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The Carolina Hurricanes open their second round series against the New York Rangers tonight at home.
The Hurricanes are coming off a seven-game, first round win over the Boston Bruins, while the Rangers climbed back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins to advance. Carolina and New York met four times this season, with the Hurricanes winning three of the matchups.
Up front, the Hurricanes will have to deal with Artemi Panarin, who had 96 points in just 75 games, along with Mika Zibanejad, who posted point-per-game numbers.
Carolina's blue line is another important factor, as Jaccob Slavin remains one of the best all-around defensemen in the NHL, while Tony DeAngelo has had an excellent year offensively, Brett Pesce is very sturdy defensively and Brady Skjei has bounced back. New York, on the other hand, obviously benefits from Adam Fox, while K’Andre Miller, Ryan Lindgren (back from injury) and Jacob Trouba will carry much of the workload as well. However, Carolina does have the more experienced and well-rounded group, and should have an advantage in being able to limit quality chances from their opponent.
That said, the Rangers have the edge in net over just about any team in the NHL right now. Even though Antti Raanta stepped up in the first round with Frederik Andersen still out and Igor Shesterkin struggled a bit at times against the Penguins, Shesterkin was the best goalie in the league this season and has the ability to steal games. Of any area, goaltending is the one that would possibly be the biggest issue for Carolina.
Another key will be special teams though, given that it played so much of a factor in Carolina’s series against Boston. While the Hurricanes’ penalty was the best in the NHL this season, the Rangers’ fourth-ranked power play was one of their biggest assets. New York’s penalty kill was also strong and while the Hurricanes’ power play can produce, it really struggled on the road against the Bruins in the first round.
If the matchups between these teams during the regular season were any indication, it’s going to be a really exciting series. While the Hurricanes certainly have a good chance to get out of the second round, New York took a big step this year and will be a difficult opponent to get past.
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