Carolina Hurricanes: Breaking Down the First Round Playoff Match Ups
The Carolina Hurricanes have five series between them and the Cup
By applying lessons learned from the season series with these four rivals, the Carolina Hurricanes will create a deep playoff run with a first-round victory.
It is almost hockey time ladies and gentlemen, and as we draw closer to the qualifying round of the playoffs it is hard to not imagine what the first round will look like. The four possible teams that the Canes could face in the first round are the Philadelphia Flyers, the Boston Bruins, the Washington Capitals, and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
As I have written about prior, I believe that the Canes are in a prime position to make a deep playoff run. Not only will the team have the returning Dougie Hamilton and debuting Sami Vatanen, the Canes were on a win streak at the pause of the regular season which featured some of the best hockey of the season since the injuries of netminders James Reimer and Petr Mrazek.
Even though the playing field will be leveled as least in part due to the long pause, I believe the Canes can take the desperation and lessons learned from the final regular seasons game to create this playoff run.
.@SebastianAho puts in the work 👊 pic.twitter.com/p4bMmKkMGg
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 6, 2020
First up in the possible first-round series is a familiar foe that the Canes will want to change the narrative from last year.
The Boston Bruins
This potential matchup finds the Canes taking on a familiar foe
The Carolina Hurricanes have a storied history with the Boston Bruins. One of the most memorable games of the 2019 season for me personally was the December 3rd contest against the Boston Bruins which left me on the edge of my seat before the heartbreaking two goals scored by the Bruins in the last five minutes of the third period.
The Hurricanes only faced the Bruins one time this year due to the pause of the regular season. Last season was ended unceremoniously by a series that no Caniac falls asleep at night without thinking about, the Bruins sweeping the Canes in the conference finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The playoff series against the Bruins was the story of a Hurricanes team that couldn’t generate enough offense to make up for defensive mistakes. Tuuka Rask has made a name for himself as an elite goalie for a reason, and the Canes could not create enough points to stay in the series.
The Bruins are certainly a team that will capitalize on these defensive mistakes. Clearing the puck out of the zone is essential because there will be no do-overs when the puck is in the back of the net. This is something I noticed while rewatching a few games of the playoff series: the puck bounced back and forth between players on the Canes D-line instead of being cleared out.
In the aforementioned regular-season game of the 2019 season against the Bruins on December 3, the Canes looked very strong against the Bruins who were on a seven-game winning streak. Reimer had an excellent showing, including an impressive save in the first period where he had to travel post to post quickly to stop a shot off of a pass in front of the net.
The Bruins scored with only 4:05 left in the game when Jake Gardiner was stripped of the puck and the Canes blue line was caught outside of the zone. The second goal was scored off of a shot made after 28 seconds of defensive zone time for the Bruins.
Two keys from this game should be applied to a playoff series against the Bruins: clear the puck sharply to avoid mistakes that occur when passing between defensemen, and create offensive chances by doing more than dumping the puck in the zone.
The Canes had 24 shots on goal compared to the Bruins 34, so there was no shortage of scoring chances. However, dumping the puck into the zone not only limits quality chances for the offense, but can also result in mistakes like the first goal of the game.
To summarize, the Canes can excel in a series against the Bruins by creating quality offensive chances through a clear plan when approaching the blue line, and minimizing defensive mistakes by clearing the puck and limiting zone times.
Next up is the team that was part of best storyline of the 2018 season, when the Canes were able to overthrow the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
The Washington Capitals
The Carolina Hurricanes have done this before
The name of the game for the Canes was desperation in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, and it is this lightning in a bottle that they will need to capture in a potential playoff series against the Washington Capitals.
No Caniac will easily forget the elation that they felt when the Carolina Hurricanes moved onto the second round of the 2019 playoffs after toppling the Washington Capitals after a grueling second overtime victory in Game Seven. In many ways, it has come to define the organization that has embraced the label of the underdog.
Because much has been written about that playoff series, I will only say that the Canes have to maintain that sense of desperation against the Capitals that they displayed in the playoff series as it separates the great teams from the elite teams.
The Canes went two and two against the Capitals in their regular-season matchups. I find the Canes to match up pretty evenly with the Capitals, and I would be among many who would look forward to a potential playoff series.
There is no question in most fans’ minds that Alex Ovechkin is the most dangerous player on the ice at any given time. A microcosm of his ability on the ice is showcased during the October 5th contest in which the Capital’s Captain almost makes something of nothing when he controls a poor pass and manages to spin to take a shot on Reimer.
Ovechkin is dangerous, but the Canes were able to overcome the Capitals in two of the four-season contests through a concentrated offensive effort and careful puck management behind the blue line.
One important aspect of the game that the Canes do need to improve on especially for a contest against the Capitals is the all-important rebound control. Mrazek had his fair share of struggles on this front throughout the season, and it is apparent in the contests that he started against the Capitals.
