Carolina Hurricanes: Ten Qualifying Round Bold Predictions
By Austin Isham
The Carolina Hurricanes will look to their offense
6. The Carolina Hurricanes will sweep the New York Rangers.
Although the Hurricanes were the ones who were swept by the blue shirts in the regular season, 4-0, they will flip the script and sweep the Rangers out of the playoff picture. This prediction too circles back to the amount of depth.
In addition to that, the Hurricanes appear to be focused and ready to go during camp. Brind’amour had stated multiple times that he’s been impressed with everyone thus far which is extremely encouraging.
Given how well conditioned the team as a unit is, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them get off to a strong start. With conditioning playing a huge role in them besting Washington last season, it’ll go along way in defeating New York after the long layoff.
7. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad will be held off the score sheet at least once.
Easily the two best players on the Rangers, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad were only held off the score sheet a handful on time this season. To make matters worse, when they score they usually score in bunches.
I think that Carolina will find a way to keep not one but both off the score sheet at least once in the series. Going back to depth yet again, the Hurricanes have a wealth of top four guys on the backend. This will help in shutting them down, but what really turns the tide here is the “home ice advantage.”
As the higher seat, the Canes will get last change more often than New York, allowing them to play Jaccob Slavin against the duo as much as possible. One of the best defenseman in the league, Slavin is more than capable of limiting their chances.
Adding to that, both James Reimer and Petr Mrazek have looked sharp, which will also help in shutting Panarin and Zibanejad down. If they can do that, their chances of winning the series increase exponentially.
8. The Canes chase Henrik Lundqvist.
It is no secret that the Canes struggled against Henrik Lundqvist historically, as the Rangers’ netminder has won over 70% of his career appearance vs the Hurricanes (33-12-1).
This bold prediction see Carolina finally finding a way to beat him early and often, resulting in him being pulled in favor of Igor Shesterkin. Of course for this to even happen Lundqvist would have to be named the starter over the young rookie in the first place.
While the decision is going to be a difficult one for New York’s coaching staff, I do think Lundqvist’s experience and previous success against Carolina will give him a slight edge. No matter who starts, let us hope the Hurricanes find a way to get one early, shaking whoever is in the creases’ confidence.