CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS April 30, 2019 - NHL.com
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CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
There’s room on the Canes’ NHL playoff bandwagon. This will help you get on board.
By Richard Stradling as his observations on hockey. In a disjointed tirade in
February, Cherry chastised the Canes for the Storm Surge,
Jumping on the Canes bandwagon? Here are some the post-game celebrations planned and executed by the
storylines from the season. players after each home victory. Referring to the sometimes
RALEIGH small crowds at PNC, Cherry said, “You never do anything
like that. They’re still not drawing. They’re a bunch of jerks,
The Carolina Hurricanes’ surprising playoff run, which as far as I’m concerned.” The Canes responded by making
continues Wednesday at PNC Arena with Game 3 against “Bunch of Jerks” T-shirts that sold briskly at premium prices
The New York Islanders, has captivated Triangle hockey during the next game.
fans, who haven’t gotten to go to a Canes game this late in
the season since 2009. Facial hair
It’s also got some casual onlookers paying attention to North The New York Islanders, the Canes opponent in the second
Carolina’s NHL team for the first time in awhile. If you’re new round of the playoffs, are generally credited with starting the
to the Hurricanes bandwagon, or thinking about jumping on playoff beard tradition during their streak of four Stanley Cup
board for the playoffs, here’s a primer to help you catch up. victories in 1980 through 1983. Whether out of superstition or
as a badge of honor, it’s become a tradition for players and
The team their fans to put away their razors during the playoffs. The
The two dozen players that make up the Hurricanes roster longer your team plays, the longer your beard. That is if you
grew up in cold places where it’s theoretically still possible to can grow one; Aho, who said at the outset that he didn’t think
play hockey on ponds or homemade backyard rinks in the he could “grow much,” has managed a wispy mustache
winter. Fully half are from Canada, where hockey is the halfway through the second round. Look back at the team
national pastime, and the rest hail from the northern U.S. or photos of the Hurricanes after they won the cup in 2006 and
one of five European countries (there are three Finns, you’ll see most of the players with healthy beards — except
including the team’s leading scorer, 21-year-old Sebastian team captain Rod Brind’Amour. Now coach Brind’Amour, he
Aho). Fans pretty quickly learned how to pronounce all of isn’t growing one this year either. If 16 teams stop shaving at
their names but don’t necessarily know how to spell them the beginning of the playoffs and only one wins the cup, he
without looking. Just ask one to spell Teravainen, reasons, it must not work very well. If you think you’ve got a
Niederreiter or Mrazek. The team captain and leader is 37- good playoff beard, the Canes are hosting a
year-old Justin Williams, who played with the team when it contest/fundraiser called Beard Together.
won the Stanley Cup in 2006 and returned last season after Fighting
winning two more cups with the Los Angeles Kings.
You’ve heard the old Rodney Dangerfield joke: “I went to a
Hurricanes culture fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.” The joke
The Hurricanes have attracted a growing number of fans in is more than a bit out of date. It’s true that from the 1970s
the Tar Heel state since arriving from Hartford, Conn., in well into the 1990s, fighting was a routine part of NHL
1997. (They were previously known as the Hartford hockey games. During the peak years of the 1980s, the
Whalers.) But the Triangle being a melting pot of transplants, league averaged more than a fight per game; this season,
many fans have split allegiances, rooting for the Canes as there was less than one fight for every five games, according
well as the teams they grew up with. Canes fans are used to to the website HockeyFights.com. (Yes, there is such a
seeing lots of supporters of opposing teams in the crowd at thing.) Hockey is still a violent sport, with players armed with
PNC Arena and don’t get too bent out of shape about it. The sticks jostling and knocking into each other to try to regain
arena, which the Canes share with N.C. State University, control of the puck, and the emotions run even higher during
was built on university land out on the edge of town, the playoffs. But fights like the one between Washington
reachable by car and a handful of party buses. When the Capitals captain Alexander Ovechin and the Canes’ 19-year-
weather’s nice, as it always is during the playoffs, fans arrive old rookie Andrei Svechnikov during the first round of the
early with grills and coolers to tailgate. (Try that in Brooklyn!) playoffs are relatively rare this time of year. Unfortunately,
the over-matched Svechnikov suffered a blow to the head
Bunch of Jerks that has kept him out of the playoffs.
In a town where people are generally nice to each other, it Stormy
may seem odd that the hockey team refers to itself as a
“bunch of jerks.” The characterization came from Don Yes, the Hurricanes have a big pig for a mascot. Former
Cherry, a former NHL coach and longtime Hockey Night in team owner Peter Karmanos is credited with chosing an “ice
Canada commentator known as much for his gaudy clothes hog” mascot for his team. The then-unnamed hog made his
inauspicious debut before a game against the Detroit Red
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
Wings in the Greensboro Coliseum in 1997. (He planned to games of the Capitals series and was in Washington when
emerge from inside a Zamboni ice cleaning machine, but the Canes shocked the hockey world in double overtime.
became overcome with carbon dioxide fumes and passed He’s had his picture taken with Stormy and been featured in
out, leaving only his twitching, furry legs briefly visible to the The Washington Post and on ESPN and NBC. His Instagram
crowd). Jim Rutherford, the team’s general manager at the account had more than 2,430 followers Monday.
time, said the hog was a way to honor the state’s pork
industry and one of its moguls, state Sen. Wendell Murphy, How long could this go on?
who was instrumental in getting the arena built. Stormy got a The Canes knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champion
name through an internet survey later that fall and has Washington Capitals in seven games last week to remain
become the popular, ever smiling face of the franchise and a one of eight teams still vying for the cup. If they can win four
strikingly good dancer. Last season, the Canes introduced a games against the Islanders, they’d play either the Boston
female companion, Caroline, who is ostensibly a childhood Bruins or Columbus Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference
friend of Stormy’s. finals. The winner of that series would then go on to play the
The other pig Western Conference champs in the best-of-seven Stanley
Cup finals. By then, the playoff beards will be in their prime.
If you go to one of this week’s games at PNC Arena, you When the Canes won the Stanley Cup in 2006, the final
may see Hamilton, the 90-pound pig who some have game was on June 19, nearly three months into the Major
adopted as a good luck charm this playoff season. Hamilton, League Baseball season.
or Hami to his friends, did some tailgating before the home
Canes recall Nedeljkovic; Mrazek ‘day to day’ with lower-body injury
By Chip Alexander to be day to day. Brind’Amour, who rarely rests, was on the
PNC Arena ice with Svechnikov on Monday.
