’amour is smart with his deployment of the two netminders, something he has done very well throughout the season, the Carolina Hurricanes can make a deep run into June. By splitting the starts between Mrazek and McElhinney, Rod can keep the opponents from getting comfortable with either goalie’s vastly different styles.

While many argue that a team should have an identified number one goaltender to make a good run into the playoffs, perhaps the Carolina Hurricanes can break that mold by doing what has been working since Dec 31st an the start of the surge back up the rankings. After all, if it’s not broken, why fix it?

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