Is what we saw in Game 1 of both the Western Conference Final and the Eastern Conference Final indicative of what we will see over the course of the rest of each series? Will the narratives change?
Those questions and more are asked and answered on this week's "NHL @TheRink" podcast presented by SKIP.
Co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke go back and forth this week without a guest to interview and intervene.
They first dive into the East Final between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, leaning the conversation toward the Hurricanes and what they're dealing with as they prepare for Game 2 at Lenovo Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, MAX, SN, CBC, TVAS) after losing Game 1, 5-2.
Is there a mental game at play here for the Hurricanes, who have lost five straight conference final games against the Panthers dating to 2023 and 13 in a row since 2009? Rosen and Roarke discuss that and talk about the issues that the Hurricanes have to overcome, the same issues that plagued them in the 2023 conference final against the Panthers.
The conversation turns to the West Final between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers. Rosen and Roarke each do not think we'll see another meltdown from the Oilers like the one they had in the third period of Game 1 against the Stars at American Airlines Center on Wednesday, when they allowed five goals and lost 6-3.
However, Rosen brings up reasons why he picked the Stars in the series, and how all of them showed up in Game 1. Roarke talks about why he's not concerned about the Oilers even after the third period in Game 1.
They also discuss some of the off-ice news around the League, including the Boston Bruins giving general manager Don Sweeney an extension and the expected fallout from the Toronto Maple Leafs losing to the Panthers the way they did, 6-1, in Game 7 of the second round.
Listen to hear their opinions on the futures of Brendan Shanahan, Mitch Marner and John Tavares.
The "NHL @TheRink" podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
