Three Takeaways from Return of Carolina Hurricanes Hockey Roundtable

Fox Sports Carolinas had a roundtable discussing the Carolina Hurricanes

Here are three takeaways from John Forslund’s Sunday roundtable with Tripp Tracy and Shane Willis for Fox Sports South “The Return to Hurricanes Hockey”.

While we still have more questions than answers about the upcoming 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, it was so so good to hear the voices of John Forslund, Tripp Tracy, and Shane Willis on the Fox Sports South special “The Return to Hurricanes Hockey” that aired on Sunday, May 31.

The trio covered several topics on the return to hockey in the unique postseason format presented recently by the NHL.

I recommend that every Caniac watch this special because the Forslund Tracy dynamic is as fun to watch as ever. Willis provides the technical analysis essential to understanding the playoff matchup. The viewer receives a small taste of the return to hockey.

There are three important takeaways from this conversation for the upcoming Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers qualifying series. The first takeaway is the discussion about whether this format will favor either team.

A Unique Opportunity for an Even Playing Field

Former Carolina Hurricane Shane Willis included his thoughts

Shane Willis believes that the extended season pause will produce an even playing field for the playoffs. One of the key points of discussion was how the pause would affect the teams heading into the qualifying series. Willis believes that there will be an equalizing effect for these teams:

“We can look back at stats power plays (and) penalty kills, but really we can throw all that out the window. Every team has been off for such a long period of time, it comes down to . . . who can get off to the quickest start and get hot early”.

Willis also reminded viewers that the Rangers were the most penalized team in the NHL during the regular season. This is why it will be vital to the series that the Canes focus on a return to form for the power play.

The Canes’ power play took a blow when Dougie Hamilton suffered a season-ending injury. He has been given a second chance to compete in the playoffs with the season pause, and I believe he will be instrumental in a successful power play.

Strengths of the Carolina Hurricanes

What strengths must the Carolina Hurricanes rely on to win?

The last topic the trio covered was how the Canes match up to the Rangers in the qualifying series.  Because of the pause, the trio reiterated that regular season stats mattered little in predicting the series.

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Willis believes that depth is the most important tool in the Hurricane’s arsenal. The elite defense the Hurricanes have built will be strengthened by players Willis names such as the returning Dougie Hamilton, and Sami Vatanen’s debut as a Hurricane.

There is also a chance that Brett Pesce could return from injury for this playoff series. This depth, Willis believes, will be key to a Hurricane’s victory.

Tracy takes a question from Forslund about the goaltending matchup with the Rangers, and Tracy believes that if the Hurricanes can match the Rangers in the net they will win the series. Although the goalie dynamic has had many Canes fans at odds, I believe the performance of both netminders will be positive in the postseason.

Clinching the desperation to win and using it to create a hot start is the overriding theme of this conversation. If the Canes can harness the desperation they found at the tail end of the regular season, they will not only pick up the series victory against the Rangers but take the advantage in the second round of the playoffs.