Three Keys to the New York Rangers Defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in Round Two

Battle of Special Teams

New York had an excellent season on special teams. With both the powerplay and penalty kill being top five in the regular season, there's been a lot made of how it drives them to success despite their five-on-five shortcomings. The Rangers have won multiple games this season because of their power play, but that is good. The man advantage should support the even-strength play, and that was the case. 

This becomes a problem against Carolina. New York had the number three powerplay and the number three penalty kill, while Carolina had the number two powerplay and the number one penalty kill. They are the only team in the NHL to be above the Rangers in both categories, and that is a scary situation. One of the significant crutches of this Rangers team could be taken away by Carolina. 

However, this is the playoffs. Regular season stats do not mean anything at this time of year. This will be a challenging series for both teams, and the winner will probably go on to win the Stanley Cup. I do not believe a stronger team exists than the one of these two that survives this series. They will have a chance if the Rangers can get their powerplay clicking and keep the Carolina man advantage quiet. 

How do you think this series will go? In my mind, we will see this series reach game seven. We will see two of the best teams in the NHL go back and forth—Carolina's solid defensive play against the Ranger's free-flowing offensive style. We were robbed of Frederik Andersen against Igor Shesterkin two years ago, but we will see it now. Two of the best teams in every department go to battle. Let's see how it ends.