Raleigh
The manpower loss is having an effect on two fronts: the
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour opened a Canes and the Checkers. The Canes had recalled forwards
media session Monday with what’s become routine during Clark Bishop and Patrick Brown from the Checkers, at a time
the playoffs: a review of the body count and injury updates, when Charlotte is preparing to begin a Calder Cup second-
with a lengthening list. round playoff series on Friday against the Hershey Bears.
The Canes earned a 2-1 victory Sunday over the New York They now have brought in Nedeljkovic, who was named the
Islanders for a 2-0 lead in the second-round series but lost AHL goaltender of the year. Nedeljkovic led the AHL in wins
three players in the process. Defenseman Trevor van (34) and goals-against average (2.26) and is 3-1 in the
Riemsdyk was hurt on the first shift of the game, goalie Petr Calder Cup playoffs with a 2.00 GAA and .923 save
Mrazek left in the second period and forward Saku percentage. Nedeljkovic, 23, has been in two NHL games in
Maenalanen in the third. Mrazek’s departure with a lower- his three pro seasons and was a winner in his first career
body injury brought in Curtis McElhinney, who had not start for the Canes this season.
played in three weeks but stopped all 17 shots he faced.
That aside, the Canes have won their last four playoff games
That was on top of the Canes being without three of their -- the last two against the Washington Capitals in their first-
most physical forwards: Jordan Martinook, Micheal Ferland round series, then two against the Islanders at the Barclays
and rookie Andrei Svechnikov. Center. Game 3 against the Islanders is Wednesday as the
“Petr is going to be day to day, so that’s actually good news,” series shifts to PNC Arena for two games.
Brind’Amour said. The playoffs are grueling, a prolonged test of stamina and
The Canes on Monday recalled goalie Alex Nedeljkovic from mental toughness, of overcoming injuries and finding ways to
the Charlotte Checkers, their AHL affiliate, to serve as win.
McElhinney’s backup. They later called up defenseman Jake “It’s a mental grind,” Brind’Amour said. “The physical stuff is
Bean. what everybody talks about because you see it, guys getting
Van Riemsdyk sustained a shoulder injury and could be dinged up, but it’s that mental grind that the playoffs really
sidelined indefinitely, if not for the rest of the playoffs. are all about.”
Maenalanen will not return in the Islanders series after Asked Monday what the most satisfying aspect of the first
suffering a hand injury, Brind’Amour said, but might come nine playoff games has been, Brind’Amour said, “Just the
back should the Canes advance. compete level, the resiliency of our group. That’s been
The Canes will hold a team practice -- a rarity the past few satisfying but it’s been that way all year so I don’t know that
weeks -- on Tuesday, giving Brind’Amour and the staff a anything has really changed.
better gauge on Martinook, Ferland and Svechnikov, all said “Satisfied is really not the right word, because we’re not
satisfied yet. We’re still in the process.”
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
Conn Smythe watch: Brad Marchand leads the way after an unpredictable first round
By Dom Luszczyszyn That means that if there’s a Conn Smythe favourite at this
point, it’s probably coming out of the team most likely to hoist
At this point last season, Alex Ovechkin was already padding the Cup. For now, that’s Boston. The problem is that the
his Conn Smythe trophy resume and was an easy front- team’s stars haven’t been shining as brightly as usual as the
runner providing the Capitals went the distance. They did top line hasn’t torched any team just yet. Still, if there’s a
and on his way to earning the playoff MVP award, favourite to be named, it might just be Brad Marchand who is
Ovechkin’s progress throughout the playoffs was an leading the top team in scoring with nine points in nine
intriguing sub-plot underlying the team’s success – the man games, averaging nearly 22 minutes per game and has been
who couldn’t get it done for a decade got it done. arguably their best and most consistent play-driver with a 57
The key phrase being “if the Capitals went the distance.” percent Corsi.
Ovechkin was playing some of the best hockey of his career, That ignores that Marchand has been held off the score-
but his team still had a mountain in front of them to climb and sheet for three straight games, but this is about the long haul
weren’t exactly looking like the top choice to go all the way at and I wouldn’t bet on Marchand being held in check for much
the time. Until Ovechkin kept doing what he was doing, longer. He’s one of the game’s most complete and dominant
carrying Washington through an 0-2 hole in Round 2, wingers, a player many love to hate, but you can’t help but
another bitter series against the Penguins, a third-round acknowledge the immense value he brings to the table.
series against the East favourites and a Stanley Cup final, Boston looks like the favourite to go all the way and if the
culminating with a Cinderella-type ending. team does, he’ll be a large part of it.
When it comes to determining Conn Smythe favourites, a 2. Jaccob Slavin, CAR
team’s chances matter just as much as a player’s
performance – for the most part, the playoff MVP is on the Game Score: 11.2 (3rd), 1.24 per game (9th)
Stanely Cup-winning team – but sometimes a singular
performance is so transcendent that it propels the team Stanley Cup Probability: 18.2 percent (2nd)
forward against all odds. That was Ovechkin last year; can With the Hurricanes going back home with a 2-0 series lead
someone else do it again this year? against the Islanders, they’ve become the team most likely to
Generally, at this point, some clear-cut favourites begin to advance to the conference finals at 90 percent and currently
emerge. Usually, a remarkable performance on a true hold the second-best odds of winning the Stanley Cup as a
contender is driving the conversation, but this year feels result. It’s time to accept the reality that a bunch of jerks
different due to all of the upsets and unpredictability. It’s might win it all and that means accepting that one of the top
been much harder to pin down who’s leading the charge, but Conn Smythe favourites at this point will come from Carolina.
that also means there’s plenty of room for a hero to emerge. At this point it’s been a total team effort, making it hard to
With all that being said, here are the current contenders for pinpoint who deserves it most, but for now, that guy might
the Conn Smythe trophy – keeping in mind that a team’s just be No. 1 defenseman Jaccob Slavin. The unheralded
chances (based on our daily probabilities page which will defender trails only Brent Burns, Seth Jones and Zach
now feature a daily Conn Smythe watch) have a big say on Werenski in average ice-time in this postseason, playing
who’s at the top. Unless someone on one of the less likely almost 27 minutes per night, a hefty increase from the 23
teams has something to say about, just as Ovechkin did last minutes he averaged during the regular season. Something
spring. else that has increased is Slavin’s offensive contributions as
his 10 assists are currently tied with Erik Karlsson for the
1. Brad Marchand, BOS playoff lead and his 10 points are just one behind Burns. In
fact, there are only five skaters period that have earned as
Game Score: 10.9 (5th), 1.22 per game (12th) many points as Slavin has.
