Cardiac Cane
Fansided

The Carolina Hurricanes Dominate Game One Against The Rangers

By Johnathan Campbell

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 01: Justin Williams #14 of the Carolina Hurricanes checks Adam Fox #23 of the New York Rangers during the first period in Game One of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 1, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 01: Justin Williams #14 of the Carolina Hurricanes checks Adam Fox #23 of the New York Rangers during the first period in Game One of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 1, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Getty Images) /
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Vincent Trocheck of the Carolina Hurricanes (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Getty Images)
Vincent Trocheck of the Carolina Hurricanes (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Getty Images) /

Physicality

The Carolina Hurricanes showed up physically

The Hurricanes showed that physicality is a cornerstone to a dominating performance.

Mike Maniscalco said it perfectly when he told Tripp Tracy that there was a “frisky start to this one”. The overwhelming storyline of the first period was the physicality that the Canes led with, begun by a huge hit by none other than former Ranger Brady Skjei. Justin Williams even dropped the gloves with Ryan Strome in a rare fight for the Canes veteran.

The hits were hard and frequent from both teams. Although the lack of a crowd was noticeable at times, the Canes used physicality to stay in the game and to prevent the Rangers from controlling the puck.

The desperation that the Canes struggled to harness at several stretches during the regular season was not a problem in today’s contest.  The team’s physicality is just one element of this picture but it is a perfect example of what desperation looks like for the Hurricanes.

I can’t stress how important this physicality is for the Hurricanes to walk away with the series. Without crowds, physicality is more important than ever because it takes the place of the energy that the team would receive from the fans.

I think the fight was a great moment for the Canes because it shows how seriously Justin Williams is taking this chance at the Stanley Cup. This could be the veteran’s last season in the NHL, and if it is, he is certainly not going away quietly.

Next up, the Canes followed through on one of Cardiac Cane’s own Omar Abdelgawad’s keys to the game: Lean on the Special Teams.

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