Carolina Hurricanes: Eastern Conference Final Review and Final Postseason Thoughts

The Hurricanes made quick work of the New Jersey Devils in the second round, helping the Canes advance to the Eastern Conference for the fifth time in franchise history and the second time in the last five years. Their opponent would be the Florida Panthers, hot on the heels of a five-game victory of their own over the Toronto Maple Leafs. After falling behind to the Boston Bruins 3-1 in the first round, the Panthers won seven of their next eight games to shock the world. A lot of this was because of the resurgence of Sergei Bobrovsky. He entered the series against Boston and never gave up the reins. He allowed two goals in each of the five games against Toronto as the Panthers seemed comfortable in tight games. The Canes didn't play a close game in the second round before Game 5 when they won 3-2 in overtime. The storylines for the series were endless with two coaches familiar with each other and an entire family colliding with a berth in the Stanley Cup Final on the line. 

The Series

Game 1- In a marathon never before seen by either franchise, the two sides battled into the early hours of the morning before Matthew Tkachuk finally ended the 4OT marathon with a late goal to give Florida a 3-2 victory. 

Game 2- Matthew Tkachuk didn't need to wait very long to win another game in overtime as the Canes and Panthers battled to a 1-1 tie through 60 minutes before the Panthers won it early in OT to sweep the leg in Carolina. 

Game 3- Behind a 32-save shutout from Sergei Bobrovsky, the Panthers put themselves on the brink of a sweep by winning 1-0 on a power-play goal in the second period by Sam Reinhart. 

Game 4- The offenses finally found some life but it was more late-game heroics from Matthew Tkachuk that would earn the Panthers the sweep as he scored with 4.9 seconds left to break the tie and send the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final. 

The Good

1. Frederik Andersen...again

The narrative surrounding Andersen before he signed with Carolina last season was that he couldn't stay healthy long enough to help get his team anywhere in the postseason. I know that the Canes were swept but it was not because of the goaltending. Andersen had a sterling 1.84 GAA in his three starts and the only reason he didn't play all four was the fact that he played two full games in Game 1. He didn't get the goal support he needed in Games 1 and 3 and was forced into some tough positions in Game 4 before they eventually lost. Andersen was easily the team's MVP in the third round. 

2. The fight until the very end

Down 3-0, I expected to see some fight from the Hurricanes and that's exactly what we saw in Game 4. They were a few bounces away from earning a win at any point in this series and were so close to forcing another overtime in Game 4 before losing with 4.9 seconds left. I'm not someone that usually takes solace in moral victories but I can't help it. I am human after all. The team fought through adversity in the final game as their season came to an end on Wednesday night. 

The Not-So-Good

1. The offense dries up

Say what you want about the play of Sergei Bobrovsky in the series. He was amazing, posting a .966 save percentage and a 1.12 GAA in the sweep. However, you'll never win a series with just six goals, no matter who the goalie is. No Hurricane had more than one goal and two points in the series with guys like Aho, Necas, Kotkaniemi, Martinook, and Burns all failing to find the back of the net. It was quite an assortment of guys that scored as Jarvis, Chatfield, Fast, Stastny, Noesen, and Teravainen each beat Bobrovsky. After scoring 24 goals against New Jersey, this was a serious letdown. 

2. The penalty kill when it mattered most

The strength of this team is its defense and the penalty kill is an important extension of that. In this round, the kill allowed four goals on 14 attempts, killing just 71.4% of their penalties. What's important about the four goals they allowed is the timing. In Game 2, it came in overtime. In Game 3, it was the only goal of the game. In Game 4, they allowed two goals, including the winner with 4.9 seconds left. I'm willing to put an asterisk next to Game 4 since Jaccob Slavin was knocked out of the game early but I would've expected a little bit more from them in these tough spots. 

Three Stars of the Postseason

Honorable Mention- Jordan Martinook (3 goals, 9 assists)

Most of Martinook's work was done in the second round against New Jersey. All he did was tie Bates Battaglia (2002 v. NJD) and Cory Stillman (2006 v. BUF) for the franchise record with ten points in a postseason series. The difference is that he did it in five games. Otherwise, he went scoreless in the first round and had two points in Game 4 against Florida. 

Honorable Mention- Seth Jarvis (5 goals, 5 assists)

Jarvis finished the postseason tied with Aho for second in goals and third to Aho and Martinook in points. He had a very quiet ten points too. He started strong through the first series and a half, with eight points in the first nine games before only recording two points in the final six games. Jarvis really showed out to complete a string sophomore campaign. 

Honorable Mention- Jaccob Slavin (2 goals, 4 assists)

He's not going to get recognition for his offensive game because he's such a strong defender. Slavin has put together some strong postseason performances and this season was no different. He helped to shut down the stars of New York and New Jersey in the first two rounds and as of the Canes' elimination, he leads the postseason in +/- at +12. Also, both of his goals were game-tying goals. 

Third Star- Jesper Fast (6 goals, 3 assists)

If you told me that Fast was going to lead the team in goals, I would have laughed at you. Nevertheless, that's what happened as his six goals paced the team. They were some timely goals too. Fast recorded the overtime-winner in Game 2 against New York, the overtime winner in Game 5 to beat New Jersey, and the game-tying goal in Game 4 against Florida before they fell. He was one of the many players that had a strong series against New Jersey, scoring at least a point in all five games. With Fast's contract expiring, this performance could be looked at as a reason to bring him back. 

Second Star- Sebastian Aho (5 goals, 7 assists)

It's not surprising to anyone that Aho was at the top of the leaderboard in points and tied for second in goals with Jarvis. He came out of the gates hot by scoring the first goal of the postseason and recording points in eight of the first nine games. He didn't show up in a big way against Florida, though his two points did tie for the team lead in the series. People will be quick to point out that he didn't perform at the same level as Tkachuk or Barkov in the postseason but he was the Canes' rock when he needed to be. 

First Star- Frederik Andersen (5-3, 1.83 GAA, .927 SV%)

A 5-3 record is going to look unremarkable but Andersen was the team's most consistent player for the entire postseason once he took over the net. This is no disrespect to Raanta because he helped get the team out to the 3-2 lead in the series. When Andersen got the start for Game 6 against New York, he would perform like the goalie we all knew he could be. He really only had one bad start in the postseason because otherwise, he allowed two goals or fewer in six of his nine starts. He also wrote himself into the franchise's history books with his 57-save performance in their 4OT loss to Florida in Game 1. Andersen kept the Canes in that series with the Panthers in what might be his final games as a Hurricane.