Stanley Cup Probability: 22.6 percent (1st) And that’s ignoring his incredible defensive ability in a
After beating Toronto and seeing Tampa Bay, Calgary, shutdown role. Among defenders that have played 50
Washington, Pittsburgh, Vegas, Nashville and Winnipeg minutes in the playoffs, Slavin’s 47.5 shot attempts allowed
ousted in the opening round, Boston stands mostly alone at per 60 ranks 11th with Ryan McDonagh being the only player
the top of the contender totem pole among the teams ahead of him tasked with tough minutes. Slavin has been
remaining. There’s an argument to be made for all eight given the role of shutting down Ovechkin in the first round
teams remaining – and after what transpired in the first round and Mathew Barzal in the second round and has done a
it would be simply foolish to count any team out – but it tremendous of it, being plus-five at 5-on-5 with a 56 percent
should still be clear which team is the front-runner. It’s shot share.
Boston, who finished third in points and are deeper and more It may seem like an off-the-board choice now, but if Carolina
balanced than any team remaining, not to mention the Bruins does win it all, Slavin will be one of the main contributing
have arguably the most star-power left too.CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
factors of that. He deserves his due, especially after a For years Burns has gained notoriety around the league as a
breakout during these playoffs. This may just be his coming player who has many defensive shortcomings, so much so
out party. that rival defender Drew Doughty even called him out for it.
For much of his career, his coach didn’t even trust him to
3. Matt Duchene, CBJ take on the bulk of tough assignments, but that’s changed in
Game Score: 7.5 (30th), 1.24 per game (8th) the playoffs and he’s aced the task at hand so far. All without
sacrificing any of his offensive prowess either. I guess
Stanley Cup Probability: 16.0 percent (3rd) sometimes you can teach an old dog new tricks.
The Blue Jackets went all-in and their big bet is paying 5. Jaden Schwartz, STL
massive dividends so far, rewarding the aggressiveness of
the front office with an unexpected playoff run. They swept Game Score: 10.6 (9th), 1.18 per game (16th)
the heavily-favoured Lightning and split the games against Stanley Cup Probability: 14.2 percent (5th)
the Bruins, stealing home ice in what has been an intensely
close series. For the majority of 2019, Jaden Schwartz struggled. For
years he’s been one of the game’s most under-appreciated
None of that was expected and while it’s taken a full team forwards, a guy that provides elite value on the left side as a
effort, a lot of credit has to go to the man brought in at the point-producing, play-driving winger. Those are very hard to
deadline to put this team over the top. After a shaky start to come by, especially at the level Schwartz played at, but
his Blue Jackets’ career, Matt Duchene has eight points in that’s not a level he was ever able to reach this season,
six playoff games and has been the team’s best play-driving mostly because he couldn’t score, converting on just six
forward (in fact, their only forward above break-even in shot percent of his shots. That’s less than half of his career
attempts). That’s all while playing fewer minutes than other average.
top forwards as Duchene leads all players remaining with a
points-per-60 rate of 4.73. Well, he picked a fantastic time to finally get hot and put
some pucks in the net, becoming a major focal point of St.
Duchene and the Blue Jackets have only played six games Louis’ offence. His playoffs didn’t exactly start that way, but
so far, but he’s made his presence felt in each one, once he was reunited with Brayden Schenn the fireworks
culminating in what was the most monumental goal of his began. In Game 5 of the opening round, Schwartz scored the
career so far: the double-overtime winner in Game 2 of the last minute winner to stun the Jets and then became a one-
second round. Duchene has waited his entire career for a man show in Game 6, scoring all three goals en route to a
taste of playoff action past the first round and is showcasing Blues’ victory. He kept the magic going in Game 2 and 3
now what he’s been longing to his entire career. It took a lot against the Stars with a goal in each and now has six goals
to acquire him, but it’s been worth it many times over for a in his last four games and one minute. Not bad for a guy that
Columbus team that’s waited even longer than Duchene has scored 11 goals all season.
to taste sweet playoff success. The city and the player are a
perfect match for each other. His 5-on-5 play remains sterling too as his plus-six at 5-on-5
is tied for second in the playoffs and he has an amazing 59
4. Brent Burns, S.J percent Corsi to go with it. That part of his game never left
Game Score: 10.4 (10th), 1.16 per game (17th) this year, but his goal-scoring prowess abandoned him in
what was a frustrating season for Schwartz. Timing is
Stanley Cup Probability: 15.1 percent (4th) everything though and there’s no better time to go on a tear
One of the game’s best offensive defensemen is doing the than right now in the playoffs.
usual. Brent Burns is tied for second in playoff scoring with Other Candidates
11 points in nine games, has 25 shots, leads all players in
ice-time at nearly 30 minutes-per-game and is a focal point Nathan MacKinnon, COL: There’s one single thing holding
of San Jose’s offence, especially on the power play. Nothing MacKinnon out of the top five and one thing only: his team’s
new or noteworthy there, just business as usual. chances. MacKinnon has been, for my money, the single
most dominant skater in these playoffs and has the highest
If that was it for Burns I’d hesitate to call him a front-runner average Game Score so far at 1.77. The next best skater
for the Conn Smythe, despite the gaudy point totals, but that’s not on his own team (Tyson Barrie and Mikko
these playoffs are different. They have brought about a new Rantanen deserve praise too) and still playing are Jordan
side of Burns as he’s been thrust into the role of a shutdown Eberle, Duchene and Slavin at 1.24. Colorado currently
defenseman, a role he’s really taken a shine to and a move holds the third-lowest odds of winning the Stanley Cup,
that was critical to the Sharks’ first-round comeback. He’s severely limiting the likelihood of MacKinnon being playoff
been a major catalyst of the Sharks’ success so far, just not MVP. But if there’s any player left that can singlehandedly
in the usual way. will his team to a championship, it’s MacKinnon.
Burns saw a steady dose of Vegas’ top line in Round 1 and Ben Bishop, DAL: Just like the regular season, Bishop has
out-scored them 2-1 while earning a majority of the shot and done everything he can so far to push the Stars forward. His
expected goals share. In Round 2 the matchup game has .931 is second to only Robin Lehner so far in these playoffs,
been amplified even further against the Nathan MacKinnon as is his high danger save percentage of .899. The Stars
line and the Sharks have been able to keep them in check have had other great performances from their top line and
too, being out-attempted just 37-31 while keeping the John Klingberg, but without Bishop in net, they’d likely be
scoreline even at 2-2. toast. He edges them out – for now.CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
Robin Lehner, NYI: The Islanders being down 2-0 in round danger areas during the playoffs so far, allowing just two
two is not Lehner’s fault, far from it. He’s the largest reason goals on 42 shots for a .955 in the most dangerous area of
they’ve gotten this far to begin with and he’d be at the top of the ice. For context, the regular season leader was Bishop at
the list if not for the fact his team has the lowest odds of .885.
winning it all at present time. He leads every goalie in every
major category, stopping over 95 percent of shots faced so Here are the top 25 based on each player’s average Game
far, but perhaps most impressive is what he’s done in high Score and their team’s odds of winning the Stanley Cup.
