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Ryan S. Clark
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Andersen also paces all playoff goalies in high-danger saves, while boasting the best goal differential (+15) as well. Basically, if there’s a category to measure goaltending greatness, Andersen is head of the class.
Carolina’s only real concern when it comes to Andersen is availability — he did miss time in the first round against New Jersey with an injury. Andersen’s lengthy injury history has to be in the back of the Hurricanes’ minds, but when Andersen is good to go, there’s not a goaltender playing better than he is right now.
What we’ve learned about the Hurricanes so far
The Hurricanes are like midsummer humidity — absolutely smothering. Carolina’s pressure is a full-team effort, leaving little open ice for any opponent to operate. The Canes have allowed the second-fewest shots on net this postseason (just 24 per game) thanks in large part to the way they have controlled play in the offensive zone and generated an excellent cycle game that has worn down the competition.
The Hurricanes are so good using their sticks to break up plays and rush opportunities, making it hard to even gain their zone. And a stout defense — led by Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns — doesn’t let anyone linger for long in Carolina’s end.
Add to that an offensive attack led by Andrei Svechnikov‘s eight goals in 10 games — not to mention Andersen’s outstanding performance so far — and it’s no wonder the Hurricanes were first to punch their ticket back to the Eastern Conference finals.
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Andrei Svechnikov puts Canes on the brink with late goal
Andrei Svechnikov lights the lamp to give the Hurricanes a lead late in the third period.
X factor for the conference finals
Rod Brind’Amour. Carolina’s longtime coach brought his team to this precipice just two years ago — and the Canes were swept away in four games. Now he’s facing the challenge of matching wits with another Stanley Cup-winning bench boss, Florida’s Paul Maurice, and it’s critical that Brind’Amour bring his A-game against his former coach.
The Hurricanes have stuck with him for a reason, and Brind’Amour has guided Carolina through a sensational 10 games to date this postseason. This is when the real work starts, though. Whether it’s deploying the right matchups, making adjustments on the fly or simply keeping the pulse of his team in check, Brind’Amour has to make this round his best coaching job yet. And the experience he has with this group in particular is critical.
The Hurricanes have grown since that last conference finals loss. Given this second opportunity in three years to potentially push through to a Stanley Cup Final, Brind’Amour’s leadership is more valuable than ever in ensuring the Hurricanes stick to their game to finally break through.
Does it matter that Carolina hasn’t exactly faced adversity yet in the postseason?
The Hurricanes were dominant in both series to date. Neither of their losses was particularly egregious. Now they’re up against an opponent that has had to claw its way back into the fight a time or two.
Florida has needed to cultivate some desperation in a way Carolina hasn’t, and that can be an asset as the stakes climb higher. How will the Hurricanes respond if things don’t immediately go their way?
We’ve seen it before, where teams cruise through a round (or two) and then crumble against a more urgent opponent that has gained confidence through resiliency. If the Hurricanes wind up in their own heads, that could spell trouble for a team that has made quick work of its playoff assignments to this point. — Shilton
How they got here: Defeated Lightning 4-1, defeated Maple Leafs 4-3
Goalie confidence rating: 8.5/10
Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t had a flawless postseason — but he does come through in the clutch. That’s what Florida needed most from its No. 1 netminder to reach a third straight Eastern Conference finals.
Bobrovsky especially delivered in the Panthers’ second-round series against Toronto. He recovered from a mediocre start through the first three games — allowing 13 total goals — to give up just four goals in Games 4-7 for a .957 SV% and 1.01 GAA.
That’s the momentum Bobrovsky is taking into this latest clash with Carolina, where he’ll be going toe-to-toe with perhaps this postseason’s best goaltender in Frederik Andersen. Bobrovsky shouldn’t be intimidated by the matchup, though. He has something Andersen doesn’t: Cup-winning experience. Bobrovsky has carried his club through to consecutive Cup Finals and knows how to weather the highs and lows of a long run like this. There’s nothing the Hurricanes can throw at Bobrovsky that should rattle him.
What we’ve learned about the Panthers so far
The Panthers are the definition of killer instinct. It’s ingrained in their game. Their ability to make adjustments that expose an opponent’s weakness without sacrificing their own strengths is impressive.
So is Florida’s depth. The Panthers have had 17 goal scorers in the postseason, including seven defensemen who have combined for 11 tallies. Florida is fourth overall in the postseason field offensively (averaging 3.75 goals per game), but its defensive effort and penalty kill have perhaps outshined the work upfront.
The Panthers have been the second-stingiest team in the playoffs (after, naturally, their next foe in Carolina) with just 2.42 goals against per game; they’ve given up the second-fewest shots (23.8 per game); and they have the second-best penalty kill (89.5%).
Florida has a resilience built from its success over the past two seasons that comes through in the team’s confidence. Regardless of the situation — leading, tied or trailing — the Panthers are calm and collected. The balance they’ve created at both ends of the ice makes them tough to crack, and Florida doesn’t offer up opportunities freely. This is a battle-tested group that knows when and how to strike.
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Panthers throttle Maple Leafs in Game 7 to advance to ECF
The Panthers dash the Maple Leafs’ hopes in Game 7, scoring six goals in two periods to advance to play the Hurricanes.
X factor for the conference finals
The Panthers have benefited from that aforementioned depth to get this far — but Florida’s stars were eerily quiet in the second round. That needs to change against Carolina.
Matthew Tkachuk had zero goals and four assists against the Leafs, Aleksander Barkov nabbed two goals and five points, while Sam Reinhart has 41 shots in the postseason but just four goals through 12 games. It feels as if there could be a breakout performance coming from somewhere.
The Panthers will have to work for every inch of open ice when the Hurricanes deploy their suffocating defense, but Florida does have an edge over the competition in terms of elite, top-end scoring talent. But it’s those exact skaters who have to show up now to throw an elite goaltender like Andersen off his game.
The Panthers do an excellent job getting bodies in front of the net and creating shooting lanes. This is the series when they’ll most need to take advantage of those windows — and see certain skaters put their mark on this postseason push with some key contributions to the scoresheet.
Will Florida have to beat Carolina at its own game?
The Hurricanes and Panthers are essentially 1-2 in every defensive category this postseason, and their special teams are on par. Florida has the edge offensively, but Carolina has enjoyed timely scoring in a big way — think Andrei Svechnikov‘s game-winning goal in the final two minutes of regulation to send Washington packing in the second round — and that can be a weapon too.
The Panthers have an innate ability to adapt when the circumstances dictate it. That’s going to be imperative here. Florida pounded Carolina in a four-game sweep during the teams’ meeting in the conference finals two years ago. That’s not something the Hurricanes can easily forget, and the Panthers can lean on that too in figuring out how to dismantle a team that has made quick work of its first two challengers in these playoffs.
It’s on Florida to crack the code against a team that does many of the same things the Panthers do really, really well. — Shilton
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