His last few regular-season performances were an improvement on this front, so I expect this trend to continue.
Rebound control is not only a goalie’s job, as often the goalie cannot capture the puck the way he wants to. It is important for the defense to also pounce on rebounds and make sure that the electric offense of the Capitals can’t capitalize on these second chances.
Next up is an opponent that the Canes have not had playoff experience with.
The Philadelphia Flyers
The Carolina Hurricanes have never done this before
The next possible matchup is a team that the Canes have never faced in the playoffs. The Flyers host the sixth-best record in the league, just behind the Washington Capitals. They are also home to the terrifying gaze of Gritty, but we’ll talk about that another day. The Canes have a 1-3 record in their regular-season series against the Flyers.
The season series against the Flyers shows the importance of desperation, both in protecting a lead and coming back from a deficit. To be competitive in the playoffs, the Canes must play as though no lead is safe and no comeback is too great.
Unfortunately, the Canes found themselves in a difficult position when their opponent was able to light the lamp first. The statistic is nothing short of startling: the Canes 26-3-2 when scoring first, and only 12-22-3 when their opponent buried the puck first.
This is a trend that must be reversed, especially against a team like the Flyers who have given no quarter to their opponents this season. There are several scenarios that played out in contests against the Flyers that show this trend.
For example, the Canes had a 2-0 lead against the Flyers in the 1st period during the November 21st contest. Loose coverage on Flyers’ Captain Claude Giroux allowed the Flyers to get their foot in the door to mount a comeback. Every hockey fan knows that no lead is safe, but that aforementioned sense of separation must extend to protecting a lead.
Nine combined points from 28-48-11 and a must needed W.
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 22, 2019
Postgame 5⃣: https://t.co/mqiBNDpBFZ#PHIvsCAR | #FlyOrDie pic.twitter.com/TN375jYkZG
The goal above not only shows the lethality of the Flyers’ top line, but also the importance of protecting the lead by taking every single play seriously. It seems as though the Canes were ready to spring into the last eight seconds of the power play, and not focused on regaining the puck if they didn’t win the draw. Sure, the shot was nice, but this reads as an easy to fix blunder.
One of the other losses, the March 5th game, was a four to one loss. This was a tough third game for Alex Nedeljkovic, who was called up from the Checkers to fill the void left by injured netminders Petr Mrazek and James Reimer. After an unfortunate rebound led to a Flyers goal, the Canes could not rally themselves back into the game.
The third Flyers’ goal of the game was when the Canes needed a goal. Newcomer Brady Skjei caught the edge of the puck attempting a pass behind the net, giving the Flyers an easy opportunity for a goal.
Of course, mistakes happen, but this should only give the Canes more of a reason to get back into the game. The important lesson here against the Flyers is that they can run away with the game after taking the lead. The Canes need to create that desperation that will be so important to a deep playoff run.
Hustle points. #CARvsPHI | #NowOrNever pic.twitter.com/JXfrBrNwhy
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 6, 2020
Up next is the division rival known for their power play.
The Tampa Bay Lightning
The Carolina Hurricanes could be off to a battle of the elements
The Hurricanes can continue their success against the Lightning in a potential playoff series by neutralizing the Lightning’s lethal power play.
The Tampa Bay Lightning fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year, but it would be foolish for NHL fans to take the team lightly. They have cultivated a dominating presence in the Atlantic Division in a large part due to their lethal power play, which ranks fifth in the league.
This ranking includes an 81.4% defense against opponent’s power plays while scoring on 23% of their own power play. This is no doubt a lethal combination and one that any potential playoff opponent must be concerned about.
The good news for the Hurricanes is that in the three-game regular-season series, the Lightning have only scored two times in twelve power play opportunities. This is an example of the Canes’ elite power-play defense, which has an 84% rate of success in keeping their opponents scoreless in their power-play attempts.
The Canes were able to score in three power plays out of 18, two during the October 6th contest against the Lightning. Both goals occur on similar plays, and highlight the key to scoring against a team with an elite penalty kill.
https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1180974996262445056
I can’t get enough of this power-play goal because it exemplifies the magic the team can make when they post up at the net and capitalize on powerful shots from someone like Dougie Hamilton. A net-front presence not only limits the netminders’ field of vision, but also gives the power-play unit a second chance to knock in a rebound or redirect the puck into the net.
The Canes power-play unit isn’t the only impressive unit, the penalty kill unit also shines in this game. The penalty kill unit kept the Lightning scoreless in 15 shots in four power-play opportunities.
The return of Dougie Hamilton will enhance both the Canes’ power-play unit and the penalty kill unit. Although Jacob Slavin has kept the units strong in Hamilton’s absence, depth has never hurt a team and both units may be stronger than ever.
The Canes are in a prime position in this unique playoff format. By taking lessons learned from the regular-season series against these four teams, the Carolina Hurricanes can thrive in a deep playoff run.
Next. How Teuvo Teravainen Became the Best Wingman in the League. dark