Mrazek day to day for Hurricanes, uncertain for Game 3 against Islanders
Goalie has lower-body injury; van Riemsdyk, Maenalanen TV timeout, he skated to the bench and left for the locker
will not play room.
by Kurt Dusterberg "I think Petr got hurt before the last little play there, so we
kind of knew something was up," Brind'Amour said Sunday.
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Petr Mrazek is day to day for the Carolina "When he came to the bench, you could see that he was
Hurricanes entering Game 3 of the Eastern Conference dejected. He definitely wanted to be a part of this. Hopefully,
Second Round against the New York Islanders at PNC it is not too serious."
Arena on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).
Mrazek made 31 saves in a 1-0 overtime victory in Game 1
"That's actually good news there," Hurricanes coach Rod and extended his personal shutout streak to 135:04 dating to
Brind'Amour said Monday. Game 7 of the first round against the Washington Capitals
Brind'Amour did not speak to Mrazek's status for Game 3 before allowing a goal to Islanders center Mathew Barzal at
past the statement that he is day to day. 13:17 of the first period Sunday.
The goalie sustained a lower-body injury during the second The shutout streak was the second longest in
period of a 2-1 win in Game 2 at Barclays Center on Sunday. Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history during the Stanley Cup
He was replaced by Curtis McElhinney at 6:27 of the second Playoffs. Kevin Weekes went 143:55 without allowing a goal
with the Islanders leading 1-0. McElhinney made 17 saves for Carolina in the 2002 playoffs.
and was credited with the victory to give Carolina a 2-0 lead Hurricanes defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is out with an
in the best-of-7 series. upper-body injury, sustained during his first shift in Game 2
It was McElhinney's first game since he made 28 saves in when he was checked by Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck,
Carolina's regular-season finale, a 4-3 win against the and will be further evaluated Tuesday. Forward Saku
Philadelphia Flyers on April 6. Mrazek played 40 regular- Maenalanen (upper body) will not play again in the second
season games, McElhinney 33. round but could return later in the playoffs if Carolina
advances.
"Even this year, how we were doing it, he doesn't need a lot
of work to be sharp," Brind'Amour said. "That's kind of been "[Maenalanen] is going to be longer, for sure," Brind'Amour
his role all of his career, going long stretches without getting said. "You're not going to see him this series."
in there. He looked great (Sunday) with having zero practice Forwards Andrei Svechnikov (concussion) and Micheal
time and no games in, like, 20 days. That's a pro, and that's Ferland (upper body) will practice Tuesday. Each skated
what we've got in him." Monday and remains day to day.
Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic was recalled on an emergency basis Forward Jordan Martinook (lower body) did not skate and is
from Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Monday. also day to day.
Mrazek, who made nine saves before he was injured, was "It's not just been recent," Brind'Amour said of Martinook's
flexing his left leg for several minutes after making a save injury. "It's something that's been nagging him for a long
against Islanders forward Leo Komarov at 2:07. At the next time. He's going to need a lot of time to heal up. These
couple days will be good for him."CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
Hurricanes can't rely on luck in Game 3 against Islanders
Must play better despite winning first two in playoff series The Hurricanes have won four consecutive games since
trailing the Washington Capitals 3-2 in the first round despite
by Tom Gulitti getting sporadic production from their top forwards
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Luck is often in the eye of the beholder throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Staal, who has seven
and coach Rod Brind'Amour can see how the Carolina points (three goals, four assists) and Foegele, who is first in
Hurricanes have experienced both sides of it so far in the the NHL among rookies with five playoff goals, have been
Eastern Conference Second Round against the New York clutch, but Carolina is looking for more from others.
Islanders. Sebastian Aho (two goals, three assists) and Teuvo
Considering the Hurricanes didn't play near their best in the Teravainen (three goals, two assists) each have five points in
first two games, they feel fortunate to be leading the the playoffs, Justin Williams has four (one goal, three
Islanders 2-0 in the best-of-7 series with Game 3 coming up assists) and Niederreiter has three (one goal, two assists).
at PNC Arena on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, The good news is Niederreiter appears to be heating up. He
TVAS). assisted on Staal's overtime winner in Game 1 and he
They got a bit of a lucky bounce on Jordan Staal's sharp- defected in Teravainen's shot for the winning goal in Game
angle winning goal in a 1-0 overtime victory in Game 1 on 2.
Friday and were outplayed for much of Game 2 on Sunday "He's got to be a big part of this or we're not going to move
but received goals 48 seconds apart from Warren Foegele on,"
and Nino Niederreiter in the opening 1:05 of the third period Brind'Amour said. "Our best players have got to be involved.
to pull out a 2-1 win. That's the way it works this time of year. He's one of them.
"I didn't like yesterday's game," Brind'Amour said Monday. We've got to get him going. There's other guys too that need
"There were a lot of errors. We gave up way too many to step up their game. But that's good, in my opinion, that
chances. But the compete was there. I think that's the we're still playing at this time of year and we've got guys that
foundation of our group, so I'm not going to fault anything need to be better."
there." That's the positive way of looking at it. There are some
It's difficult to blame Brind'Amour for feeling that way with the negatives, beginning with Carolina's power play, which is on
slew of injuries the Hurricanes have experienced. Carolina a 0-for-21 drought since defenseman Dougie Hamilton
was already missing forwards Andrei Svechnikov scored in the third period (his second power-play goal of the
(concussion), Micheal Ferland (upper body) and Jordan game) of a 5-0 win in Game 3 of the first round against
Martinook (lower body) before losing goalie Petr Mrazek Washington.
(lower body), defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk (upper The Hurricanes haven't been nearly as good at breaking out
body) and forward Saku Maenalanen (upper body) during of their defensive zone against the Islanders as they were
Game 2. against the Capitals either.
But somehow, the Hurricanes managed to hold the Islanders Some of their good fortune included shots from Islanders
to one goal in the first two games, and that one, credited to forward Jordan Eberle and defenseman Ryan Pulock that
Mathew Barzal, was deflected in by Carolina defenseman went off the crossbar in the third period Sunday.
Jaccob Slavin.
