Three Reasons Why the Carolina Hurricanes Will Sweep the New York Rangers in the Playoffs
The Carolina Hurricanes take on the New York Rangers in the play-in round.
There are few more crucial matchups than the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoff series, despite this year’s format being different than any season prior. Here’s why the Carolina Hurricanes will sweep the New York Rangers in the first round of the series.
While I believe that the NHL should cancel the rest of the season, it is hard to be upset about playoff hockey. While nothing is finalized just yet, the playoff format for the 2019 season is starting to take shape. The first round best of five series would see the Carolina Hurricanes facing the New York Rangers.
I believe the Hurricanes truly show up for their playoff matchups. Every Canes fan can wax poetic about how their team beat the odds when they beat the Capitals in the first round of the 2018 playoffs. Even though the Capitals swept the Canes in their regular-season matchups, where it counted the Canes moved on.
This year’s playoffs will be unlike any other because every team will have a limited amount of time to prepare and shake off any rust that has accumulated since the season was paused. This will eliminate any regular season advantages, whether good or bad. The Canes will be in prime position to complete a sweep of the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs.
To begin, let’s look at why the Canes need to learn from their regular season mistakes.
Learning from Regular Season Mistakes
It is critical for the Carolina Hurricanes to take in the lessons learned before
The Rangers swept the Hurricanes in their regular-season matchups, which presents plenty of learning opportunities for the Canes. With the season still on pause, the Hurricanes have time to study the mistakes each game and make the necessary adjustments.
One such mistake is giving up pucks close to the goal. The lesson here folks is to play every single puck until the whistle. While James Reimer and Petr Mrazek have both been excellent for most of the season, rebound control was something that Mrazek certainly struggled with at times. The D line must be ready to capitalize on any loose pucks whether the netminder makes contact or not.
The shot chart below shows just how telling this issue is. This shot chart looks very similar to the other three regular-season contests with the Rangers. While Mrazek’s rebound control could and should be better, the D line must also focus on seeing each puck through until the whistle.
Here are the shot shots for the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers in their last match-up in PNC Arena. Petr was in the net. They lost that game 5-2. Notice the trend of where New York scores from?
— Cardiac Cane (@CardiacCane) May 24, 2020
(Courtesty of @hockey_ref) pic.twitter.com/TEQ3yUfg3O
I believe that the Hurricanes will learn from these mistakes and that the healthy return of Mrazek, Reimer, and defensive key Dougie Hamilton will make the difference in the postseason.
Offensive Production
The Carolina Hurricanes offense needs to take the lead
The difference between a win and a loss for the Hurricanes this season was more often than not the case of lines that struggled to produce. Players like Captain Jordan Staal struggled to contribute goals, and even scoring leaders such as Andrei Svechnikov suffered slumps.
The good news about this trend is that the last three games of the season saw an increase in production by none other than Mr. Game Seven, Justin Williams. He contributed one goal against the Islanders, two goals against the Penguins, and one goal against the Red Wings.
As Omar Abdelgawad reported, we simply don’t know if Justin Williams will return next season. This is why Justin understands the stakes more than anyone else on the ice.
Justin Williams isn’t the only player I expect to produce major points. Dougie Hamilton was on his way to a career-defining season, and I don’t believe that that will change in the playoffs. I expect that we’ll see a different story of production in the playoffs than was recorded in the regular season for the Canes.
Don't look now, but Willy's on a 5-game goal streak 👀 pic.twitter.com/9zjsZn18kh
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 11, 2020
Optimus Reim and King Petr
The Carolina Hurricanes netminding duo should be ready
As I wrote about prior, I believe that James Reimer is the Canes’ secret weapon in the playoffs. Reimer won four out of his last five starts before his injury against Toronto. In the games against the Anaheim Ducks and the New York Islanders, he came away with .946 and .963 save percentages respectively.
Petr Mrazek is no stranger to the playoffs and has an overall save percentage of .910. While he had his fair share of struggles during the regular season, Mrazek ended the season winning 4 of his last 5 starts. These quality wins were turning things around for the veteran goaltender, and with both netminders injury free the Canes will go into the postseason with an advantage.
While Anton Forsberg and Alex Nedeljkovic showed enormous potential while filling in for Reimer and Mrazek, nothing can take the place of a team’s chemistry with their veteran goalies. Save percentages aside, I believe the fans will be behind both goaltenders especially with their return from injury.
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I certainly don’t underestimate the New York Rangers. Mika Zibanejad is an absolute weapon, and they have nothing short of a goaltender roster that will create a challenge. However, I believe that the Canes are hungry and ready for the proper conclusion to a season that has been filled with highlight moments.
With the playoff format unlike anything that has ever been presented before, the Canes will need to take advantage of a decisive play in the round victory. With a sweep of the Rangers, the Canes will be one step closer to hoisting the Stanley Cup high in victory.
Question For CC Readers: Do you think that the Carolina Hurricanes have what it takes to finish off the Rangers?
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