Writers Roundtable: Before The Playoffs

RALEIGH, NC. -In a matter of days the Carolina Hurricanes will
kick off the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs by hosting the New York Islanders
. It marks the fifth straight year the Hurricanes have qualified for the playoffs, in this their 25th season in North Carolina.
The current playoff streak is the longest since the team moved from Harford in 1997.
Walt Ruff and Scott Burnside kick around some of the key narratives heading into the playoffs in the final roundtable of the regular season.

Scott Burnside: Walt, let's start with a general vibe question. How would you compare the vibe this year to last year as the Hurricanes begin the playoffs? It seems there are some similarities, starting with once again winning the Metropolitan Division and the fact they are once again the second seed in the Eastern Conference behind Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston (last year they wound up second to Presidents' Trophy-winning Florida). I think it's fair to say there are similarly high expectations this year. But at least from afar, it does feel like perhaps there are more questions about the team's prospects given the long-term injuries to Max Pacioretty and more recently Andrei Svechnikov, both of whom were being counted on for their goal-scoring acumen in the playoffs. I've looked at how recent Stanley Cup winners have finished the regular season and it's all over the map from scorching hot down the stretch to lots of ebbs and flows. I think it's fair to say that the Canes have been more ebb and flow down the stretch than scorching hot although I think they showed some important resolve in winning their final two games to secure the division crown which would give them home ice advantage at least through the first two rounds. In the end, I'm not sure it matters how the team played down the stretch as long as they find their rhythm by the time the puck drops for Game 1. What say you, my friend?
Walt Ruff:The vibe is that in order to be successful, the Canes will have to try and find consistent scoring. You laid out why that's the case perfectly above. Pacioretty, Svechnikov, and Ondrej Kase are all players that make their money by putting the puck in the net. The team obviously will not have any of the three for the playoff run, so it's going to be scoring by committee, as it has been since Svechnikov went down in early March. Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas both had strong regular seasons and will need to continue at a high-operating pace. Other forwards will also have to take a step forward. Whether it's Seth Jarvis, Teuvo Teravainen, or someone else, the unit is likely going to need someone else to provide a consistent form of production. The stat I have been fixated upon is that the team went 46-5-5 when scoring three goals this year. Can they find a way to muster three goals? Will they have to against the Islanders or can they win games 2-1 or 1-0?
Burnside: So here's a crazy thing. The last time Frederik Andersen suited up for an NHL playoff game it was Aug. 9, 2020, during the play-in round in the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season. He allowed two goals and the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Andersen was injured for the playoffs in '21, his final season in Toronto, and of course, was injured late last season and didn't appear in any of the Hurricanes' 14 post-season games. I can't imagine how excited Andersen must be to get back into the playoff fray. As a veteran guy coming to the end of his current contract, these will be important moments for Andersen. I know when he is at his best, coaches and management talk about his calmness and how big he plays in the net. That kind of calmness is infectious and, again, when you think back to his long stretches of quality play, I think being able to replicate that kind of calm, 'what, me worry?' attitude will be critical for the team's demeanor when the pressure ramps up in the playoffs. Of course one of the team's strengths, I think, has been their depth in goal and Antti Raanta has been a rock when called upon going 19-3-3 and absolutely giving the team a chance to win every outing. He has lost just one regulation game since Nov. 12. That's pretty incredible. His experience as the starter last spring when he was excellent against Boston in the first round and through the first half of the second round against the Rangers, will be important because I think there's a real debate about how head coach Rod Brind'Amour might deploy his goaltending. I think there's a sentiment that teams need to have 'a guy' in the playoffs but Colorado used Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francouz in an almost even split last spring with Kuemper injured a couple of times and won a Cup. The Hurricanes in their Cup run in '06 used Martin Gerber and playoff MVP Cam Ward. So I think if the Hurricanes wanted to run Raanta at home and Andersen on the road or something like that, well, why not? Okay. That's a lot. And I didn't even mention goaltender of the future Pyotr Kochetkov. When you think of the Carolina goaltending dynamic, what comes to mind for you?
Ruff:First and foremost, Scott, I hope both Andersen and Raanta can stay in good health here during this run. Both have had trouble in that field their entire careers, and it would be nice for that to not have to be a storyline here. That's no slight at Pyotr Kochetkov, who, as you said, is the goaltender of the future. I believe many would feel comfortable if he is called upon over the next few weeks. But I have no opposition to your "use both" thought process. Go back and forth until one either really takes the reigns, or the other plays themself out of the spot. And I agree, both knowing that it is a contract year for both of them adds a layer. I'll be curious to hear what Rod Brind'Amour says on the subject in the coming days.

