Carolina Hurricanes: Three Players to Ensure Victory Over the Rangers

The Carolina Hurricanes will rely on these three players when play returns.

The Carolina Hurricanes are set to face the New York Rangers in the NHL’s qualifying round for the Stanley Cup playoffs. These three players need to be at their best to ensure victory for the Hurricanes.

You know this is a series I am not looking forward to. I have confidence that the Carolina Hurricanes will beat the New York Rangers. The thing that bothers me is all the talk that the Hurricanes don’t have success when it comes to playing the Rangers. We know that. We have watched it and we just know how it is. And this is another reason to throw doubt and one of the up and coming teams in the NHL. And the Hurricanes have always been a team that has been doubted.

They have doubted whether it is because they are a small market hockey team, or they don’t have the experience to win. Well, let me give you a little history lesson. Let us talk about the last four times the Hurricanes have made it to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

2002, the Hurricanes lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. 2006, the Hurricanes won their only Stanley Cup in franchise history. 2009, the Hurricanes were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final. And in 2019, they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This team was doubted each and every time and what have they done. When they make it to the dance, they make noise. This team has the underdog mentality and they thrive off it.

And let’s get one thing straight as well. The Carolina Hurricanes are not “scared” to play the New York Rangers just because they voted no on the proposal. The 24-team proposal is fair, but fair doesn’t always mean right.

The Hurricanes who were in a playoff spot now have to fight for one. I’m sick of this nonsense. I just can’t wait for the Hurricanes to show the hockey world again that they are a force and they won’t go away quietly.

Now that I got my feelings of the series out of the way, let us dive into three players that can ensure the Hurricanes a qualifying round victory over the Rangers.

1. Dougie Hamilton

The Carolina Hurricanes are more than ready for the return of this defender

Dougie Hamilton will be ready to play when hockey action resumes and that is good news for the Hurricanes. Hamilton was having a career year in many aspects of his game before his injury that was going to keep him most likely out for the rest of the season. But with the league on hiatus, the Hurricanes will get their all-star defenseman back.

The depth the Hurricanes have at defense now is insane and that’s even with Brett Pesce still up in the air. But Hamilton will be the most important defenseman for this series. The Hurricanes have well-documented struggles against the Rangers and Hamilton and his offensive production could help that.

Hamilton adds a dynamic option to the Hurricanes, especially with his ability on the power play. You saw the power play falter when Hamilton was not available during the regular season. His presence alone on the power play opens up opportunities for everyone else. And you saw when the Hurricanes struggled on special teams last postseason, it eventually hurt them against the Boston Bruins.

He also adds a lot to the defensive side of the ice. This has easily been the thing I’ve been most impressed about when it came to Hamilton during the regular season. And once again, you saw his absence affect the team constantly.

The Hurricanes could not find a pairing to work while he was injured. Now with Hamilton and Jaccob Slavin back as the number one defensive pair, the Hurricanes have one of the most elite first pairings in the entire playoffs.

2. Sebastian Aho

The Carolina Hurricanes star forward will be the offensive crux.

This may seem like an obvious one because it is. Sebastian Aho is the best player on the Carolina Hurricanes and in the playoffs, you want your best players to be your best players. And in 16 career games against the Rangers, Aho only has nine points (six goals and three assists). He also has the worst plus/minus against the Rangers than any other opponent.

It is safe to say he doesn’t have a good history against the Rangers. That needs to change. We need to see a locked in Sebastian Aho. And Aho can have a leg up on players in terms of pure talent when rust can become a factor due to the extended period of time missed.

Exhibition games can only do so much to knock the rust off especially when you are going right into fighting for the playoffs. Aho and other top players will be relied upon heavily in this series.

If Aho is going, that means players like Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov are also going. Hopefully, they are on a line to start because I feel that it would be advantageous to get the most out of Aho. This line has proven to be one of the best in the league because the chemistry the three of them have isn’t seen by many lines in the NHL. Aho would most definitely benefit from being on the SAT line yet again.

Another thing is to get Aho hot right off the bat would be beneficial for the Hurricanes. To have one of your best players ready to play and playing at a high level is needed for a deep playoff run.