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Carolina Hurricanes: Three Takeaways from Game Two

By Anthony Galavotti

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 28:Curtis McElhinney #35 and Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate their 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on April 28, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 28:Curtis McElhinney #35 and Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate their 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on April 28, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 26: Petr Mrazek #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes tends net against the New York Islanders in Game One of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on April 26, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 26: Petr Mrazek #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes tends net against the New York Islanders in Game One of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on April 26, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

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.

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