Brind'Amour knows how quickly those fortunes can turn. In
"Can we do better? Yes," Brind'Amour said. "The power play the span of a week, the Hurricanes went from facing
was no good again. That has to get better. We gave up a lot elimination in the first round against the Capitals, including
of chances for no reason, and that's the part where we got surviving two overtimes in a 4-3 win in Game 7, to being two
fortunate, for sure. If they're going to get their chances, we wins away from advancing to Eastern Conference Final.
have to make sure we make them earn them and can't just
give away breakaways and stuff that were just kind of not "It's like this all the time and you've got to be sharp because
managing the puck. Those things have got to get cleaned up, a week can look great and it can also put you right out of it,"
but again, we worked really hard and, yeah, you can say we Brind'Amour said. "So, that's why it's a mental grind. The
got lucky here and there. physical stuff is what everyone talks about because you see
it, guys getting dinged up, but it's that mental grind that really
"But we got unlucky on the first goal. We got unlucky to have is what the playoffs are all about."
all these injuries happen the way they are. So, it's kind of
going both ways. It depends on which side of the fence
you're on."CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
Facts and Figures: Hurricanes extend playoff winning streak to four games
Run tied for second-longest in Carolina history behind 2006 Avalanche get rare win in San Jose
Stanley Cup champions
The Colorado Avalanche defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-3
NHL.com in Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round to
even the best-of-7 series 1-1. It was their third win at SAP
The storm surge was in full force for the Carolina Hurricanes Center since the 2008-09 season (3-16-5 including regular
during a 2-1 win against the New York Islanders in Game 2 season and playoffs). Before Sunday, Colorado's last victory
of the Eastern Conference Second Round that gave them a in San Jose was Dec. 28, 2015; their other win in that span
2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. was Game 1 of 2010 Western Conference Quarterfinals.
The Hurricanes enter Game 3 at PNC Arena on Wednesday Tyson Barrie had a goal and two assists for his second
(7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS) winners of four three-point NHL playoff game, and Nathan MacKinnon (one
consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff games, dating to Game 6 of goal, one assist) and Mikko Rantanen (one assist) each
the first round. The run is tied for the second-longest in extended their point streaks to six games. The forwards have
Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history, behind seven straight combined for 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) and are the
by the 2006 team that won the Stanley Cup. first Avalanche players with a postseason point streak of at
Warren Foegele and Nino Niederreiter each scored in the least six games since Peter Forsberg (four goals, six assists
opening 1:05 of the third period to set a Hurricanes/Whalers in seven games) and Joe Sakic (four goals, four assists in six
record for the fastest two goals to start a playoff period, games) during the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
previously owned by Ray Whitney and Carolina coach Rod Rookies power Blues, Stars into Game 3
Brind'Amour. The two scored 1:15 apart in the third period of
Game 2 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals The St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars play Game 3 of the
against the Montreal Canadiens. second round at American Airlines Center on Monday (8
p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS). The winner of Game 3 when a
Foegele has seven points (five goals, two assists) in the best-of-7 series is tied 1-1 is 213-103 (67.4 percent),
2019 playoffs, second behind Erik Cole's nine points (six including 1-3 in 2019.
goals, three assists) in 2002 for most goals and points by a
Hurricanes/Whalers rookie in a postseason year. Blues rookie goalie Jordan Binnington has 29 wins in 38
Niederreiter, the No. 5 pick the 2010 NHL Draft, scored his starts (regular season and postseason combined) since his
fourth career postseason game-winning goal and is one of first NHL start Jan. 7. He can tie an NHL record for fewest
two Hurricanes who was a first-round pick of the Islanders starts to reach 30 wins owned by Frederik Andersen, who
(Calvin de Haan, No. 12, 2009). won his 30th game in his 39th start with the Anaheim Ducks
on Oct. 31, 2014.
Carolina is two wins from the Eastern Conference Final even
with six players sidelined with injuries. Starting goalie Petr Stars forward Roope Hintz has seven points (four goals,
Mrazek was one of three Hurricanes who left Game 2; three assists) in eight games and is tied with Foegele for
Mrazek stopped nine of 10 shots and extended his shutout most points among rookies during the 2019 playoffs. Hintz's
streak to 135:04 before leaving because of a lower-body four goals equaled the highest total in one postseason by a
injury. Curtis McElhinney made 17 saves in his first game Stars rookie since the team relocated to Dallas from
since April 6 and is the third-oldest goalie (35 years, 340 Minnesota in 1993; Niko Kapanen scored four times in 12
days) to earn his first postseason victory behind Lester games in 2003.
Patrick (44 years, 99 days) and Eddie Johnston (36 years,
136 days).
Injuries piling up for Hurricanes during playoff run
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Carolina a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is
Mrazek is day to day with a lower body injury while Wednesday night.
defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is out with an upper body
injury. Mrazek, who has 210 saves on 230 shots faced while going
5-3 in the playoffs, left Sunday’s game 6½ minutes into the
Coach Rod Brind’Amour also said Monday forward Saku second period. He was replaced by Curtis McElhinney, who
Maenalanen is expected to miss the rest of the second-round stopped all 17 shots he saw.
series with the New York Islanders with an upper body injury.
Brind’Amour described Mrazek’s status as “actually good
Brind’Amour spoke a day after the Hurricanes’ list of injuries news” because it means the injury doesn’t appear to be long
grew considerably during a 2-1 victory in New York that gaveCAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
term. Still, the team recalled goalie Alex Nedeljkovic from its Forwards Andrei Svechnikov (concussion protocol) and
AHL affiliate in Charlotte on an emergency basis. Micheal Ferland (upper body) have not played since Game 3
of the Washington series and have been characterized as
Van Riemsdyk was hurt about 30 seconds into Sunday’s day to day by Brind’Amour, who says their availability will be
game after taking a hard hit from Cal Clutterbuck. He skated determined after practice Tuesday.
off the ice holding his left shoulder and sat on the bench for
several minutes before heading to the dressing room. Additionally, forward Jordan Martinook — who left Game 4
Maenalanen was injured in the third period. against Washington with a lower body injury after his heel
slammed into the boards while he attempted a hit — returned
In all, six Hurricanes are dealing with publicly disclosed two games later. Brind’Amour says having three days
injuries, with three of them coming during the first-round between games will benefit Martinook, whose injury has
series against the Washington Capitals. “been nagging him for a long time.”
Brind'Amour: 'Good news' on Mrazek
TSN.ca Staff "He definitely wanted to be a part of this. Hopefully, it is not
too serious."
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek's status for
Game 3 against the New York Islanders remains uncertain, Mrazek posted a 31-save shutout in Game 1 and has started
though head coach Rod Brind'Amour expressed optimism on all nine of the team's playoff games this spring. He has a
Monday. .913 save percentage with a 2.22 goals-against average in
the postseason.
"That's actually good news there," Brind'Amour said, but the
head coach declined to expand further than ruling the The team recalled goalie Alex Nedeljkovic from the AHL's
goaltender day-to-day. Charlotte Checkers on Monday.
