The Hurricanes come into this series as the minus-155 favorites to win the Stanley Cup, and that is justified. They had the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference. They have been even better in the postseason. They swept the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers before dispatching the Habs in five games.
The Hurricanes have won because they have been playing brilliant fundamental hockey. This is a team that does not have superstars. Taylor Hall, Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin are all good players, but none of them are superstars on the level of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Jack Hughes, Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid.
However, the Hurricanes play with eye-catching speed and a relentless forechecking game. They contest every pass out of the their own zone. Defensemen who attempt to carry the puck into the Carolina end struggle to succeed. This is due to the system that head coach Rod Brind’Amour has implemented — and perfected.
Hall will continue to lead the Hurricanes in scoring
Taylor Hall has gone through a career renaissance with the Hurricanes. After a decent regular season, he has returned to star status in the postseason.
Hall is the Hurricanes’ leading scorer in the playoffs with 5 goals and 11 assists, and he has been playing with a ferocity that he has rarely displayed since he was the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft in 2010. Hall has had a good career since he came into the league with the Edmonton Oilers and has since played for six other teams, but he has never looked like the superstar that many expected him to be when he was a dazzling junior.
However, Hall is flying in the offensive zone, scoring in the dirty areas and making deft plays that allow linemates Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake to put the puck in the net. Those three comprise Carolina’s No. 2 line, but that trio has been the team’s best in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Hall scored 18 goals and 30 assists in the regular season. He clearly helped the Hurricanes, but he gave little indication that he would play like a star in the playoffs. He understands that his team has finally earned a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals and he is not going to waste this opportunity.
Hall will continue to drive the offense against the VGK and he will be the team’s leading scorer in the final round of the postseason.
It has been one of the great goaltending performances in the modern era (post-1966). Andersen’s career playoff numbers have been solid, but he has taken it to a new level this year.
He will get tested by Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Mitch Marner in the Stanley Cup Final. The VGK has the firepower and the confidence to take it hard to the Hurricanes and push them to the limit.
Andersen has to come through with his best hockey in this round. Andersen won’t be able to maintain his GAA or his save percentage at the superstar levels they have been at to this point, but he will make the big saves when it counts.
Hurricanes will emerge victorious with Stanley Cup
The Hurricanes have had a nearly pristine run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs through the first three rounds. After years of falling short, Brind’Amour has seen his team play mistake-free hockey.
They will line up in the Stanley Cup Final against a team with excellent individual talent, tremendous momentum and a belief that they are the best team. The Hurricanes may get knocked down and suffer a few cuts in this series. They will not cruise to the Stanley Cup.
This series will go seven games and the Hurricanes will not let the opportunity slip through their grasp. Carolina will win its first Stanley Cup since 2006 — the second in franchise history — as they play with a relentlessness that will allow them to skate around the Lenovo Center in Raleigh in front of their appreciative fans with the Stanley Cup raised high overhead.
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