Category: Carolina Hurricanes

2021-22 Team Preview – Carolina Hurricanes

2020-21

Record: 36-12-8 80 points – 1st in the Discover Central Division

Playoffs: Lost to Tampa Bay in 2nd Round

Key Losses

F – Warren Foegele, D – Jake Bean, G – Alex Nedeljkovic, G – Petr Mrazek, G – James Reimer, D – Dougie Hamilton, D – Jani Hakanpaa, F – Morgan Geekie, F – Brock McGinn, D – Jake Gardiner (injured)

Key Additions

G – Frederik Andersen, D – Ian Cole, D – Ethan Bear, G – Antti Raanta, D – Brendan Smith, F – Stefan Noesen, F – Josh Leivo, F – Derek Stepan, F – Jesperi Kotkaniemi

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2021-22 Preview

After being bounced out of the playoffs in the second round by the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning, the Carolina Hurricanes did some overhauling on their roster. Starting in net, all three goaltenders are now gone as Petr Mrazek signed with Toronto, James Reimer returned to San Jose, and shockingly Alex Nedeljkovic was traded to Detroit. Now between the pipes are Antti Raanta and Frederik Andersen, and together they will be tasked to bring the same level of stability to the Hurricanes net, but with hopes they can get over the hump and make it to the Stanley Cup Final for a chance at the Cup. Both are capable goaltenders who have both been number one goalies in the past, but injury concerns and inconsistency has plagued both men.

On defense there was also some restructuring as Dougie Hamilton and Jani Hakanpaa would both leave in free agency, and they would trade Jake Bean to Columbus, and in return the would acquire Ethan Bear from Edmonton and Ian Cole and Brendan Smith via free agency. Bear is going to get a fresh start with the Hurricanes and should play top four minutes for the club. Meanwhile, the additions of Ian Cole will bring some stability and Stanley Cup winning experience to the blue line, and Brendan Smith will bring some additional grit to the team.

Offensively the team is about the same. Warren Foegele was traded to Edmonton for Bear, but it was known that Foegele needed a change of scenery, and Morgan Geekie was selected by Seattle in the Expansion Draft. The signings of Stefan Noesen, Derek Stepan, and Josh Leivo will give the Hurricanes additional forward depth, and Ryan Suzuki will look to become a permanent member of the roster.

Projected Lineup

Andrei Svechnikov — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

Nino Niederreiter — Vincent Trocheck — Martin Necas

Ryan Suzuki — Jordan Staal — Jesper Fast

Jordan Martinook — Derek Stepan — Josh Leivo

Jaccob Slavin — Brett Pesce

Brady Skjei — Ethan Bear

Ian Cole — Brendan Smith

Frederik Andersen

Antti Raanta

*Jesper Kotkaniemi was acquired after preview was written.

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Predators v. Hurricanes – Canes Storm the Preds in Game One

#4 Nashville Predators v. #1 Carolina Hurricanes – Game 1

Game Recap:

In Carolina for their first ever meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Hurricanes would play host to the Nashville Predators for game one of their best of seven series. In the first period things would be chippy as both teams would combine for 4 penalties, but only two powerplays which neither team would convert on. Then a little past the midway point of the period Filip Forsberg would strike to give the Preds the 1-0 lead, but about 90 seconds later Teuvo Teravainen would strike to tie the game up at one for the Canes. The Canes would get another powerplay opportunity before the period ended, but would not be able to score on the opportunity.

In the second period things would remain chippy between the Canes and the Preds as both teams would trade powerplays once again. However, with three seconds left in four on four action, Jordan Staal would score his first of the playoffs to give the Canes the lead, but a little over four minutes later Erik Haula would strike to tie the game back up at two for the Predators. After both goals were scored, they would then trade penalties once again, and both teams would still be unable to capitalize on their powerplay opportunities.

Then in the third period the Hurricanes would take advantage of even strength play as they would out work the Predators. First we would see Nino Niederreiter scoring to retake the lead for the Canes, and then Staal would net his second of the game to grow the Canes lead to two and then Andrei Svechnikov would ice this one for the Hurricanes with the empty netter as they would go on to defeat the Predators 5-2 and take the 1-0 series lead.

