New York Rangers rivals: Carolina Hurricanes season preview
By Steve Paulus
Note to our readers. With the Rangers season about to begin in earnest, this week, Blue Line Station will be previewing each of the teams in the Metropolitan Division.. light
The New York Rangers won’t be fighting the Carolina Hurricanes for a playoff spot because after years of high expectations that ended in mediocrity, the Hurricanes became a serious Stanley Cup contender.
After years of beating up on the Hurricanes, the New York Rangers will have their hands full as Carolina has become one of the powerhouse teams in the NHL. After nine years of missing the playoffs, they not only made the postseason, they got to the Conference Finals.
The Carolina Hurricanes have one of the most curious playoff histories in the NHL. With Carolina it’s all or nothing. In the last 17 years they have missed the playoffs 13 times. Here’s the curiosity. In the four years they made the playoffs the made it to the Stanley Cup Finals twice and the Conference Finals twice. Of course, they won the Cup in 2006, the first year after the lost lockout season. No first round losses for this team.
Of course, that trend means that they Hurricanes should miss the playoffs this season, but they are not following the script so far, jumping out to a 6-1-0 start and they are perched on top of the Metropolitan Division.
Last season they barely made the playoffs. With 99 points they finished in the first wild card slot in the East. They dethroned the Capitals in a tough seven game series, then swept the Islanders before being swept by the Boston Bruins. It was a thrilling season for the Hurricanes and they positioned themselves to contend this year.
The Hurricanes finished in the middle of the pack offensively averaging 2.96 goals per game, but took advantage of one of the best defense corps in the league to finish seventh in the league allowing 2.70 goals per game. That production was mirrored in their power play at 17.8% efficiency (20th in the league) while their penalty kill was eighth best at 81.6%.
One thing was certain. The Hurricanes were a fun team to watch. After each one of their 24 home wins, the Canes acted out their “Storm Surge,” a post-game ceremony that got increasingly complex with every win. If you haven’t seen them, here’s a video with all of them. It’s hilarious and something the NHL could use more of.
Of course, traditionalists like Don Cherry took umbrage, branding the Canes as a “bunch of jerks.” The marketing masters in Raleigh seized on the moniker and rode it all the way to the bank.
Most forget that the Jaromir Jagr-led Rangers were the first team in the NHL to introduce the post-game salute to the fans, an innovation inspired by Jagr’s experiences in Europe. Fan engagement is a good thing for hockey.
The Hurricanes are in a good position to be good for a long time. They have a core of young forwards that they supplemented with some free agent acquisitions. Their strength is their defense. Their depth on the blueline enabled them to trade pending free agent and stud defenseman Justin Faulk to St. Louis.
The Hurricanes unexpectedly rode the tandem of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinny to the Conference Finals, but allowed McElhinney to leave via free agency, replacing him with vetean James Reimer. If there is any question about the Hurricanes, it is in goal.
Against the Rangers
The Rangers split the season series with the Hurricanes with each team winning two games. The first match-up was a wild 8-5 loss in Raleigh in the Blueshirts’ third game of the season. Caoch David Quinn was much grayer after this loss, a game in which the Rangers lost after holding a 5-4 lead in the third period, allowing four straight goals. Alexandar Georgiev was strafed for seven goals on 40 shots.
The Rangers got their revenge in a January 15 game at Madison Square Garden. The Blueshirts won 6-2 behind Mika Zibanejad’s four assists. This was when the Zibanjad-Kreider-Zuccarello line was firing on all cylinders.
The Hurricanes made history on February 8, shutting out the Blueshirts 3-0 behind Mrazek. The victory broke a 16 game winless streak for Carolina at Madison Square Garden. It was the Canes first win in New York since 2010.
Less than two weeks later, Henrik Lundqvist stopped 43 of 44 shots as the Rangers beat the Hurricanes in Raleigh to even up the season series. Vladislav Namestnikov scored the game winner in the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie.