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stormTRacker Podcast
Hurricanes Brace for their BIGGEST Challenge Against Florida Panthers!
The Carolina Hurricanes have stormed into the Eastern Conference Finals after dispatching the Washington Capitals in just five games, setting the stage for what promises to be their toughest challenge yet against the defending champion Florida Panthers.
At the heart of the Hurricanes' success stands Frederik Andersen, whose playoff performance has been nothing short of spectacular. With a 7-1 record, 1.36 goals against average, and .937 save percentage, Andersen has emerged as the best goaltender in the playoffs. What makes his performance even more remarkable is that he allowed only six goals against Washington despite facing expected goals numbers exceeding 12 – a testament to his ability to make difficult saves when they matter most.
The upcoming series against Florida presents a fascinating mirror-image matchup. Both teams employ similar systems built around puck possession, high shot volume, and strong defensive structures. They're so evenly matched that the series may hinge on small advantages: Carolina's rest after finishing their previous series quickly, Rod Brind'Amour's matchup decisions with home-ice advantage, or perhaps Andersen's elite goaltending against a Panthers offense that creates dangerous chances. Key players to watch include Andrei Svechnikov, who leads the team with eight playoff goals by emphasizing shooting over fancy playmaking, and the defensive pairing of Jaccob Slavin and Sean Walker, whose effectiveness at both ends of the ice has been crucial.
As the Hurricanes prepare for Game 1 in Raleigh, the question remains: can they exploit their advantages against a Panthers team coming off a grueling seven-game series? With both power plays struggling and penalty kills excelling, this series will likely be decided five-on-five, where small edges in execution and effort could make all the difference between advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals or seeing their season end.
Highlights:
• Freddie Anderson has been exceptional with a 1.36 goals against average and .937 save percentage
• The Canes dominated shot attempts but Washington blocked many attempts, particularly from the defense
• Andrei Svechnikov leads the Canes in goals by focusing on shooting rather than making fancy plays
• Alexander Nikishin made an impressive NHL debut, showcasing his powerful shot and physical play
• The defensive pairing of Slavin and Walker has been particularly effective at both ends of the ice
• Florida presents a mirror-image challenge with similar playing styles to Carolina
• Both teams have struggled on the power play but excel on the penalty kill
• The Panthers' bottom-six forwards have been productive, particularly the third line with Brad Marchand
• Home ice advantage gives Rod Brind'Amour control of matchups in the first two games
• The Hurricanes' rest advantage could be crucial against a Panthers team coming off a seven-game series
Carolina Hurricanes made short order of the Eastern Conference, leading Washington Capitals, knocking them out in five games in the second round of the NHL playoffs. The Canes dominated all aspects of the series, including goaltending, where Freddie Anderson bested Logan Thompson, next up the Florida Panthers, the biggest test for the Canes so far. Can the Canes continue their dominance against a much tougher opponent? We're going to talk about the last series and take a look at what's coming up in that Panthers series. And joining me, as always, Erin Manning and Katie Berger Ladies.
Speaker 2:Hi there Okay.
Speaker 1:As I mentioned, the Canes dominated the Caps For sure. Freddie Anderson was one of the keys. Freddie, his numbers are amazing Seven wins, one loss, 1-3-6 goals against average and a 9-37 save for Saints. These numbers are just incredible. And other players were in there as well. So what are we thinking?
Speaker 2:Well, I think that this is the first time that we've gotten to see a truly healthy Freddie Anderson for the Canes in the playoffs.
Speaker 2:He did have to step out for a game, but it wasn't a big thing and came right back in and just took over the Washington Capitals series.