Lineups:

Nashville Predators:

Filip Forsberg — Ryan Johansen — Viktor Arvidsson
Calle Jarnkrok — Mikael Granlund — Luke Kunin
Alexandre Carrier — Erik Haula — Matt Duchene
Yakov Trenin — Colton Sissons — Tanner Jeannot

Roman Josi — Matt Benning
Ryan Ellis — Mattias Ekholm
Erik Gudbranson — Ben Harpur

Juuse Saros
Pekka Rinne

Scratched: Nick Cousins, Brad Richardson, Rocco Grimaldi, Tyler Lewington, David Farrance, Michael McCarron, Jeremy Davies, Eeli Tolvanen , Rem Pitlick, Dante Fabbro
Injured: Luca Sbisa (lower body), Mark Borowiecki (upper body), Mathieu Olivier (lower body)

Carolina Hurricanes:

Nino Niederreiter — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen
Warren Foegele — Vincent Trocheck — Martin Necas
Andrei Svechnikov — Jordan Staal — Jesper Fast
Jordan Martinook — Steven Lorentz — Brock McGinn

Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton
Brady Skjei — Brett Pesce
Jake Gardiner — Jani Hakanpaa

Alex Nedeljkovic
Petr Mrazek

Scratched: Morgan Geekie, Jake Bean, Max McCormick, Drew Shore, Roland McKeown, Maxime Lajoie , James Reimer
Injured: Cedric Paquette (lower body)

First Period:

CAR Penalty – :51 – Brock McGinn 2 minutes for Embellishment

NAS Penalty – :51 – Calle Jarnkrok 2 minutes for Interference

NAS Penalty – 6:09 – Alexandre Carrier 2 minutes for Tripping

CAR Penalty – 8:10 – Nino Niederreiter 2 minutes for Cross Checking

NAS Goal – 12:14 – Filip Forsberg (1) from Ryan Johansen (1) and Ryan Ellis (1)

CAR Goal – 13:41 – Teuvo Teravainen (1) from Brett Pesce (1) and Steven Lorentz (1)

NAS Penalty – 16:54 – Ryan Johansen 2 minutes for Tripping

End of FirstNAS – 1CAR – 1
Shots1013
Faceoff Wins813
Hits1811
Powerplay0/10/2

Second Period:

NAS Penalty – 2:22 – Filip Forsberg 2 minutes for High Sticking

CAR Penalty – 3:50 – Teuvo Teravainen 2 minutes for Tripping

CAR Goal – 4:19 – Jordan Staal (1) from Brett Pesce (2)

NAS Goal – 8:41 – Erik Haula (1) from Matt Duchene (1) and Alexandre Carrier (1)

CAR Penalty – 11:41 – Steven Lorentz 2 minutes for Roughing

NAS Penalty – 13:55 – Roman Josi 2 minutes Holding

End of SecondNAS – 2CAR – 2
Shots1525
Faceoff Wins2426
Hits2836
Powerplay0/30/4

Third Period:

CAR Goal – 2:26 – Nino Niederreiter (1) from Martin Necas (1) and Vincent Trocheck (1)

CAR Goal – 8:00 – Jordan Staal (2) from unassisted

NAS Penalty – 11:11 – Matt Duchene 2 minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

CAR Penalty – 11:11 – Warren Foegele 2 minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

CAR ENG – 18:13 – Andrei Svechnikov (1) from unassisted

End of ThirdNAS – 2CAR – 5
Shots2438
Faceoff Wins3436
Hits4753
Powerplay0/30/4

Reverse Retro: Metropolitan Division

Continuing with the NHL’s Reverse Retro jersey reveals, today we are going to take a look at the Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes:

The Carolina Hurricanes are going back to the Hartford Whalers days with this 1979 look. The jersey mirrors what was worn during the 1979-1980 season, however the base colour of this jersey is gray and it ties together the Hurricanes and Whalers colours. The vintage Pucky the Whale is also featured on the shoulders of the jerseys as well.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Columbus is making their inaugural season (2000-2001) jersey the inspiration here, with the only difference being that the base colour of the jersey is red.

New Jersey Devils:

The look is going back to their first season in New Jersey (1982-1983 season) featured the red and green colours. For the first time in franchise history, they will be wearing a primarily green jersey.

NY Islanders:

This one, I feel is the weakest and it can be said in only one real way. The only difference is the base colour of the jersey. Everything else about it is the exact same.

The team, however, says their going back to the start of their Cup-winning era from 1980-1983 and the navy blue base colour of the jersey is a nod to Islander legends Mike Bossy, Bobby Nystrom, Clark Gillies, and Bryan Trottier.

NY Rangers:

LADY LIBERTY has returned!!

The original look from 1996 has been updated. The jersey is updated with an all blue sleeve but keeps the silver accents and drop shadow numbers.

Philadelphia Flyers:

The Flyers are going back to a 1995 pseudo look. 1995 is the year in which Eric Lindros would go on to win the Hart Trophy as MVP as well as when the Flyers would win the division title.

Pittsburgh Penguins:

The Penguins are going with a 1997 look mixed with the Pittsburgh diagonal lettering. 1997 would also be the year in which Mario Lemieux would win his sixth scoring title. The Reverse Retro also flips the base colour of the jersey from black to white.

Washington Capitals:

The Capitals are going back to the look from their first Stanley Cup finals appearance from the 1997-1998 season. The only changes from this are the colours. Out are the blue, black and bronze. The only addition to the colours of the current look is a slight hint of silver.

Tomorrow Michael will rank the Reverse Retro jerseys.

Reverse Retro Jerseys Have Been Unveiled

Earlier today, Adidas and the NHL released the “Reverse Retro” jerseys that will be worn by all 31 teams this season.

The NHL and adidas Hockey teamed together for the first-ever League wide alternate jersey program called “Reverse Retro”. The idea behind the program is for each team to “throwback” to an era that has historical significance. According to the NHL, the design process for this began two years ago, which is when the third jerseys were brought back after being shelved during the first year of the adidas and Fanatics apparel deal.

Teams will wear these jerseys for multiple games this season against rival opponents.

This week, TXHT will break down the jerseys per division.

  • Tuesday – Pacific Division
  • Wednesday – Atlantic Division
  • Thursday – Central Division
  • Friday – Metropolitan Division
  • Saturday – Reverse Retro Jersey Rankings

The Reverse Retro jerseys will be available for purchase through the NHL Shop site, adidas.com, and adidas.ca on December 1st and at available retailers on December 6th, right in time for the holiday season.

Feature Graphic courtesy of Icethetics.

Bruins Close Out Series

Game 5 of the series between the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes took place this afternoon. It’s a must win game for the Hurricanes, as the Bruins look to close out the series.

A quick recap of the previous 4 games:

Game 1 – Bruins win 4-3 2OT

Game 2 – Hurricanes win 3-2

Game 3 – Bruins win 3-1

Game 4 – Bruins win 4-3

Here is how the 2 teams would line up for Game 5:

In the first period, it would be the Hurricanes that would jump out to the lead. The goal, coming about halfway in the period, was scored by Haydn Fleury. It would be his second goal of the playoffs. The assists on the play came from Sebastian Aho and Jordan Martinook.

The Hurricanes would hold onto a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.

In the second period, there was a lot of back and forth action between the two teams, with the goalies coming up with the saves. With about 5 minutes left in the period, the Bruins would tie the game up. The goal coming from David Krejci, his third of the playoffs. Assists on the play came from David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron.

Just before the end of the period, the Bruins would grab the lead. A bank shot goal by Patrice Bergeron, his second goal of the playoffs, and second point of the game. Assists on the play came from David Pastrnak and David Krejci, both earning their second points of the game.

That would be all that the Bruins would need, as Halak shut the door on all of the Hurricanes offensive rushes. They would hold on to the 2-1 lead and will advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Here are the numbers for Game 5:

3 Stars of the Game

Patrice Bergeron

David Krejci

David Pastrnak

4 Goal Third Give B’s Game 4

Tonight, the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes played Game 4 of their series. In Game 1, the Bruins won the game 4-3 in double overtime. Game 2, The Hurricanes got the victory by a score of 3-2. In Game 3, the Bruins would bounce back by winning 3-1.

Here is how the two teams would line up in Game 4:

In the first period, the Hurricanes would score the first goal. It would come just before the halfway point of the period. Their captain, Justin Williams setting the tones and notching his first goal of these playoffs. Assists on the play came from Jake Gardiner, and Vincent Trocheck. The Hurricanes would hang on to a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.