Burnside: I've been doing this a long time and I think of the many times I've written about the special teams trials and tribulations and how it's so difficult to actually put your finger on what makes a particular penalty kill or power play tick, or conversely what is missing when the special teams play isn't measuring up. Basically, it's a lot. I don't need to remind fans that last year the Hurricanes had an unparalleled penalty kill during the regular season but during the playoffs, and particularly against the Rangers in the second round, it struggled. This year, since March 1, the Hurricanes have had the most efficient penalty-killing unit in the league. I guess my point is, not unlike how a team fares down the stretch, there isn't necessarily a line to be drawn from special teams success or disappointment in the regular season and the playoffs. For the Hurricanes, who were middle of the pack with the man advantage since March 1, there has been a lot of discussion and a fair bit of angst about the team's power play and it's definitely a fluid situation for Brind'Amour in finding the right combinations. So much of the Carolina offense is generated from the back end (they led the league in goals from the defense corps) it's fair to say that Brent Burns, who seems to be more comfortable every day with his new team, is going to be a catalyst come playoff time with sparking the power play. Goal-scoring machine Brady Skjei - he was tied for third among all NHL defensemen with 18 goals - is part of that power play equation as is newcomer Shayne Gostisbehere who was acquired at the trade deadline from Arizona. At the end of the day, and I think Sebastian Aho referenced this during the last week of the regular season, it's about execution. If there's a shot, take it. If there's a pass, make it. Don't overthink it. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to suggest solving this puzzle may tilt the scales in favor of a long playoff run. You see it up close every day Walt, do you have special teams fatigue?
Ruff:What I can't stop thinking about lately is how the team's best showcase all season long on the power play, a 7/9 stint on March 3 & 5, were the first pair of games with the team for Gostisbehere. How did that happen? Shouldn't he have needed time to acclimate before they got cooking at full steam? I digress, he is only one player on one of the two units after all, but it is rather bizarre how that happened and since then the team's power play ranks 31st in the league. I guess it allows hope for the man advantage to return to that form, but on the other hand, thankfully, the penalty kill has been the saving grace. As you mentioned, they were the best of the best last year and after a bit of a bumpy road to start the year, Tim Gleason's crew has returned to form. The Islanders' power play has also struggled all season, so in theory, that should be an area where the Canes can succeed. They don't want to win the battle every night, they just can't lose it every night.

Burnside: Okay, it's getting to be that time Walt. Put up or shut up. Or, in our case, simply shut up. For me, the great part of the NHL playoffs is that every single year something happens that defies logic or description. I think about Carolina's march to the '19 Eastern Conference Final. It's the magic of the most arduous post-season tournament in all of sport. So, let's leave it with this question. Who are you looking forward to seeing most in the playoffs? I thought Seth Jarvis was a revelation last spring. For my money, he was the best player on the Hurricanes from start to finish. Who are you looking forward to seeing write their own playoff narrative this spring, Walt? Me, I'll go with Teuvo Teravainen. He's a proven playoff performer. He's won a Stanley Cup. And, let's be honest, it's been a bit of a tumultuous season for him with injury and evolving role. But for a team that will need to find offense from everywhere in the lineup, up and down, side to side, Teravainen has in him the potential to be a difference-maker. What say you, Mr. Walt?
Ruff:Put me down for Brent Burns. He's talked all season long about how he's felt like a kid and a rookie joining his new team. It will be his first taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2019. This has got to be thrilling for him. The historic scoring by the Canes blue line this season has been well-documented, and I think Burns would have been my answer even if you had posted this question last week, but #8 is also entering postseason play hot. He's got goals in three consecutive games, including two massive ones in Florida on Thursday to win the division. PNC Arena is truly a different animal this time of year and I think the man they call "Burnzie" is going to love it.
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