Speaker 2:He and Logan Thompson were right up there together for a while as two of the best goaltenders in the playoffs, but now Freddie stands alone at the top of that list. He has been the best goaltender in these playoffs. I think it's a moment where I can kind of maybe eat a little bit of crow, because I wasn't sure that Freddie was going to be able to do this. I was one of the people I think we all were a little bit kind of hoping for more of a tandem style, maybe not every other game, but bringing maybe Kuchetkov in every third or fourth game just to keep him fresh and also to be there in case Freddie couldn't go. But I think that what we're seeing from Freddie Anderson is that when he is healthy, he really is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and that's been a huge, huge factor for the Canes, especially coming up against the Washington Capitals with their firepower.
Speaker 3:I would definitely agree. I think that one of the things that has helped Freddie for sure has been the low shot totals that he has seen. The Canes have been really good about making sure that he's not getting bombarded at any particular given time.
Speaker 3:In fact, I believe the average shots on goal for the washington capitol series was 19.2 so um, not only was freddie excellent when he was called upon, but he was never asked to do too much, never got to the point where he was worn out or scrambling too much. He always seemed like he was focused, centered well um, square to the puck, covering the net. Um. And if you look at most of the goals he gave up, you just look at them and say I don't think anybody is saving that particular goal right, um, which is good, because in the past you always kind of felt like there was this that Freddie was going to be good, but there was going to be one soft.
Speaker 3:There's going to be one soft goal that he let in and that really has not happened in these playoffs, specific and specifically in the Washington series. He has done a great job. The most impressive stat is probably, I think, he only. I think there was only six goals against him. I think Washington scored seven, but there was an empty netter in there.
Speaker 2:Only six goals against him.
Speaker 3:But the expected goals in this series was over 12. And so the fact that he had more goals saved above expected rather than actual goals allowed allowed is just an insane stat and kudos to him. I'm thrilled, and if he and the defense with, you know, preventing high volumes of shots can repeat that performance, I feel really good about the canes chances. But it starts with freddie and net freddie is is the foundation that the Canes are going to build on if they are going to find success moving forward.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. And I mean you talk about the defensive core was stingy as heck. They were doing a great job out there and you know you saw some of the forwards jump in. We saw a great block by Jordan Martinuk which I think possibly saved a goal, but certainly was a great play to at least prevent a goal if Freddie couldn't save it. So it's great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, outstanding performance by Fred. He looks well-rested. He's a happy camper right now, of course, with that re-upping and the new contract for next year. All thumbs up with Fred, and you know we talked about this. I had actually mentioned that he might be an X factor in the series and I felt all along that. You know Freddy's numbers in the past have been tremendous in the playoffs they really have. So he's been there. The challenge has always been, you know, could he remain healthy and continue to be rested sufficiently to do what he does best? So it's great.
Speaker 1:One thing that we saw we heard a lot about this in the broadcast was just the shot numbers that the Canes were getting shot attempts. Washington in particular blocked a lot of shots from their decor, but the shot attempt numbers were just insane. I remember the first game. They were just off the charts. Again. The Canes, using that full pressure, play that. You know, get in your face, you know, get in the ozone and press hard. And it seemed to go well for the Canes and press hard. And it seemed to go well for the Canes.
Speaker 3:Thoughts about that. I think that it's just part of the Canes' DNA. The idea is to control the puck, to keep possession of the puck. If you have the puck, they don't have the puck, and if they don't have the puck they can't score. And then the idea is to just constantly be cycling, throw pucks on net I know it drives all of us crazy, we have talked about it in the past where the shots often taken are low danger chances, low percentage chances of scoring. It's been very maddening, that's for sure, but in the first two series it's been effective. They have been able to fool Thompson a few times. I think that was the one difference you go back to. You know, freddie, not giving up the soft goals. There were some soft goals given up by Thompson and a lot of that had to do with the fact that the Canes were just relentless in getting pucks on that and giving themselves every chance, whether it was low percentage or high percentage yeah of trying to score and it ended up working for them, particularly in game five um.
