Three Heroes the Carolina Hurricanes Must Rely on for Playoff Success
The Carolina Hurricanes need to look to these three heroes in the playoffs.
The Carolina Hurricanes must look to these veteran playoff heroes for passion and leadership to produce wins on the road to the Stanley Cup.
Each team in this year’s playoffs faces a unique opportunity to capitalize on a season cut short by tragedy. The Carolina Hurricanes are coming off of a season where they were able to capitalize on difficulties including several key injuries.
When the Hurricanes struggled during the regular season, it wasn’t due to a lack of talent. The larger issue for the team was a lack of desperation during key moments and difficulty in striking first.
Rod Brind’Amour spoke about this issue following a loss to the Rangers in the final contest between the teams during the regular season:
“They were good,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “They were desperate a little more than we were. That, to me, is the bigger issue. We needed to have a little more desperation early in the game to kind of set the tone, and we never did.”
A desperate will to win could define the series between the Rangers and the Hurricanes. The first playoff hero excelled in finding the net during the last stretch of the regular season and is a model of what determination looks like for the Canes.
Mr. Game 7
The fan-favorite veteran will need to lead the team in getting to the net.
Like most Hurricanes fans, I was thrilled when the team announced that Justin Williams was returning. His return to the team is extremely valuable in the coming playoff series against the Rangers because Williams has a storied history of success in the playoffs.
In his two years with the Hurricanes during the playoffs, Williams produced 25 points in 40 games. Williams produced 11 points in 20 games in his short tenure with the Canes this season. 6 of those points came in the last 5 games of the abbreviated regular season.
Point streaks may not mean much coming off of an extended quarantine period, but I believe that Williams can ride this point streak and be one of the top producers for the Canes in the playoffs.
"If you want groceries go to the grocery store. If you wants goals go to the goal."
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 8, 2020
Or something like that pic.twitter.com/XW9qMmTN7U
The video above is just an example of how Justin Williams excelled in the last few games of the season. Every hockey fan knows how important bounces are, and puck luck can make or break a game. Williams realizes that there is a way to ensure that the bounces go your way, and that is to station yourself at the net and make these goals happen.
As I wrote about prior, this very well could be Justin Williams‘ last season. There is no better way for him to leave his mark on the game than to lead the team to the Stanley Cup.
Dougie Hamilton
Returning star Dougie Hamilton must take advantage of a second chance.
They say you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. I certainly didn’t fully appreciate Dougie Hamilton until his season-ending injury.
He was on his way to a career-defining season prior to the injury and has been given a second chance to cap off his career-defining season because of the playoff delay.
In his playoff appearance with the Canes last season, Dougie exceeded almost every single statistic from his past playoff games. He recorded 7 points in 15 games during the playoffs last year, and the Canes will need to utilize this dual offensive and defensive threat to overtake the Rangers in the first round.
https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1204816956068683776
Although the Hurricanes have been able to overcome some immediate struggles that came after Dougie’s injuries with standouts like Haydn Fleury and the newly signed Brady Skjei, there can be no replacement for the depth that comes with a roster that includes Dougie Hamilton.
The Canes power play was lethal with Dougie Hamilton, who recorded two power-play goals and ten power-play assists this season. The Canes struggled to capitalize on power-play opportunities, evident in games like the February 5 contest against the Dallas Stars where the Canes did not score despite four power-play opportunities.
Dougie Hamilton’s return from injury will be key to the Canes playoff run.
Rod “the Bod” Brind’Amour
The Canes will need to rely on the continued leadership of Rod Brind’Amour to succeed in the postseason.
The final playoff hero is actually head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Brind’Amour has already contributed numerous playoff highlights to the team as head coach but has yet to go all the way to claim the Stanley Cup as head coach.
Brind’Amour has faced numerous challenges this season, especially navigating the injuries of Dougie Hamilton, Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, and Brett Pesce. Because Pesce’s return is highly dependent on when the playoffs start, this may be a challenge that persists into the postseason.
"They can't measure what's in your hearts." ❤️
— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2020
- Rod Brind'Amour, @Canes #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/choSdeFMVd
While the line combinations have been shifted frequently throughout the season due to injury, Brind’Amour has also shown a vision to make changes to produce results on the ice.
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The most notable of these changes is the SAT line consisting of three of the Hurricanes top stars: Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teräväinen, and Andrei Svechnikov. Brind’Amour and Assistant Coach Jeff Daniels made this change during the February 7th game against the Arizona Coyotes.
As the video above displays, Brind’Amour is also quite the speaker. He has proven time and time again to motivate the team through difficult circumstances. His leadership will be key for playoff success.
The Hurricanes have a chance this postseason to capitalize on a season filled with difficulty and heartbreak. These playoff heroes are essential for the team to rise above and win the ultimate prize.
Question for CC Readers: Who is your favorite playoff hero?
Next. Could Brett Pesce Return for the Playoffs?. dark