Round 2 Preview: Canes vs. Rangers

RALEIGH, NC. - The Carolina Hurricanes' road to a Stanley Cup runs through New York once again.

It will be the third time in the last six seasons that these two organizations will meet in the playoffs, and the second time in three years that it will take place in the second round.

The Canes eliminated the New York Islanders during Round 1 and the Rangers made quick work of the Washington Capitals, needing just four games to advance.

Carolina and the Blueshirts played three times during the regular season, with New York taking two out of three.

Brady Skjei led the Canes with three points in those three games. All three of those assists came in the team's emphatic 6-1 win in New York on January 2.

For New York, Chris Kreider also had three points in three games, registering one point in all three meetings.

Revisiting The Regular Season Meetings...

• November 2: Penalties proved problematic as the Rangers took a 2-1 victory.
• January 2: Carolina makes a statement, winning 6-1 at Madison Square Garden.
• March 12: Igor Shesterkin spoiled Jake Guentzel's team debut, stopping all 28 shots sent his way in a 1-0 victory for New York in Raleigh.

Turning Things Up At Five-on-Five...

Although the Canes took care of the Islanders in five games in Round 1, the feeling from the locker room was that the team did not play anywhere near its full capabilities.

The Canes scored just five goals at five-on-five and they also allowed nine. Simply put, they'll need to be better at even strength against a strong Rangers team.

"There were spurts of it, but not a lot of complete games," Captain Jordan Staal said on Friday. "I think (the Islanders) did a really good job of taking away a lot of our speed with the way they defended. They didn't give up certain things that we were used to getting, so we had to find ways to win."

On the other side of things, the Rangers are probably thinking the same thing, despite sweeping the Washington Capitals.

Like the Canes, New York scored as many at five-on-five (8) as they gave up (8).

Both teams have had superb special teams this season, but right now each club is likely thinking that if they can find an edge at even strength in this series, that could be the difference.

"I think we can play a little better," Jake Guentzel chimed in. "We still got the wins, but for us, it's about imposing our will and getting on the forecheck to create some more offensive zone time. That's when we're at our best."

Special Teams...

Given that they finished the regular season with the league's best penalty kill (86.4%) and second-best power play (26.9%), it feels fair to say that the Canes had the league's best special teams.

However, if there was a club that was right there neck-and-neck with them, it would be the Rangers. New York finished third in both power play (26.4%) and penalty kill (84.5%), and had similar success in Round 1.

The Metropolitan Division Champions went 6-for-16 (37.5%) in the opening round against Washington, scoring almost as much on the man advantage as they did during the aforementioned five-on-five.

On the kill, they went 15-for-17 (89.5%), and held known power play force Alex Ovechkin pointless.

For Carolina, they published similar numbers against the Islanders. Going 5-for-15 on the PP (33.3%), they scored at least one in four of the five games.

While shorthanded, they went 8-for-11 (72.7%). On the positive side of that, no Eastern Conference team was shorthanded fewer than the 11 times that the Canes were.

They'll have to exercise the same sort of discipline in order to be successful in Round 2.

In Net...

Carolina: Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov, and Spencer Martin

One of the biggest questions entering postseason play for Rod Brind'Amour was whether he'd stick with the goaltending rotation that they'd used since Frederik Andersen returned in early March.

As it turned out, Andersen was phenomenal in Game 1 and never looked back.

Producing a .912 save percentage (SV%) in the five games played, it feels as though the crease is his until it's not.

"He was solid, all series," Brind'Amour said after his team's Game 5 victory. "He's done a great job since he's come back. Every game. We know how important goaltending is."

Relegating Pyotr Kochetkov to being the team's second option for the moment, Andersen offered praise for how the 24-year-old has approached things as he bides his time.

"He keeps a very light-spirited attitude. He's been awesome," the veteran backstop shared of his partner. "He's very youthful and energetic. He's been handling it really well and I think there will be a time where we're going to rely on everyone on this team."

New York: Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick

Since coming to the National Hockey League, Igor Shesterkin has been one of the best goalies.

There were times during the regular season when he looked human, but since the All-Star break, he has looked every bit of the form that won him the Vezina Trophy in 2022.

Going 17-5-1 with a .930 SV% dating back to February 5, no goalie who played more than 20 games had a better number league-wide. In Round 1, he registered a .931, and allowed just five even strength goals in four games.

The Canes have their work cut out for them, but they've found ways to beat him before.

On January 2, Carolina put six goals past Shesterkin, tied for the most he allowed all season long.

Players To Watch...

Carolina: Andrei Svechnikov

Andrei Svechnikov had just one goal during the Round 1 victory over the Islanders, and it was a redirected centering feed that was put home by an Islanders defender. And yet following the series, Brind'Amour said that the 24-year-old was the team's best player, a rare singled-out compliment from the head coach.

Looking like the true power forward that many have projected him to become for years, Svechnikov jumped up to the team's top line during the round, working seamlessly alongside Sebastian Aho and Jake Guentzel.

An important part of the team's first power play unit, #37 also provided a heavy dose of physicality during the five games.

"He was phenomenal," Brind'Amour remarked. "It just felt like every time he was on the ice, he was a force. It's a good sign."

New York: Vincent Trocheck

The former Hurricane had a career year this season, producing 77 points in 82 regular season games. He was one of the best at taking faceoffs league-wide too, winning 58.7% of his 1,500 draws.  Only John Tavares of the Maple Leafs (59.3%) was better.

And in Round 1, he kept both levels of that production going.

Dominating in the dot and winning 71.2% of his faceoffs, he also totaled six points in four games, second-best on New York's roster.

He presents a big challenge for a team that does not have a right-handed center on its roster and his former teammates know how tough he is to play against everywhere else on the ice too.

"He plays hard and we're going to have good battles out there. Everyone on this team is going to have to be their best against him. He's going to bring it and so will we," Staal answered when asked about Trocheck on Friday. "There will be some bad blood by the end of it, but from our time here, he was a great guy. I had a lot of fun with him. But we're here to win and I'm sure he's thinking the same."

Injury Report...

Carolina: Tony DeAngelo and Brett Pesce

When Brett Pesce went down during Round 1, Game 2 with a lower-body injury, Tony DeAngelo stepped into his spot. In Game 5, DeAngelo then left the game injured.

Fortunately, DeAngelo will be "good to go" for Sunday's Game 1, per Brind'Amour.

No. 77 took a heavy slash from Pierre Engvall while going back for a puck during the third period, but all X-rays were negative.

As for Pesce, Brind'Amour said he's not planning for him to be available in Round 2, but he's hopeful that he will be. President & General Manager Don Waddell said Wednesday that the trusty defender is out of a walking boot, but has yet to be on the ice.

New York: Adam Fox and Filip Chytil

Adam Fox did not skate at practice on Wednesday or Thursday for the Rangers after taking a knee-on-knee hit during Game 4 against Washington. The Rangers listed it as maintenance and Peter Laviolette was tight-lipped when asked for more info.

As for Chytil, he played just 10 games this season and none since suffering a concussion on November 2.

He has been practicing with the team without limitations for a few weeks now, but there's no information on whether he could be available during this series or not. The 24-year-old had 45 points in 72 games last season.

Where To Watch Every Game...

Can't make it to PNC Arena, or looking for a place to watch the road games in the series?

Visit any Carolina Ale House in the state to watch the Canes all throughout the playoffs.

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