Thoughts From My Couch

It took until I started writing this introduction that this could be the end of the Canes' season. When the final buzzer sounds today, the amazing season that the Canes had could be cut short in the first round by the Boston Bruins. Everything that had been built up could crumble in Game 7, two of the most exciting words in the English language. While it could be the end, the Canes could decide that Game 6 doesn't mean anything and deliver a series win with a huge performance in front of the Caniacs at PNC Arena. They could react the same way they did in Game 5 after losing Games 3 and 4 in Boston by laying into the Bruins for 60 minutes to move on to the second round. The Bruins returned the favor in Game 6 as things went back to Boston for the final time in the series. The Bruins scored twice in the second period, then added three goals in the third period to force a seventh game with a 5-2 victory. Andrei Svechnikov scored both goals for the Canes, but it never felt like the...

The first elimination game of the series is upon us the Boston Bruins are on the ropes. After two bad games in Boston from the Hurricanes, they bounced back in a big way in Raleigh on Tuesday night. The Canes scored early and often in a 5-1 victory that swung the momentum back in the Canes' favor. Seth Jarvis recorded his first multi-goal playoff game, while Tony DeAngelo, Vincent Trocheck, and Teuvo Teravainen each finished with three points. Antti Raanta returned to his Game 1-form and stopped 33 shots. The series was already guaranteed to return to Boston after Boston won Game 4, so tonight is the Canes' chance to get the job done on the road. The Canes are going with their same lineup from Tuesday and Raanta will get the start again, looking to celebrate his birthday with a series victory. Boston has opted to keep the Perfection Line apart for now, with Jake DeBrusk returning to the top line, while David Pastrnak will start with Taylor Hall and Erik Haula. Jeremy Swayman, w...

Things are starting to get serious now after Boston dominated both of their home games in Game 3 and 4. It is now a best of three with the series even and the Canes really need this game tonight as the teams return to Raleigh. Things were close in Game 4 through two periods, with Brett Pesce and Jordan Staal alternating goals with Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk in the first 40 minutes. The difference was the Canes' inability to stay out of the penalty box, especially at the end of the second period. Boston started the third period with a 5-on-3 and they scored almost immediately to take the lead and they'd never look back. Brad Marchand was the star of the show, scoring twice and adding three assists to factor on all five of Boston's goals in the 5-2 win. It's the third time in the series the winner has made it to five goals and they've all been multi-goal victories. The Canes will be going with the exact same lineup for tonight's game with Antti Raanta start...

Friday night's loss wasn't great, but it wasn't the end of the world either. Boston found their way back into the series by notching a 4-2 win in which they looked pretty dominant for most of the game and handed Pyotr Kochetkov his first loss in the NHL in his first postseason start. Vincent Trocheck got the Canes on the board early in the period, but four unanswered goals from Charlie Coyle, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Taylor Hall put the game out of reach. Jaccob Slavin would get a goal to bring the Canes within two and they would push in the final half of the third period, but it wouldn't be enough as Jeremy Swayman earned his first postseason win and the Bruins cut their series deficit in half. The emphasis over the last 36 hours for the Canes has likely been on special teams. Despite being the best penalty kill in the league, the Canes allowed two power play goals on Friday night and coughed up a short-handed goal as well. Antti Raanta will be back in the ne...

The Canes have all the momentum as the series moves from Raleigh to Boston. They continued their season-long dominance over the Bruins on Wednesday night by jumping on them early and never letting go. Jesper Fast opened the scoring early in the first and Sebastian Aho and Nino Niederreiter netted a pair of goals each for the Canes while Patrice Bergeron scored both of the Bruins' goals in a 5-2 victory for Carolina. While the offense was great, the story of the game was the physicality and never-ending fighting that seemed to carry on all night. It started early with Antti Raanta having to exit the game after a collision with David Pastrnak. This would force Pyotr Kochetkov into the game early and he played phenomenally, stopping 30 shots to earn his first postseason victory. There would continue to be incidents all night, giving the Canes nine power plays in the process, but it wasn't without consequence. Both Derek Forbort and Brad Marchand were fined $5,000 for penalties the...

The message for both teams ahead of Game 2 is quite simple. For the Hurricanes, it's about finding a way to replicate their performance from Game 1. The first period and a half on Monday night was a scoreless affair with both Antti Raanta and Linus Ullmark doing everything in their power to keep the other team out of the net. The game broke open shortly before the second intermission with goals from Seth Jarvis and Nino Niederreiter to give the Canes a 2-0 lead with 20 minutes left. Despite an early third period goal from Taylor Hall, the Canes would score three unanswered in the third period to pick up a 5-1 victory to open the series. Raanta was phenomenal in his first postseason start, but it takes four to win a series, so the Canes are going to need that same effort tonight as they look to assert their dominance before heading to Boston this weekend. For the Bruins, they shouldn't be discouraged by their effort in the first game. The scoreboard isn't reflective of how c...

The time has come for the most exciting, yet stressful, part of the season. No longer are the days of watching the standings to see who gets in. It's time for the real fun to start. The Hurricanes, champions of the Metropolitan Division, finished with the second-most points in the Eastern Conference this season. Their first round opponent is a very familiar team. Carolina and Boston have a lot of history, especially in recent years. They've met in the playoffs four times before this season, including in back-to-back years in 2019 and 2020. The Bruins won both of those series in short order, but things have changed in just two years. Boston held home-ice for those two meetings. Things are starting in Raleigh this time around. The Canes own the home-ice advantage for this one, the first time that's happened in almost 25 years. The big story coming into this one is how lopsided the season series between these two was. Carolina swept the Bruins in three games, outscoring them 1...