The Anatomy of a Series: The Hurricanes Return in the Bubble by Sweeping New York

The Background

On March 10, 2020, the Carolina Hurricanes were coming off a 5-2 victory in Detroit to extend their win streak to three games. Less than 48 hours later, the sports world came to a screeching halt. The prevalence and spread of the coronavirus prompted the league to stop, with about a month left in the regular season.

At the time of the stoppage, the Hurricanes were locked in an intense battle in the Metropolitan Division. While the top three in the division had separated from the rest of the pack, four teams sat within two points of each other, with the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets leading the second wave with 81 points. Sebastian Aho looked to be on pace to break Eric Staal's single-season goals record, sitting tied for sixth in the league with 38 goals. Unfortunately, reality hit hard, putting the season on the back burner for the moment.

As the months at home dragged on, rumblings around the league suggested that a return to play was in place. The result would see two postseason bubbles formed, one in Toronto for the Eastern Conference and one in Edmonton for the Western Conference. The Top 12 teams in each conference, based on points percentage, would come together for a one-of-a-kind tournament. The Top 4 teams in each conference would compete in a round-robin style schedule to determine their seeding, while the remaining teams met in best-of-five series to advance to the first round.

The Hurricanes would enter the Toronto bubble with the conference's sixth-best points percentage. This meant they'd be facing the 11th seed in the Qualifying Round. However, this wasn't a low-level opponent. The Canes were matched up against the New York Rangers, who finished the season just two points behind them and were led by 41-goal scorer Mika Zibanejad. Plus, the Rangers had owned the Hurricanes during the regular season, winning all four meetings.

Before meeting head-to-head, the Canes and Rangers would play warm-up games against the Capitals and Islanders, respectively. This would mark their first game action in over four months. Alex Ovechkin scored twice to help the Capitals defeat the Canes 3-2, while the Rangers fell 2-1 to their in-state rivals. This is all the preparations they would get before going into battle against one another.

Game 1: Playoff Hockey in August?

With the warm-up games in the books, it was time for the real thing. With Game 1 taking place on August 1, the Hurricanes and Rangers became the first two teams to play an NHL game in August. Despite a slightly underwhelming performance during the regular season, Petr Mrazek earned the nod for the Canes. He'd just returned to the ice in what turned out to be the regular-season finale in March after leaving the David Ayres Game in the second period.

The decision in the net for the Rangers was a source of contention, with Igor Shesterkin expected to get the start over Henrik Lundqvist. Shestkerin, who only had 12 games of experience at this point, played in the Rangers' exhibition game but was listed as unavailable for Game 1. In his place, the Rangers still had a phenomenal goalie. Lundqvist's Hall of Fame career included countless unbelievable games against the Canes. During the 2019-20 season, Lundqvist had two 40+-save performances in wins over Carolina.

Almost immediately, the first impact moment of the series took place. Brady Skjei, who the Canes had acquired from the Rangers at the trade deadline in February, laid a massive open-ice hit on former teammate Jesper Fast. The hit knocked Fast out of the series while sending a message to the Rangers that the regular season doesn't matter once the playoffs begin.

The first August goal in league history came from the last person most would've expected. Just 61 seconds into the contest, Teuvo Teravainen found Jaccob Slavin sneaking down from the point, allowing the defenseman to snap one short-side on Lundqvist to take an immediate lead. It was Slavin's first career playoff goal after recording 11 points the year before in the postseason, all assists.

The lead would extend early in the second period after Andrei Svechnikov's slap pass found Sebastian Aho at the top of the crease for the redirection on the power play. The Rangers would get a redirection goal of their own late in the frame from Mika Zibanejad. A lucky bounce in the third period would help the Canes reclaim their two-goal lead. Martin Necas' one-timer was going well wide of the net, but the helpful skate of Marc Staal helped to change its course for the back of the net. Staal would get it back with a short-handed marker late in the game, but it was too late for the Rangers. The Canes took Game 1 3-2, becoming the first team to win an NHL game in August.

Game 2: Hats Off, Mr. Svechnikov

After strong performances from both netminders in Game 1, Petr Mrazek (24 saves) and Henrik Lundqvist (34 saves) were back between the pipes for the second game. Much like Game 1, the Canes found the early advantage, in a nearly identical fashion. Andrei Svechnikov found some daylight on the short side of Lundqvist to beat the Swedish goalie. The Rangers would get it back before the end of the period, as Artemi Panarin scored during a 5-on-3 to send the game into the second period tied.

The Canes' power play would strike again, with Svechnikov doubling down. The Russian sniper floated a one-timer over Lundqvist's shoulder, needing just three seconds to find the back of the net. It took 71 seconds for the lead to grow. Morgan Geekie fed Jordan Martinook, who lifted his shot into the net to make it 3-1. Geekie had an unreal beginning to his NHL career, making his NHL debut on March 8 with a two-goal, three-point performance against the Penguins. His three points were the most by a Hurricanes player in their debut. Two days later, he scored another goal in Detroit before the shutdown.

With the Canes dominating most of the game, the only thing left to determine in the third period was whether Svechnikov would get his hat trick. With a little over six minutes left, we got our answer. Sebastian Aho created a turnover, drawing two Rangers as he skated into the offensive zone. With little room to shoot, Aho opted to pass it to the trailing Svechnikov, who snapped it past the windmilling goalie to complete the first postseason hat trick in franchise history. It sealed an emphatic 4-1 victory for the team, putting them on the brink of advancing.

Game 3: Bring Out the Brooms

Needing a boost to stave off elimination, the Rangers turned the net over to Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers' fourth-round pick in 2014 saw his first action during the regular season, going 10-2-0 in 12 starts with a .932 save percentage. One of those wins came in a 5-2 New York victory over the Canes at PNC Arena in February, the night before the David Ayres Game.

The Canes also made a change in the net, sending James Reimer out to give Petr Mrazek a break as they looked to get both goalies going in the bubble. Reimer was making his first start since the Ayres Game in Toronto after getting some action during the warm-up game against the Capitals. It was also his first postseason start since 2013 when Reimer and the Maple Leafs blew a 4-1 lead to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the first round.

For the first time in the series, the Rangers struck first. After a scoreless first period, Chris Kreider broke the stalemate 12 seconds into the second by finding a seam through the defense before sliding one past Reimer. The Canes' response was swift. Sebastian Aho's well-timed stick lift allowed the puck to find Teuvo Teravainen, who backhanded his shot past Shesterkin to tie the game three minutes later.

Reimer stood on his head the rest of the way. The game's defining sequence came late in the second period, beginning with Reimer denying Brendan Lemieux's breakaway chance. After a scramble in the crease, the Rangers maintained possession of the puck. Seconds later, Reimer made a paddle stop on Filip Chytil with the net open to keep the game tied. Even the Rangers' television team was stunned.

In the third period, the Hurricanes got the job done. Known playoff performer Warren Foegele scored the series-clinching goal early in the third period, redirecting Brady Skjei's shot from the point. Sebastian Aho provided the dagger midway through the period by embarrassing Jacob Trouba and Tony DeAngelo. Aho's pressure forced Trouba to fumble the puck before he walked DeAngelo and buried his backhander. Aho added the empty netter in the closing seconds to ice it for good, sending the Canes to the first round with a 4-1 victory.