The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature the eight teams that advance out of the first round in four best-of-7 series. Today, NHL.com previews the Eastern Conference Second Round between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes.
(1M) New York Rangers vs. (2M) Carolina Hurricanes
Rangers: 55-23-4, 114 points; defeated Washington Capitals 4-0 in the first round
Hurricanes: 52-23-7, 111 points; defeated New York Islanders 4-1 in the first round
Season series: NYR 2-1-0, CAR 1-2-0
Game 1: Sunday, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN)
The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes will meet in the Eastern Conference Second Round for the second time in three seasons.
The Rangers won a seven-game series against the Hurricanes in the 2022 second round to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, where they lost in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"Two years ago, we built that confidence of knowing that we can play, we can play in Carolina," Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba said. "I just think historically we've played them decently. I think we'll be ready to go. It's going to be a fast game. I don't think either team is a whole lot different; it's two top teams in the League."
Many of the players who were part of that series are expected to be a part of this one, including Vincent Trocheck. He was New York's leading goal scorer in the first round (three goals), but in 2022, Trocheck was playing for the Hurricanes, scoring three goals against the Rangers.
"That's a big piece," Trouba said.
The Hurricanes will be trying to reach the Eastern Conference Final for the second year in a row and third time since 2019.
They got to the second round by defeating the New York Islanders in five games, including a series-clinching 6-3 win at PNC Arena on Tuesday. They had 12 different goal scorers in the first round.
Carolina was swept by the Florida Panthers in the conference final last year, scoring six goals. But this year, the Hurricanes have a more dynamic offense with the additions of Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov, who were acquired before the 2024 NHL Trade deadline, and Andrei Svechnikov, who was injured and didn't play in the playoffs last year.
Svechnikov had five points (one goal, four assists), and Guentzel (one goal, three assists) and Kuznetsov (two goals, two assists) each had four points in the first round.
"Whenever you can acquire two guys that are playoff proven and know when to show up in big games, it's a big boost to your team, having guys like 'Guentz' and 'Kuzy'," Carolina forward Seth Jarvis said. "Just overall, having 'Svechy' back in the lineup, I think that's what we missed a lot last year. Just three guys like that that are so dynamic, guys that thrive in the big moments and have fun, is huge for our team, huge for our locker room."
The Rangers got to the second round after sweeping the Washington Capitals in the first round, their first 4-0 playoff series win since 2007. They had 10 different goal scorers in the four games.
"I think that's going to be huge for us and it has been huge and we noticed that [against Washington]," Rangers center Mika Zibanejad said. "We have four good lines that can play against any other opponent's lines and do a good job defensively and offensively."
New York has home-ice advantage after finishing first in the Metropolitan Division and winning the Presidents' Trophy in the regular season, leading the NHL with 114 points and 55 wins, both single-season team records.
The Hurricanes were second in the Metropolitan, three points behind the Rangers.
The Rangers won two of the three regular-season games against Carolina, 2-1 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 2 and 1-0 at PNC Arena on March 12. The Hurricanes won 6-1 at the Garden on Jan. 2.
"The Rangers are the best team in the League, right?" Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "So, we know what they're all about. They've got immense talent, coached really well and good goaltending. What don't they have? We know it's going to be a tough matchup."
The coaches in this series provide an interesting subplot. They share their greatest moment in hockey; Laviolette was the Hurricanes coach in 2006, when they won the Stanley Cup with Brind'Amour as their captain.
"There's got to be some timeframe or expiration date on what you're asking, a statute of limitations," Laviolette said jokingly when asked if his history with Brind'Amour makes this series different. "I think it's like 12 years and I'm on the flip side of that, so this is just a series."