In the second period, the Hurricanes would double their lead. Again, it would take about half the period to make it happen, but the goal would be scored by Jordan Martinook. It would be his second goal of the playoffs, assist on the play came from Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes would hang on, and secure a 2-0 lead heading into the third period.

In the wild, third period, the Bruins would get on the board and cut the lead in half. It came just before the halfway point of the period, the goal coming from Jake DeBrusk. It would be his second goal of the playoffs. Assists on the play came from Ondrej Kase and Connor Clifton.

Three minutes later, the Bruins would tie up the game. The tying goal came from Connor Clifton, his second point of the game. Assists came from Joakim Nordstrom and Chris Wagner. A minute later, the goal that would give the Bruins the lead came from Brad Marchand, his third of the playoffs. Assist on the play coming from Torey Krug. Three minutes later, Jake DeBrusk would net his second goal of the game. Assists on the play coming from Ondrej Kase, his second point of the game, and David Krejci. DeBrusk’s second goal would give the Bruins a 4-2 lead with about 5 minutes left.

With about a minute and a half left, Carolina would get one back to pull within one. The goal coming from Teuvo Teravainen. Assist on the play came from Brady Skjei and Dougie Hamilton.

However, that would be the closest the Hurricanes would come in their comeback bid. The Bruins would hold on to secure the 4-3 victory and take a commanding series lead.

Here is how the numbers looked:

 

Game 5 of the series will take place on Wednesday at 4p.

 

3 Stars of the Game

Jake DeBrusk

Connor Clifton

Justin Williams

Bruins Take Lead In The Series

The Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes squared off today at noon for Game 3 of their series. In Game 1 of the series, the Bruins won the game 4-3 in double overtime. In Game 2 of the series, the Hurricanes won 3-2.

Before Game 3 would take place, it was announced from the Boston Bruins, that Tuuka Rask was leaving the bubble and heading home. Jaroslav Halak would take over the goaltending duties for Boston.

 

Here is the interview with General Manager Don Sweeney on the Tuuka Rask situation:

 

 

Here is how the two teams would line up for Game 3:

 

 

In the first period, there would be no scoring. As both teams would trade chances back and forth, with both Petr Mrazek and Jaroslav Halak coming up with all the saves on all of the offensive rushes. The shot count favored Carolina 15-7 in the scoreless period.

In the second period, the Bruins would be the ones to take the lead. The goal coming early in the period. It would be Charlie Coyle who would get the goal, as he batted it out of the air. Assists on the play came from Brad Marchand and David Krejci.

 

The period would end with the Bruins on top.

In the third peirod, the Bruins would once again get the jump early. They would double the lead, just over a minute into the period. The goal coming from Sean Kuraly, his first goal of the playoffs. Assists on the play came from Charlie Coyle, his second point of the game, and Charlie McAvoy.

 

About five minutes later, the Hurricanes would score to cut the lead in half. The goal coming from Nino Niederreiter, the play was unassisted. A bad pass by Halak lead to Nino catching the puck and stashing it into the vacated net.

 

However, that would be as close as the Hurricanes would come in their comeback pursuit. The Bruins would put the icing on the cake by stashing an empty net goal with about 30 seconds left in the game. The goal coming from Brad Marchand, his second point of the game. The lone assist came from David Krejci, his second point of the game as well.

 

Game 4 will be a huge game for the series. It definitely is a must win for the Hurricanes. Game 4 will be on Monday at 8p.

 

 

3 Stars of the Game

Charlie Coyle

Brad Marchand

David Krejci

Carolina Evens Up The Series

Today the Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins squared off in Game 2 of their series. It actually started on time tonight, at 8p. Some news in-between games as Rod Brind’Amour made some comments against the referees and was sub-sequentially fined by the NHL.

A quick recap of the first game, as the Bruins took Game 1 by a score of 4-3 in double overtime, the winning goal scored by Patrice Bergeron.

Here is how the teams would line up for Game 2:

In the first period, it would take a while, but the Bruins would tally the first goal of the game with a little less than 5 minutes left in the period. The goal would come from David Krejci, his second goal of the playoffs. The assists on the play came from Brad Marchand and Torrey Krug. The period would end with the Bruins up 1-0 heading into the intermission.