Mrazek exited Sunday's Game 2 victory over the New York Prior to entering Sunday's game, McElhinney had last played
Islanders in the second period with a lower-body injury. on April 6. He had a 20-11-2 record in the regular season
He was replaced by backup Curtis McElhinney with the with a .912 save percentage and a 2.58 GAA.
Hurricanes trailing the Islanders 1-0. McElhinney turned
aside all 17 shots he faced as the Hurricanes rallied to win "Pretty hard to come off the bench and not face any shots for
the game 2-1 for a 2-0 series lead. Mrazek left the game six a period or so, and for him to come in, that's huge,"
and a half minutes into the second frame, but appeared to be Hurricanes forward Warren Foegele said of McElhinney.
in discomfort minutes earlier after making a stop on Leo "Both our goalies this year have been unbelievable, and I'm
Komarov. not surprised to see [McElhinney] play like that. Both goalies
have been tremendous, and they've both been able to
"I think Petr got hurt before the last little play there, so we answer the bell, and it's not easy coming in sitting on the
kind of knew something was up," head coach Rod bench so long. Heck of a job by [McElhinney] coming in
Brind'Amour said post-game on Sunday. "When he came to cold."
the bench, you could see that he was dejected.
Game 3 of the first-round series will take place on
Wednesday in Carolina.
The Hurricanes are now a 'Bunch of Stanley Cup Favorites'
Kyle Cantlon odds of winning the Stanley Cup after Carolina went up 2-0
in their series with the New York Islanders on Monday.
Ahh, yes, the words we all thought we’d be uttering at the
end of April: The Carolina Hurricanes are your Stanley Cup The Boston Bruins, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in
favourites. another epic seven-game battle and sit tied 1-1 with the
surging Columbus Blue Jackets in their second-round
At least according to several prominent Vegas sports books, matchup, are currently listed behind the Hurricanes with 9/2
including SuperBookUSA — who gave the ‘Canes the bestCAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
odds. Columbus along with the Sharks — who are 1-1 with like Bovada heading into the 2018-19 campaign. It’s worth
Colorado — round out the top four with 5/1 odds. noting how subjective and fluid championship odds are and
that many shifting factors, including betting patterns, have
The Islanders, after dropping Game 1 and 2 at home to big influence in how the lines are set, but this is still an
Carolina, fell to 16/1 favourites, which ranks eighth of the extremely impressive feat for a team that had to scratch and
eight squads remaining in the post-season. claw just to be anywhere near the conversation.
FanDuel is one of several other popular books jumping on Despite just barely squeaking into the playoffs over the
the Hurricanes, listing them as favourites at plus-430, with season’s final days, the Hurricanes entered the postseason
the Sharks and Bruins just behind at plus-460 and plus-500, peaking as one of the NHL’s hottest clubs while riding their
respectively, as of Monday afternoon. strong 5-v-5 possession and production numbers to a
It’s obviously a remarkable climb for a team that was given monumental seven-game upset of Washington in the
absurdly long odds (plus-6000) by books opening round.
Jaccob Slavin’s days as one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL are numbered
Slavin has been a standout for the Hurricanes since he broke Slavin is the consummate do-it-all defenseman, and he does
into the league, but this post-season has seen him step into indeed do it all for the Hurricanes. Throughout the regular
the spotlight like never before and he's starting to get the season, Slavin led all Carolina defensemen in even strength
credit he deserves. ice time at 18:50 per game. He ranked second in
shorthanded ice time with 2:24 spent on the kill per outing.
By Jared Clinton And though not on the top power play unit, Slavin manned
The top of the post-season scoring list is somewhat unique the second group with his 1:48 per game third among
through the early stages of the second round for no reason Hurricanes defensemen, though only four ticks back of
other than three of the four players fighting for the playoff Dougie Hamilton’s second-place average ice time. True as it
scoring lead are blueliners. At the top is Brent Burns, the San may be, too, that the situation on some bluelines would
Jose Sharks Norris Trophy-contending rearguard, who has thrust Slavin into bigger ice time and minutes at all strengths
11 points. Behind him is teammate Erik Karlsson, set to because of a dearth of defensive depth, rest assured that’s
become one of the hottest free agents in the league, at 10 not the case in Carolina, where one of the deepest defense
points. And tied with Karlsson for third place in post-season corps in the entire NHL exists.
scoring is…Jaccob Slavin? It’s one thing to play those minutes. It’s another to thrive in
No doubt, one of these things is not like the other, but you those situations, which Slavin has absolutely proven he can.
can check the league’s scoring leaders for yourself if you’re Of his 31 points during the regular season, Slavin scored 22
in doubt. What you’ll see is Slavin, right there alongside at evens, seven on the power play and even added one
Karlsson, with 10 points through nine games with the shorthanded goal and two points while down a skater. More
Carolina Hurricanes this post-season. And while Burns and than simple offense, though, Slavin has shown an ability to
Doughty are no strangers to press, Slavin has arguably been push play as good as, if not better than, his defensive
one of the NHL’s best-kept secrets. counterparts.
Putting the spotlight on Slavin this post-season is This past season, for instance, Slavin finished the campaign
undoubtedly his offense, primarily because he’s produced a with a 54.7 Corsi percentage, 53.9 shots percentage, 54.7
whole lot of it and it’s far easier to measure. His nine assists scoring chances percentage and 54.3 high-danger chances
in the first round matched Karlsson’s output and saw both percentage at five-a-side. He managed those marks despite
blueliners tie for the second-most assists by a defenseman in having the lowest offensive zone start percentage, 53
a single playoff round in NHL history, two back of the record percent, of any Hurricanes defenseman. And while his goals
of 11 assists jointly held by Paul Coffey and Al MacInnis. And for percentage was a meager 48.2 percent, Slavin fell victim
when it matters most, Slavin was all over the scoresheet in to poor on-ice scoring percentages as much as anything. His
Round 1. In Game 7 against the Washington Capitals, Slavin expected goals for per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 was 2.99 given
picked up a helper on Sebastian Aho’s shorthanded goal, the the quality of opportunities for which he was on the ice. His
primary assist on Jordan Staal’s game-tying goal and it was actual rate was 2.21 per 60 minutes. No Hurricanes blueliner
Slavin who started the play that resulted in Brock McGinn’s had a greater disparity between expected and actual goals
double-overtime series winner. for, according to NaturalStatTrick.
