Thoughts From My Couch

The moment has finally arrived for the Carolina Hurricanes. After 20 years and numerous frustrations, they'll begin their quest for the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night. Very little has gone wrong during the Canes' run to the fourth round. They've lost one game through the first three rounds, making it look way easier than it probably has been. That won't be the case in the Stanley Cup Final. The Vegas Golden Knights might've lost more games than they won during the regular season, but they've looked like a juggernaut since John Tortorella took over with eight games remaining in the regular season. They have the high-end skill to give the Canes fits. This series won't be for the faint of heart, though I have no doubt that the Lenovo Center will be absolutely rocking for tonight's opener. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (0:25)- Nikolaj Ehlers (5) (Jaccob Slavin (3) & Jalen Chatfield (5)) CAR (12:08)- Nikolaj Ehlers (6) (Jalen Chatfield (6)) VGK (13:28)- Sh...

M1. Carolina Hurricanes  vs.  P1. Vegas Golden Knights Carolina's Path : No team has gotten to the Stanley Cup Final in fewer games than the Hurricanes did this season. They needed 13 games over three rounds to reach the Stanley Cup Final. They swept both Ottawa and Philadelphia on the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. After dropping the first game, 6-2, to the Montreal Canadiens, the Canes won the next four contests to secure the Prince of Wales Trophy. Taylor Hall sits third in the league with 16 points, helping to drive a line with Jackson Blake (5-10-15) and Logan Stankoven (9-3-12) that has been the best in the league this postseason. Frederik Andersen has experienced a Renaissance, so to speak, going 12-1 with a 1.41 GAA and a .931 save percentage. Vegas' Path : It might've taken Vegas a few more games than Carolina, but they've been just as impressive. They faced a tough test against Utah in the first round, trailing 2-1 in the series and 4-3 midway through t...

The Carolina Hurricanes have a chance to finish the job. They need one more win. One more 60-minute effort like they have in Game 4. One more complete buy-in from the entire team on the ice. They bent the Canadiens to their will on Wednesday night. It wasn't the most exciting game to watch, but that's how we like these games to go. There's no chance that the Canadiens will be that easy to put away tonight, which is why I'm expecting to see their absolute best in Game 5. You know that they'll get the goaltending possible from Jakub Dobes, making this fourth win incredibly hard to come by. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (9:17)- Taylor Hall (5) (Logan Stankoven (2) & Jackson Blake (10)) CAR (15:12)- Logan Stankoven (9) (Taylor Hall (10) & Alexander Nikishin (1)) CAR (16:52)- Eric Robinson (3) (William Carrier (3)) 2nd Period CAR (7:19)- Jackson Blake (5) (Taylor Hall (11) & Logan Stankoven (3)) CAR (18:02-PP)- Shayne Gostisbehere (2) (Seth Jarvis (5) & ...

Some might think that the Hurricanes are lucky to be up 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Whether it be poor officiating or other outside influences, the Canes are in a good spot, but they still have so much more to give in this series. Their defense has limited Montreal to just 25 shots combined over the last two games. However, the fact that both games have gone to overtime shows that Montreal is getting goals at the right moments to stick around while Jakub Dobes stands on his head. The Canes must find a way to pull away from Montreal in regulation, much like they did in Game 1, to hand the Canes their first loss of the postseason. Otherwise, the Canes face the prospect of returning to Raleigh in a tied series, and anything can happen in a best-of-three set. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (14:59-PP)- Sebastian Aho (4) (Nikolaj Ehlers (3) & Shayne Gostisbehere (3)) CAR (16:07)- Jordan Staal (2) (K'Andre Miller (8) & Nikolaj Ehlers (4)) CAR (17:46)- Logan Stankoven (8)...

We might be all square in the series, but the Montreal Canadiens enter Game 3 with a little more control over their destiny. However, the Carolina Hurricanes have a little momentum back in their favor after tying the series at a game apiece with a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 2. Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice in the game, including the deciding goal early in extra time. As the series moves to Montreal, the message should remain the same for both teams. The series is still up for grabs in what has become a best-of-five.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (8:24)- Shayne Gostisbehere (1) (Mark Jankowski (4) & Eric Robinson (3)) MTL (15:28)- Mike Matheson (2) (Ivan Demidov (6) & Jake Evans (8)) CAR (16:22)- Taylor Hall (4) (K'Andre Miller (7) & Jackson Blake (8)) 2nd Period MTL (4:43-PP)- Lane Hutson (3) (Cole Caufield (7) & Jakub Dobes (1)) 3rd Period None Overtime CAR (14:06)- Sebastian Aho (4) (Andrei Svechnikov (4) & Seth Jarvis (4)) My Thoughts There were questions a...

If you've been a fan of this team long enough, you know that what happened during Game 1 has happened more lately than we'd like to remember. Then again, everyone knows that the real sign of things to come will be shown during Game 2. The Canes have never lost in the conference finals when they win the second game of the series to even it up. To do that tonight, the Canes need to remember what got them to this point. They looked lost for most of the night in the neutral zone, leading to glorious chances for the Canadiens in the offensive zone. They must be better. Otherwise, those familiar feelings will start to come to the surface. Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (2:33)- Eric Robinson (2) (William Carrier (2) & Mark Jankowski (2)) MTL (11:11)- Josh Anderson (4) (Phillip Danault (7) & Kaiden Guhle (8)) 2nd Period CAR (17:03)- Nikolaj Ehlers (3) (Jaccob Slavin (2) & Jalen Chatfield (2)) 3rd Period MTL (12:51)- Josh Anderson (5) (Alexandre Carrier (6) & Phillip Dan...