Speaker 3:so you know it. If it works, you know, don't, don't fix it, don't mess with it, keep going. I do think that they're going to have to do more or perhaps a little bit better balance of quality versus quantity, moving forward. But the blueprint is there and the don't change the blueprint, just build on the blueprint. And one particular player who has seen a lot of success with shooting the puck more on net has been Andrei Svechnikov. It is no doubt, there's no doubt in my mind, that the reason that he is leading the Canes and goals and is second only to Rantanen, who has played more games than Svechnikov has, there's no doubt in my mind it's because he is shooting the puck more Instead of trying to be fancy instead of trying to look for that extra pass, instead of trying to pull a nifty move, he is just putting the puck on net.
Speaker 3:He's shooting if he has a chance, and that poor guy would be in so much like have even more goals if he didn't have this awful relationship with the crossbar and the posts.
Speaker 3:He I think he has as many crossbars and posts as he does actual goals exactly yeah but you just you have to think that if he keeps shooting and he keeps building that confidence and keeps believing in himself in that shot, that the number of posts and crossbars is going to start going down and the number of goals is going to keep going up. So hopefully a few of the other canes can take a page out of such as book and see how well it's worked for him, particularly on his line. It would be good to see Ajo and Jarvis starting to put puck on net a little bit more and not just playing around with the passes. But if we can get some more of those types of players, then let's ride Svets' coattails and hopefully get some more offensive production moving forward.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean Svch sits right behind Mikko Rantanen for a number of goals. Right now he's got eight. Of course and you know we talk about the shot volume thing A lot of folks call the canes boring. And of course, rod Brendamore basically said hey, that's how you score goals, you shoot right. Rod Brendamore basically said hey, that's how you score goals, you shoot right. And probably the biggest testament to that would be the goal that Svet scored the other night From way on the right side. It had no right to go in. Frankly, it should have been saved easily and the Canes that pretty well sealed the deal on the whole series. So, yeah, the biggest concern I have, of course, that pretty well sealed the deal on the on the whole series. So, yeah, the biggest concern I have, of course, with all of this is the effort that's required to do this. It's a tremendous amount of work the Canes have to do to get the puck out of their zone, get it up and take the shots. It's, you know it's a lot and and I think you know that's one of the things we're going to have to be watching is to see how they can hang up and continue to go.
Speaker 1:But some other interesting stories in this round. Of course we did see Alexander Nikitin, so you know a lot of excitement there. You know we had talked a little bit about this last week, thinking that he was, you know, probably going to show up in the series somewhere. Week thinking that he was, you know, probably going to show up in the series somewhere and as it turned out, it was right away because of the situation with Jalen Chatfield Nikishan. He played 10 and a half minutes sheltered minutes for sure, but showed some things. What did we think about Alexander and?
Speaker 2:his debut, erin. Well, I liked the fact that you know one of the shots he took on goal registered at just over 92 miles an hour. I mean, this is his first game in the NHL. We are going to love that shot. We're going to love it a lot and we're especially going to love it when he's been able to play in the system a little bit. And they can start, you know, doing something setting up some screens, getting that net. And they can start, you know doing some things, setting up some screens, getting that net front, which is, you know, we were talking about. You know, just to carry on with the shot volume thing for a second, the Canes have always been a great shot volume team. What's working for them now?
Speaker 2:I think a lot in the Washington series was the net front presence was much better than it has been in the regular season and if they can keep that going, especially with a player like Nikitian maybe coming into the lineup here and there, that's exactly what you need because his shot alone can pretty much, you know, beat some goalies. But when you're talking about the playoffs, you want to have some people, some traffic in front, and they've done a good job of that they really have. So I love seeing that shot. I loved seeing the enthusiasm. I think we all loved seeing I don't know how many of you follow Kaniak Brainiac on X, but he was at the game and he took a clip from Nikitian's first shift.
Speaker 2:He had the video of it that he shared online and there was a great moment when Nikitian stole Alexander Ovechkin's stick and then did the innocent who made the palms up. You know that was a terrific moment and what a great moment for a kid from Russia to get to do that to his hero, you know, in his very first shift in the game. So it was a lot of fun to see him. I see the potential. I think there's some time. There's going to be some polishing needed as he fits into the system, but he's. There's no question about the talent or the impact he's going to have going forward. What do you think, katie?