But there’s much more to Slavin than offense. Matter of fact, When you take into account more than one season’s data,
offense usually comes second for Slavin, who logged nearly though, Slavin’s goals for percentage gets back to even
40 minutes of ice time in Game 7, has averaged nearly 27 footing and his other underlying numbers only sing louder.
through nine games this spring and has been leaned on Removing his rookie season from the equation – only
more heavily than any of the Hurricanes’ other rearguards. because he was getting his feet wet and wasn’t yet the top-
minute man in Carolina, not for one second because hisCAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
numbers were subpar – Slavin has posted a 54.3 Corsi That play throughout the past three seasons has carried over
percentage, 53.9 shots percentage, 53.6 scoring chance into his first turn in the post-season, too. He has been simply
percentage and 55.1 high-danger chance percentage at 5- exceptional, driving play remarkably well – 56.5 Corsi
on-5. That goes along with a 50.8 goals for percentage, percentage and 57.9 shots percentage at 5-on-5 – and
which is awfully impressive given his 47.1 offensive zone possessing a 64.7 goals for percentage at five-a-side
start percentage over the past three combined seasons, not through the first nine games of the playoffs. He has drawn
to mention the state of the Hurricanes goaltending in the two the tough assignments and won those matchups. And he’s
seasons prior to the current campaign. cemented himself as the leader of the defense, the top guy
on a blueline that also boasts Justin Faulk, Brett Pesce and
Admittedly, those numbers are useless without context. So, Dougie Hamilton.
how’s this? There are 118 defensemen who have skated a
total of at least 3,000 minutes at 5-on-5 over the past three What does it mean for Slavin? As far as the post-season is
seasons. Slavin ranks sixth in Corsi percentage, 10th in concerned, it means he’s giving the Hurricanes the best
shots percentage, 14th in scoring chances percentage and chance to continue their season beyond the second round,
seventh in high-danger chances percentage. His goals for and his helper in Game 2 on the game-winning goal helped
percentage is his worst mark, coming in at 53rd. That said, Carolina to a 2-0 series lead. But beyond this campaign, it
he has suffered through the 23rd-lowest on-ice save means there’s likely to be that much more attention paid to
percentage despite the 27th-lowest expected goals against him going forward. And after accumulating a mere three fifth-
per 60 minutes rate of the entire group. That goals for place votes for the Norris over the past two seasons, it
percentage is hardly on him, especially when taking into stands to reason that voters will be paying much more
consideration his 54.7 expected goals for percentage. attention to Slavin moving forward. That’s what happens
when a secret gets out.
Systems Analyst: How to Steal a Game in 48 Seconds
A quick burst of offensive firepower was all the Canes off of his angle. Foegele spots the opening on the blocker
needed to commit larceny. side and makes no mistake.
By Ford Hatchett With the right defenseman having to cover a lot of ground
and therefore leaving Foegele a lot of space, the left hand
Game 2 certainly was not the Carolina Hurricanes’ prettiest shot is able to pull the puck to his forehand and wire it past
game of the postseason. Despite being largely outplayed by Lehner.
the Islanders and suffering several injuries, including one
which sidelined starting goaltender Petr Mrazek, the Canes Just 48 seconds later, the Canes would strike again on a
were able to steal another road playoff game. Nino Niederreiter redirection. Jaccob Slavin would register
his 10th assist of the playoffs on the goal, but it was his stick
All of Carolina’s offense came within the first two minutes of in the neutral zone which stymied an Islanders rush and
the third period, leading Isles’ coach Barry Trotz to proclaim kickstarted Carolina’s breakout.
after the game that the Hurricanes “had 48 seconds of pretty
good hockey.” The Canes execute a clean breakout and gain zone entry
fairly easily.
The first of the pair of goals began in the Hurricanes’
defensive zone with Saku Maenalanen bodying down a puck After about 20 seconds of sustained pressure, the puck
that was wrapped along the glass. Protecting the puck from squirts loose to the corner. Niederreiter loses the race to
the pinching Devon Toews, Maenalanen takes a look Brock Nelson, but ties up Nelson allowing game one
towards the middle and recognizes that center Lucas overtime hero Jordan Staal to retrieve the puck and send it
Wallmark is open. back to Jaccob Slavin. Slavin walks the line and dishes to
Teuvo Teravainen who has curled up to the blue line and
Wallmark realizes that, with Toews pinching, the left presents as an option.
defenseman has vacated his position and winger Matt Martin
is filling in. With Martin’s stick at his waist instead of on the Teravainen’s trek to the blue line slowly pulls an Islander
ice, Wallmark recognizes that a bank pass in neutral ice is defenseman out to him, but he has time to get a shot through
possible. to the net.
Wallmark’s pass finds playoff hero Warren Foegele. Foegele Niederreiter fights through Nelson holding on to his stick,
receives the puck in stride and catches Robin Lehner leaning eventually dumping Nelson to the ice.CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
Nelson pops right back up, but not in time to prevent the The Canes will return Wednesday up 2-0 to a raucous crowd
former Islander draft pick from redirecting Teravainen’s wrist in Raleigh, but will likely need a more complete offensive
shot and tallying the eventual game-winner. effort in order to take a stranglehold on the series.
Hurricanes recall Alex Nedeljkovic, Jake Bean from Charlotte
With Petr Mrazek sidelined, Nedeljkovic gets the expected Maenalanen’s spot in the lineup on Wednesday. Haydn
callup from Charlotte. Fleury will draw in for van Riemsdyk, and it would be no
surprise to see a seventh defenseman, probably Jake Bean,
By Brian LeBlanc recalled before Game 3 for insurance (update: that’s exactly
As expected, the Carolina Hurricanes recalled goaltender what happened). The Checkers are off until Friday, when
Alex Nedeljkovic from the AHL Charlotte Checkers on they open their second-round series against Hershey with a
Monday, a day after Petr Mrazek left the Canes’ 2-1 Game 2 back-to-back in Charlotte.
win over the New York Islanders with what appeared to be a The release from the team is below.
groin injury.
