Hall feels ‘at home’ with Hurricanes, playing key role during run to East Final

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Taylor Hall is pretty happy these days.

The 34-year-old forward is in the midst of a Stanley Cup Playoff run with the Carolina Hurricanes for the second time, chasing a championship that to this point has eluded him over the course of his NHL career. But there’s no doubt Hall is doing his part to change that.

He leads Carolina this postseason with 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 10 games, part of a dynamic second line with right wing Jackson Blake (11 points; four goals, seven assists) and center Logan Stankoven (eight points; seven goals, one assist), each right behind him in scoring.

“I feel at home here,” Hall said. “Over the course of the season, I felt like my game grew. Just getting on a line with ‘Stank’ and ‘Blakey’ and getting the opportunity was a lot of fun. We play well together. Usually, we have the puck a lot; we’re creating turnovers and we’re skating up and down the ice using pressure to create offense and that suits my game, along with just the group of guys here and Rod (Brind’Amour) as a coach.

“I can’t say enough good things about them and the way that they allow you to have a personality and let that come through here is huge. I think that’s why guys come here and play well and feel good about themselves.”

Hall arrived here on Jan. 24, 2025, part of a three-team trade that sent forward Mikko Rantanen from the Hurricanes to the Dallas Stars and also included the Chicago Blackhawks, who Hall played for at the time. The No. 1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft, he has 787 points (302 goals, 485 assists) in 989 games with the Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and the Hurricanes, and 47 points (19 goals, 28 assists) in 64 playoff games.

“You knew the pedigree,” Brind’Amour said. “He walked in and I just thought, ‘OK, what are we getting here?’ Right away, his ability was better than I thought. I thought, ‘Wow, this guy is a very, very good player.’ Then we had to find how to fit him in.

“His attitude was amazing. For a guy that has that pedigree and been around, we had him on the fourth line for a while, not playing much, (but) he just came in and played and played.”

Goalie Frederik Andersen said, “Having him and the way we got him, the attention the other players (got) in that trade, he was a little bit at the time forgotten, but he’s definitely made up for that and been a huge part of this team the last few years. I think he’s enjoyed it, too, coming in on a good team that has aspirations to do what we all want to do.”

Hall’s experience and drive have certainly been beneficial, particularly for his younger linemates. Stankoven is 23 years old; Blake is 22.

“I think it’s the speed and the creativity he brings; he’s a play-driver, a veteran guy,” Stankoven said. “Yeah, he’s been really good for us and really helpful for myself and ‘Blaker.’ I think all three of us, we’re not afraid to go to the dirty areas, and ‘Hallsy’ just brings that speed that makes our line what we are. So, he’s a great dude and fun to play with.”

Hall and his linemates will try to help move Carolina closer to the ultimate goal in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal on Monday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX). The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1 after the Hurricanes’ 3-2 overtime victory in Game 2 at Lenovo Center on Saturday.

“He’s been great ever since he’s been here,” forward Jordan Martinook said. “We’ve loved having him and obviously seeing the success him and that line have had, that line’s kind of epitomizing how we do things right now.

“You watch them every shift, all three of those guys hunt the puck so hard and they’re turning pucks over and then they’re transition is special to watch. The way that those guys can go from defense to offense has bene phenomenal. So, I think Hallsy, he’s taken his game to another level.”