Speaker 3:Oh, I absolutely agree, and it's been fun seeing some of the non-Cain centric media outlets starting to talk about him and his potential and what he can mean. Talk about him and his potential and what he can mean, um, uh, there was one article that I shared on x where they're talking about he's a bit of a throwback, but the type of throwback that works in the modern nhl because he likes to skate backwards that he really prefers to defend skating backwards and that that's a real skill and but he still has positioning to where he can step up into people and he throws the body and has the big slap shot and that sort of thing.
Speaker 3:So it's going to be really fun to see how he adapts that. There's going to be some work. The Canes already have a bad habit of shooting into other defenders' ankles, so hopefully he doesn't go along with them and learn from them and slap shot into people's ankles. Um, I don't think the defenders want him to slap shot into their ankles either, so that that would probably be of benefit for both us and them. But yeah, he has lots of potential. Ultimately, we want chatty back. Chatfield right now is a better defender than Nikitian.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:But I mean, it's hard to stay in the here and now because it's easy to salivate over the future and the potential of what this young man is going to mean to the Canes for many, many years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I think it was ESPN's John Boucher-Ross was quite adamant on the qualities of Nikitian as he saw it going forward, so that's exciting. Yeah, he let go a couple of rockets, which we expected, and he hit a couple of folks pretty hard, that's for sure.
Speaker 3:Tom just ran into him and bounced off Like he didn't do anything. I just ran into him and bounced off Like he didn't do anything, and of course he had that great play with Alex Ovechkin where he kind of followed him to the blue line and got the puck and knocked it out.
Speaker 1:It was a great play. So, good, so great stuff there. You talked about Chatfield, wondering what the situation is with Chatfield and what that might mean to the Canes Katie. What are you thinking there?
Speaker 3:After the practice press conference, Rod seemed to suggest that Chatfield needs a practice with the team before he's ready to play again, which feels problematic to me. It makes me wonder if he's not going to be ready to go for the first game. With that particular comment, we'll be keeping a close eye on Morning Skate, whoever participates in that and see what that looks like.
Speaker 3:But it is what it is and the Canes are just going to have to work with who they have and if Chatfield's not available, it's next man up and moving forward. But we definitely need Chatty back as soon as he is able to go and compete at the level that he can compete, because he is an essential part of our group defense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. One of the areas that I think there was a concern the other night was on the penalty kill. So when a defenseman went out it put tremendous pressure on the other three kind of solid D guys, because they don't normally use Goss to spare there and they weren't going to use Nikitian. So you know, missing Chatty in that situation is a tough one, so for sure.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's okay.
Speaker 2:Just let Slavin play the full two minutes, like he did before we know he can do it, it's no big deal, he's got this.
Speaker 3:He's got this, yeah, well, and they did have.
Speaker 2:Moro was up with Gossespierre today at the practice.
Speaker 2:So some people are already, you know, trying to spin that narrative of. You know we can't put Moro in when we have Nikishan. But realistically, the biggest drawback for Nikitian right now is simply the language skills. It's very hard when you don't speak the language of all your players around you to communicate and make those last second adjustments. So he did fine for the time that he was in. He did great. But if they're not going to be able to pair him with Orlov which they really aren't then for a game at home it's easier to shelter a ghost Morrow pairing with third pair minutes and keep them. You know, do what you need to do with the other two pairs than it would be maybe to rotate Nikitian in and out with other defensemen. So we'll see. It'll be interesting to see how they decide to go with that. But there's always a possibility of Chatfield's at Morningscape that he could go. So we'll see. It'll be interesting to see how they decide to go with that. But there's always a possibility of Chatfield's at Morningscape that he could go.
Speaker 1:So we'll see what happens, and you know that if he can, he will for sure.