In the second period, it would take a while too to dent the twine. The Hurricanes would tie up the game with a little less than 5 minutes left in the period. The goal would come from Teuvo Teravainen, his second goal of the playoffs. The assists coming from Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes would get another quick strike a minute later, as Andrei Svechnikov would tally his fourth goal of the playoffs. The assists on the play came from Martin Necas and Trevor van Riemsdyk.

However, with about 5 seconds before the end of the period, the Bruins would tie the game up. The goal coming from Brad Marchand. Assists on the play coming from Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, his second point of the game.

In the third period, about halfway through, the Hurricanes would find the breakthrough to re-gain the lead. The goal coming from Dougie Hamilton, against his former team, and it was his first point of these playoffs. The lone assist on the play came from Martin Necas, his second point of the game.

The Hurricanes would hold on to the lead to secure victory and tie up the series at one game a piece. The next game that these two teams will play will be Saturday at 12p.

 

3 Stars of the Game

Andrei Svechnikov

Dougie Hamilton

Brad Marchand

Bruins Take Game 1 In Double OT

The Bruins and the Hurricanes are no strangers to meeting each other in the playoffs. This year will mark the sixth time the two teams have met. Boston holds a 4-1 series edge over Carolina. Last year, when they squared off, it was in the Eastern Conference finals. Boston swept the series 4-0, en route to their Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

Boston and Carolina was originally set to play at 8p yesterday, but the game between the Blue Jackets and Lightning going to 5 overtimes had other plans. The NHL decided to push the game to 11a today.

Here is how the teams would line up:

In the first period, it would be the Hurricanes that would strike first, and it would come a little over halfway through the period. The goal would come from Joel Edmundson, and the assists on the play came from Teemu Teravainen and Sebastian Aho.

4 minutes later, the Bruins would have an answer and tie up the game. The goal would come from David Pastrnak and the assists would come from Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron.

The first period would end with both teams tied at 1. In the second period, it would be the Bruins who would jump out to the early lead, before the 5 minute mark. The goal coming from Charlie Coyle, the play was unassisted. Then Carolina would answer quickly, scoring 21 seconds later. The goal coming from Brock McGinn, once again the play was unassisted.

The second period would end with, once again, both teams tied heading into the break.

In the third period, the Bruins would once again get off to a fast start, scoring a minute into the frame. The goal coming from David Krejci, assists on the play coming from Ondrej Kase and Charlie McAvoy.

It would take some time, 8 minutes to be precise, but the Hurricanes would once again have a response and tie the game up. The goal coming from Haydn Fleury, with the assist on the play coming from Vincent Trocheck.

The game would end with the two teams tied and heading to overtime. (I feel like we’ve been here before.)

In the first overtime, there would be no scoring between the two teams. Both goalies had the answers for every offensive rush. The shots on goal in the period would be 11-6 in favor of Boston. Also, at the end of the period, there was one penalty called, and it was on Carolina. It was a holding call against Brady Skjei.

In the second overtime, the Hurricanes would manage to kill off the Bruins power play. However, not long after the penalty was killed, the Bruins would get the game winner. The clutch goal coming from Patrice Bergeron, with the assists on the play coming from his line mates, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.

Here is a look at the numbers for the game:

 

The Bruins and the Hurricanes will be back at it again tomorrow at 8p.

 

3 Stars of the Game

Patrice Bergeron

Joel Edmundson

David Pastrnak

Hurricanes Storm the Rangers for Game 1 Victory

It was a case of experience meeting inexperience. In game one of their best-of-five Stanley Cup Qualifiers series, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Rangers by a score of 3-2. Early on, the game was entirely tilted in Carolina’s favor while the Rangers began to find their legs but albeit a little too late. The Rangers were also on the receiving end of some really bad bounces this game. Let’s jump in. 

 

Early on in period one it was very clear which team had been to the Eastern Conference Final last season and which one did not make the playoffs. Even with their retooled roster that includes a much improved top-six forward corps, the Rangers were on their heels early and Brady Skjei making a questionable hit on Jesper Fast that knocked him out of the game didn’t make it any easier. It seemed no matter what they did they could not find any way to penetrate the neutral zone and sustain any type of forecheck or attack. The loss of Fast hurt the team due to his drive to always get to those dirty areas and how hard he works on the penalty kill. 

