Carolina Hurricanes: Three Takeaways from Game Two

The Goalie Situation

Canes fan got quite a scare yesterday afternoon when beloved goaltender Petr Mrazek left the net minding job to Curtis McElhinney due to an unspecified lower-body injury. Injuries are becoming all-too familiar for Caniacs as it seems like somebody new is going down hurt each game.

Mrazek was one of three Hurricanes to exit the game without return Sunday afternoon, with the other two being the ever-impressive Trevor van Riemsdyk and Saku Maenalanen. TVR is not expected back anytime soon while Maenalanen is expected to be out for around 10-14 days.

Back to the goaltenders of the Hurricanes. Mrazek’s time-frame for sitting out has not been specified, but the common speculation seems to be the injury was relatively minor and he could very well be back between the pipes for game three in Raleigh.

BUT, if this is not the case and there is any glimmer of doubt that he will not be 100% healthy, I believe the best move is to let him rest up and let C-Mac take the reins for however long is needed.

When McElhinney came into the game yesterday, I will be honest, I was nervous. This was his first playoff appearance of the year and he hadn’t seen game action since April 6th against the Flyers, so this did not exactly instill confidence in me. But, obviously that was foolish of me, as he came in and stopped all 17 shots he faced.

Mac has been a rock all year when he plays and shows time and time again the very calming presence that he brings to the ice. This sort of demeanor is why Caniacs should not panic if it’s McElhinney in net Wednesday night, because he sure won’t.

Although, Curt did stop all the shots he faced, there was more than a few posts dinged by the Isles, and having some luck this time of year should never be overlooked.

Gotta be Good to be Lucky

I don’t think there is any doubt amongst Canes fans that watched yesterday’s contest that the Hurricanes a bit of luck on their side in the final moments of the game. The Isles were pushing hard and rattled a few pucks off the crossbars and posts that sat behind McElhinney.

Am I saying that is ht only reason the Canes pulled out the victory? Not at all. The old saying goes “gotta be good to be lucky, but lucky to be good”, and the Canes were both yesterday.

In order for luck to be on your side, you have to put yourself in the position to win the game in the first place. Obviously, the Hurricanes did just that. They played a very gritty and patient game all game long, only surrendering one goal, which took an unfortunate bounce off the stick of Jaccob Slavin.

This sort of play kept them around until the early third period where they scored two goals within 48 seconds of each other, by way of a Warren Foegele snipe and a Nino Niederreiter deflection, his first goal of the playoffs.

So, that being said the Canes were good enough to have luck on their side in the form of the posts by way of their all-around gutsy team performance throughout the game.

One can only think that the Isles are frustrated at this point, as their only goal of the series was that aforementioned deflection off of Slavin’s stick. They will come out very hungry, as they have no choice being down 2-0 in the series and heading to a very rowdy crowd back in Raleigh.

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The Islanders have to be feeling a burning sense of urgency at this point. Dropping two games at home and having to head to Raleigh with the threat of being swept cannot be very comforting. I still believe there is work to be done for the Canes if they want to continue their success.

This brings us to the next point that the Hurricanes have to find their offense, and they might just get that extra boost they need to do so.

Offense Has to get going

The Hurricanes have scored three total goals in a very defensive series that is also showcasing some stellar goaltending play on both sides. Vezina trophy finalist Robin Lehner has been as advertised combined with the conservative and very meticulous play of the Islanders, the Canes are having some trouble opening up the game offensively.

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Obviously, it has worked out in favor of the Hurricanes as they have been able to stay patient . But, for anybody that has been watching, it is obvious that the Canes have to find a way to break through and get some scoring going.

They just might get a boost in this aspect of the game as there is much speculation that it is likely Jordan Martinook will be back AND the long-awaited return of rookie sensation Andrei Svechnikov may also be likely.

I like to think if this is the case, the team will rally around the return these two (and the incredible energy in PNC) and really get back to their relentless fore-check and start to find some more twine. That will put more pressure on the Isle.

Already down 2-0 with having scored only one goal, I would look for the Islanders to try to play a different style of hockey for the remaining series.

This may open up some chances for the Hurricanes that were previously not presented. If the Canes are able to get their offense rolling again while continuing to get impeccable goaltending and defensive play, the sky is the limit.

In the meantime, let’s hope for speedy recoveries for all of the players that have these injuries going on. The ‘next man up’ attitude will continue to be relevant and I have no reason to believe the Canes will stop answering the call. Speedy recoveries to all and GO Canes!