CANES RECALL NEDELJKOVIC FROM CHARLOTTE
Coach Rod Brind’Amour said after the game that Mrazek’s
injury was similar to the one that sidelined him for a few Nedeljkovic was named AHL’s top goaltender in 2018-19
games in November, at a time when Curtis McElhinney went
on a run of form that kept him in the starter’s job for the next Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the
month or so. Brind’Amour said on Monday that Mrazek’s National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today
injury is day to day, and not quite as bad as first feared, so announced that the team has recalled goaltender Alex
he could be returning sooner rather than later. In the Nedeljkovic from the Charlotte Checkers of the American
meantime, the Canes expect McElhinney to start for the next Hockey League (AHL) on an emergency basis.
couple of games. Nedeljkovic, 23, won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial
Brind’Amour also updated the status of the Canes’ lengthy Award as the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender during the
list of the walking wounded on Monday morning. Saku 2018-19 season. The 6’0”, 189-pound netminder led the AHL
Maenalanen (upper body) is not expected back for the in wins (34), goals-against average (2.26) and minutes
remainder of the second round, and Trevor van Riemsdyk played (2,917), and posted a career-high save percentage of
(upper body) is visiting doctors today but will not be returning .916. Earlier this season, he became the fifth goaltender in
in the near future. Both Micheal Ferland (upper body) and franchise history to win his first career NHL start with 24
Andrei Svechnikov (concussion) skated today on an off day saves at Vancouver on Jan. 23. In 125 career AHL games,
for the team, and both are likely to practice tomorrow with a Nedeljkovic has registered a 73-35-9 record, 2.59 goals-
further evaluation of their availability for Wednesday’s Game against average, .904 save percentage and 10 shutouts. The
3 to follow. Parma, Ohio, native was drafted by the Hurricanes in the
second round, 37th overall, of the 2014 NHL Draft.
Given that Nedeljkovic was the only callup, the Canes seem
optimistic that one of the injured forwards will be able to take
About Last Night: Escape from New York
Carolina returns home in control of the series, but dealing that proved to be a harbinger of what was to come in the
with a new bevy of injuries. third.
By Andy House Like two cracks of lightning, the Canes struck twice in just 48
seconds to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. A lead they
Just when you think the Carolina Hurricanes have dug as would never relinquish. It got started just 17 seconds into the
deep as they can to pull out yet another gutty victory, they third with Warren Foegele doing his best “Jordan Staal
dig even deeper out of necessity. That is exactly what they Game 7” impersonation, beating Robin Lehner stick side with
did on Sunday afternoon as they snatched a 2-1 win away a shot from right wing. The offensive storm concluded with
from the New York Islanders and now return home to PNC the Canes quickly re-establishing offensive zone pressure
Arena with a commanding 2-0 series lead. and a shot from the point by Teuvo Teravainen being re-
The Good - Patience leads to a burst of offense directed in from by Nino Niederreiter to give the Canes all the
offense they would require.
The Canes did not put together the most complete offensive
performance you will see from a team in the playoffs. But While the offense only managed 18 shots on net, the
with a fourth line completely manned by players who spent important thing was that as the Isles allowed them to stay in
most of the season in Charlotte, it is hard to expect much in the game by not converting chances, the Canes slowly but
terms of offensive punch at times. What the Canes did do surely built a game that was substantial. They carried the
was remain patient in their game. They continued to be play for significant portions of the second and third period.
fundamentally sound, getting pucks deep into the zone and Instead of trying to get outside of what has made them
forcing the Islanders to work the puck out of their own end. successful in the past few games in an attempt to create
As the game stabilized late in the second period with the more offensive chances, the Canes doubled down on their
score at just 1-0 Isles, the Canes began to generate chances lunch pail approach and were rewarded for their efforts.CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • April 30, 2019
The Bad - The injuries continue to mount For the Hurricanes players, coaches, and fans, what Curtis
McElhinney did on Sunday afternoon in relief of Petr Mrazek
While there is no reason not to be ecstatic about bringing a was not surprising. The 35-year-old veteran was acquired
2-0 series lead home in what should feature nothing but just one day before the season commenced, but since day
close games for the entire series, the Canes nevertheless one, he has been an integral part of the success of this team
continue to deal with significant adversity on the injury front. that very likely would not have qualified for the playoffs
The latest casualties were Petr Mrazek, who had been without his stellar work in 33 games this season. With 22
sterling in net for the Canes all postseason, Trevor van days since his last action on the season’s final day in
Riemsdyk and Saku Maenalanen. Philadelphia, McElhinney picked up exactly where he left off
Mrazek appeared to aggravate his right leg at some point as he stopped all 17 shots he faced, with help from his good
during the second period as he attempted to push across the friends Justin Williams and Mr. Crossbar on a few occasions.
crease to make a save on a developing two-on-one for the McElhinney arrived in the game, just his third postseason
Isles. A minute or so later, during a stoppage in play, he appearance in his 11-year NHL career, with the same
notified the bench and skated off to the room in frustration, aggressiveness and confidence that Mrazek has exhibited
leaving the net to Curtis McElhinney. (More on him in a throughout the playoffs. His challenge on a Mathew Barzal
moment.) At the end of the game, there was no news from chance from point blank range showed that rust would not be
Rod Brind’Amour about the length that Mrazek would be a factor for McElhinney, and his efforts in the mad scramble
sidelined, but it would seem unlikely that he would play as to close Game 2 will leave the Canes with the sense that
the series returns to Raleigh. they are in good hands in net, despite losing Mrazek.
The loss of van Riemsdyk was likely felt most during While the loss of depth is certainly a concern (Alex
Sunday’s action. Nedeljkovic will almost certainly be recalled from Charlotte),
The hit absorbed from Cal Clutterbuck was on the first shift the Canes will not enter Game 3 expecting there to be a drop
of the game, and resulted in the Canes operating with just in play from their goalie. That is an undervalued asset that
five defensemen for the entirety of Game 2. The Canes most teams do not have the luxury of having. With that
managed, as the average time on ice for the five Carolina confidence, the Canes skaters do not have to adjust their
blueliners in Game 2 was just over 23 minutes. Brind’Amour game to “protect” a vulnerable netminder. Time will tell of
indicated that TVR would likely be sidelined for a significant McElhinney can sustain the excellent work in net for
length of time, meaning that Haydn Fleury is likely to draw Carolina, but if his pop quiz on Sunday is any indication, the
back into the lineup for the first time since Game 3 against Canes should feel good as the long test of the Stanley Cup
Washington. Playoffs continues.
The other loss for the Canes was unsung grinder Saku Moral of the Story
Maenalanen. He exited in the third period with a hand injury. The bottom line is, the Hurricanes did everything you would
It is said that the injury will require surgery, but Maenalanen want and more in New York. Up 2-0 in the series, Carolina
is only expected to miss 10-14 days. While Maenalanen has has a chance to return home and end the series with a pair
just one assist in seven playoff games, his contributions of quality efforts. Low-scoring, tight-checking battles are the
physically, as well as providing stable play on the third or name of the game in this series, so no one expects the
fourth lines, certainly cannot be overlooked. The Canes will Canes to return home and just blow the Isles out of the
have to hope that they have some returning forwards in water. They will have to remain committed to the grinding
Jordan Martinook and/or Andrei Svechnikov to fill the void. game they have built in the first two contests, and prepare for
The Great - Mac Attack what will surely be a desperate Islanders team on
Wednesday night.You can also read