 

With a team as inexperienced in the playoffs as the current iteration of the Rangers are, it was important for them to get a great start and it just didn’t happen. Jaccob Slavin scored what felt like a backbreaker just 1:01 into the game and immediately the team that needed to find their footing quicker was playing from behind. The Hurricanes jumped at the chance when Slavin was somehow left wide open to put one past Henrik Lundqvist. Fast was taken out of the game shortly after and did not return. Slavin was Fast’s man on that play and due to him being hurt wasn’t able to defend him like he normally would be able to. The Rangers were not looking good early and only managed four shots on goal in the first period. The Hurricanes were rolling.

 

Before we get to the second period, it’s important to note that Henrik Lundqvist was not expected to start this game. After the game, Rangers personnel confirmed that Igor Shesterkin was supposed to start before being determined as “Unfit to Play.” As good as Lundqvist is, Shesterkin was severely missed due to his puck handling skills and when you’re playing a team like attacks hard and fast like Carolina, that would be great to sort of counteract them. Shesterkin is the Rangers young phenom in goal and he is currently listed as day-to-day with a chance to take back his crease on Monday for Game 2. 

 

Onto the second and there was a lot more of the same. Hurricanes jumping all over the Rangers and giving them as little space as possible. The Hurricanes would score a second time when Sebastian Aho would put one past Lundqvist making the game 2-0. It felt as if today was not the Rangers day but they provided a spark of hope when Mika ZIbanejad deflected a Ryan Lindgren shot past Petr Mrazek to cut the lead to 2-1. The second period would continue on with no more scoring but the Hurricanes still looked like the better team with their suffocating defense.

 

With the third period came an absolute back breaker. A Martin Necas shot would bounce right off Marc Staal’s skate and through Lundqvist’s five hole for a two goal lead making the game 3-1. Even with Marc Staal scoring late in the 3rd, it wouldn’t be enough and the Rangers would fall 3-2 in Game One. Now let;s focus on some bright spots and some dark spots. 

For the Rangers, Kaapo Kakko, Julien Gauthier, Filip Chytil and Brenden Smith (yes, you read that right, Brenden Smith) were the best players all afternoon. Kakko looked like a man possessed and looked like the player the Rangers expected when they chose him with the second overall pick in the 2019 draft. Gauthier used his size and speed to make some nice plays and Filip Chytil did the same. The young kids were beginning to learn what it takes to succeed in the playoffs. Smith played some great defense even if he was a little overly physical in same aspects. 

 

For the Hurricanes, just the suffocating defense worked really well in their favor. They neutralized the Rangers superstar forwards and gave them almost no room to work with. The Hurricanes penalty kill also gets some love here as they killed seven penalties and never really let the Rangers set up giving them fits. If the Hurricanes keep this up, it’ll be a short series. 

 

The bad well… the veterans on the Rangers did not play well and seemed to forget how to get into the offensive zone at some points. Panarin, Buchnevich (who actually had a solid game), Kreider and Strome just couldn’t find their games today and if they don’t soon the Rangers are in trouble. Tony DeAngelo also seemed to forget exactly how to play defense and how to run a power play. DeAngelo is playing for a new contract and if he has a few more stinkers like today he can look to another team. DeAngelo even held the puck behind his own net for almost half a minute with the Rangers down by one with barely any time yet. Seemed like he was killing time for the Hurricanes. Not a good day from the vets and Tony D. 

 

Petr Mrazek makes my bad list for the Hurricanes. “But why he was the winning goalie!!?!?!” Yes but Mrazek just isn’t that good and the way the Rangers scored showed that he really isn’t up to the task and his rebound control you could see just wasn’t all there. If the Rangers can just you know… shoot more than this series changes. That defense of the Hurricanes protects Mrazek heavily for a reason and it’s plain to see why. 

 

Game 2 is Monday at noon and the Rangers needs to bring their A game this one will be over fast.

 

You can follow Russell and his friends over at Skyscraper Sports on Twitter at @SkySportsNYPod.

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