Carolina Hurricanes Second Round Review and Postseason Awards

After a daunting seven-game series with the Boston Bruins that featured seven home wins, the Canes turned their attention to the team they fought to the very end with for the division crown, the New York Rangers. New York was also coming off a tough seven-game series of their own against the Pittsburgh Penguins that started with a three-overtime game and ended with an overtime-winner from Artemi Panarin in Game 7. Along with a strong offense led by Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and 52-goal-scorer Chris Kreider, they also feature the Vezina-frontrunner in the net with Igor Shesterkin. It was bound to be a tough series and that's exactly what we got. At the end of the day, things didn't end the way the Canes wanted them to, but we can't dwell on the past anymore. We must appreciate this season for what it was. Here is my look back at the series against New York and my look at my three stars for the postseason.

The Series

Game 1- Despite being held scoreless for most of the game, the Canes score late in the third period to force overtime as Ian Cole plays the hero to earn the opening win in the series. 

Game 2- Brendan Smith break the scoreless deadlock with a short-handed goal and Antti Raanta completes a 21-game shutout, his first in his postseason career, to give the Canes a 2-0 win and series lead.

Game 3- New York gets back into the series as Zibanejad and Kreider show signs of life and Shesterkin stops 43 shots to win 3-1 and cut the series lead in half.

Game 4- Andrew Copp's three points lead the Rangers to a 4-1 win to even the series at two games apiece as things move back to Raleigh.

Game 5- A shorthanded goal and a power play goal lead a balanced attack from the Canes as they move within one win of the Eastern Conference Final with a 3-1 win.

Game 6- Filip Chytil scores twice and Shesterkin makes 37 saves as the Rangers dominate the Canes to win 5-2 and force the second Game 7 for both teams in the postseason.

Game 7- The Rangers break the Canes' home undefeated streak by controlling all three periods to win 6-2 and advance to their first conference final since 2015.

Three Stars of the Postseason

Instead of doing two separate lists of three stars for the second round and the postseason, I'm just going to do one for the entire postseason because it would likely be about most of the same guys. I want to give shoutouts to Sebastian Aho (tied for the team lead with 11 points), Vincent Trocheck (team-leading six goals), and Jaccob Slavin (eight points) for their efforts in the two series. I'm not including them in the top three, but they could easily be in it.

Third Star- Seth Jarvis (3 Goals, 5 Assists, 8 Points in 14 Games)

For many reasons, this was a tough postseason for Jarvis. He took a puck to the nether regions in the first round, a stick to the mouth midway through the New York series, and was knocked out of Game 7 with a concussion. When he did play, he was spectacular. On the surface, the three goals and eight points aren't going to look amazing. When you look a little deeper, Jarvis scored the first goal of the postseason for the Canes, scored twice in Game 5 against Boston, and was one of the few consistent players during the New York series. If he hadn't had such rotten luck, he might've been on the scoreboard more. 

Second Star- Teuvo Teravainen (4 Goals, 7 Assists, 11 Points in 14 Games)

Teravainen was the best Canes forward during the New York series, along with Aho. Between the two series, he was the most consistent forward, tying Aho for the team lead in points (11) and finished tied for second in goals (4) and assists (7). He had points in all four wins in the Boston series, including three assists in Game 5. He's always been someone that is asked to shoot the puck more, instead of being a pass-first player. He's an excellent playmaker, but he has one of the most underrated shots on the team. I'm grateful for the trade with made with Chicago every time he hits the ice.

First Star- Antti Raanta (6-5, .922/2.26, 1 Shutout in 13 Games)

The biggest what if we'll all have in hindsight is how different would this run have been with a healthy Frederik Andersen in the net? While we'll never get the answer to that question, it is without any hesitation that I say Raanta wasn't the reason for the loss in the second round. Raanta, after being the backup all season, was forced into the starting job with Andersen's injury and he played excellently. He kept the Canes in every game they lost and was often a big reason they won their games, holding opponents to just over one goal per game at home. He is without question the team's MVP of the postseason.

Final Thoughts on the Postseason

Losing in the second round to a team that you played so well against in the regular season is going to sting. Despite the series going seven games, the better team won in the end and the Rangers deserve all the credit in the world for how well they played. At the end of the day, I think this comes down to a few things. First, the Canes' inability to win a game on the road was eventually going to cost them in the end. No matter how perfect you are at home, if you don't win on the road it doesn't mean anything. It only takes one loss at home to end your season and that's exactly what happened. Second, the Canes' special teams were invisible on both ends. They converted just twice in 18 tries on the power play in the second round, while allowing seven on 21 attempts, including goals in the final five games, and two in the first period of Game 7. Lastly, some of the team's most important players disappeared in the second round. Andrei Svechnikov and Nino Niederreiter only had one goal each. Jordan Staal, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Tony DeAngelo only had two assists apiece. Jaccob Slavin, despite his stellar defense, didn't score after tying for the team lead with eight points in the first round. They didn't get enough from the depth guys that they'd gotten all season. Add all of those things together and they were destined to fall short. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. The season is over and there's nothing we can do to change it. Now we just have to focus on the good as we look forward to the offseason and all of its excitement and prepare to start it again in a few months.