Carolina Hurricanes: Cardiac Mail- Round one in the Playoffs

The Carolina Hurricanes are finally going to the playoffs, and this week in the Cardiac Mailbag we take a look at what the first round will mean for this team and its future.

The first playoff game is already in the books and we learned a whole lot about the Carolina Hurricanes and this team in their first playoff game and loss since 2009. Some players have stepped up and out into the spotlight, while others may have regressed.

We also learned that that even in the playoffs this Carolina Hurricanes team is one to push just as hard back at their opponents. They will not be intimidated by any lead, team, or player while playing. Even with almost half the team getting their first playoff experience.

So for this week’s mailbag we are going to talk about just how far this team can go in the playoffs as well as who needs to return to the spot light. We will discuss our opponents and what they bring to the table. We already saw a little bit of that last night. So what is coming up in the future for the Carolina Hurricanes?

We start with a question brought to us by a very proud jerk:

This is an excellent question. We kind of saw that last night. Carolina is a very strong team. Washington took a strong start out of the gate and scored three early goals and they believed they set the tone. They then took their foot off the gas and it almost cost them dearly. With a bit more puck luck in last night’s game it could have very well gone other way.

Will the Capitals start taking the Carolina Hurricanes more seriously? I doubt it, Alex Ovechkin was caught taking slashes at Andrei Svechnikov after he scored the first Carolina Hurricanes goal of the game. Was he showing the rookie some respect or trying to put him in his place? I am not an expert on Russian hockey traditions so I will let them deal with that in the next three games at minimum.

I think the Carolina Hurricanes will rattle off three straight wins and jump up to a three-one lead before the Capitals figure out what is going on. Game five will see the Capitals start taking the Hurricanes’ offense more seriously before the series ends in game six boosting the Carolina Hurricanes to a second round match-up with either the Penguins or the Islanders.

But what is next?

Now that I have told you that they will get out of the first round, will they get out of the second round? The Islanders have already take the series 3-1 in the regular season and the Penguins have split it 2-2 with a shutout on each side. Penguins also send the third game to a shootout.

None of that matters. What does matter is that the Carolina Hurricanes will be able to matchup with either team because they have only played one of their goalies. The Hurricanes have only seen Matt Murray and Thomas Greiss from the Penguins and Islanders respectively. In a best out of seven, you’ll have to lean on your other netminder too.

This is something that Carolina has done well this season with their one-two punch of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney. That alone will get them out of the second round. The problem will be the third round where they will matchup against four possible teams. I do not think they will survive the Eastern Conference Finals.

But before we can talk about the ECF, we need to address a Finnish elephant in the room:

Sebastian Aho has not scored a goal since the Nashville game on March 11th. It’s been a bit over a month. He also only has five points, all assists since then. Some say that it has something to do with the collision he had with his teammate Nino Niederreiter later that month in a game against the visiting lightning. I doubt that the collision has anything to do with it. And we shouldn’t worry either.

Aho does this from time to time. He goes on extended scoreless runs. But he always comes out of them and he always does so in droves. What better time to get out of a scoreless rut and pile on goals than right here and now, when the team needs them most?

To say that Aho is a goal drought is to say that the planet earth is a desert just because you happen to be standing in the Sahara. Not everything is what it seems. Aho will come out and score several goals in a row. It is just what he does. Sometimes thats all there is to it.

It is not the first time he has been on such a scoreless run, and it will not be the last time he will be on such a run. All we can hope for is that other players like Andrei Svechnikov pick up the slack and keep getting the team on the board. There are four lines each of them is very good. That’s why Carolina will beat Washington in six games.

Now for the most interesting question asked:

Once you put it in bread? Absolutely. Just like how the Carolina Hurricanes are a Stanley Cup contender once they are in the playoffs. Before that they were just another hockey team. Just like a hotdog is the term for the cylindrical meat that you cook on the grill at the tailgates you go to before Canes games.

But just like a Hotdog is so much better in its bun with condiments, the Carolina Hurricanes are so much better when they actually make the playoffs. Time to see what else they have in store for us in the next few games. Until then, keep asking us questions!

A big thanks to everyone who asked us questions this week. Do you want your Question answered in the next Mailbag? Simply use the Hashtag #CardiacMail on Twitter or post the question to our facebook page! Let’s go Canes!