Speaker 1:He's tough as nails, as they say. So we'll see what he can do. I think it's probably going to be Scott Morrow if Chatty doesn't go, and that's OK, he's played alongside Goss Despair before. Doesn't go, and that's okay, he's played alongside Gossespierre before. So it's not like, hey, we got two new guys out there, as they did with trying to work Ghost with Nikitian, so it's good. Now, talking about Jacob Slavin and the work that he had to do, kind of working on the PK extra time, and so too did Sean Walker. That combination to me, when they were together, were really something to watch, and they are going to be critical for the Canes going forward. Katie, your thoughts on Slavin and Walker?
Speaker 3:I have made no secret here or on X that I love each of them as their own defenseman, but I am really in love with the two of them as a pair. In the Washington series I believe they logged about 20 minutes of ice time together, overall combination penalty kill and five on five. Five on five when they were on the ice the Canes absolutely dominated puck possession time and outscored not just dominated possession time, outchanced out high danger chance and outscored Washington. I believe it was three nothing for goals when Walker and Slavin were on the ice together. I mean just really good, really dominant.
Speaker 3:And it's been interesting to see how Rod has used them on five on five because you know, certain times it's to give burns a break or it's a particular type of face-off against a different line and he wants to give, I think, walker more opportunity to uh, to, to activate and get into the play and we saw the success with that.
Speaker 3:There was that one goal in particular from Walker that was absolutely beautiful when Saven was out there where he cut in and shot and Rasevich was driving the net.
Speaker 3:It was fantastic and I think Rod knows that Walker has that in the tank but can't activate that way when he's out there with Ghost, because Ghost is the offensive-minded one when that pair is together, but when Walker's with Slavin, then Walker can be the offensive-minded one.
Speaker 3:The other thing that was interesting to me is when you look at the penalty kill time that they spent together, shots on goal were three and three for when they were out there. So even when they were on the penalty kill, it was a draw as far as shots on goal and opportunities to score, and the score was 0-0. So I mean they did well on the defensive end, but they also did well enough that they were able to get the puck moving forward and help keep the pressure on the other team, despite the fact that the Canes were the ones on the penalty kill. So it's been great, and I think it's a wonderful weapon for rod to have in his tool belt, and I can't wait to see how he deploys them against the panthers, because that could end up being, uh, really key moments in the game where you can help tip things in the canes' favor.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. And you know, Sean Walker has taken his game to another level for sure, and Rob Brindamore has commented on that, and you know, just watching the play, he seems to be involved so frequently in what's going on when he's on the ice and he does it effortlessly and kind of like Jalen Chatfield he's he's incredibly fast and this is something that allows him to get back and to make some exciting defensive plays as well. So, yeah, those guys, they're anchors for the long term. Of course, we've got Slavin for many years and we also have.
Speaker 1:Sean Walker. He's lined up for the next four years as well. So nicely done. And you know, I think there's a bit of a byproduct here, with Walker really being able to jump in and do some of that heavy lifting, and I think that's really helped. Brent Burns Erin your thoughts on Brent.
Speaker 2:I think that Burns had a great series, much better than his series against the New Jersey Devils, I think you know he was much more stable in his own end. He was not making the defensive zone turnovers that we saw against New Jersey and that really have been a feature all year. Frankly, he's been more solid in that series than I think I've seen him play in a long time. Now I know that some people said that the Capitals' slower playing pace and style was probably a factor in that, that he was not having to play at that extremely high up-tempo pace that the Devils were setting. And the Canes can certainly match that pace as a group, as a team. They're not a slow team. But you know, for Burns that's getting to be a little bit more challenging to have to log those kind of miles and those relays back and forth. But I also think that the time he spent with you know, because Slavin was playing with Walker, there were some interesting shifts where Burns was playing with the Cheyenne Gossespierre and that was also helpful and that that could be something that we could see being upcoming in the next series too, because you know, there the third pairing isn't necessarily going up against the top lines. They're not. They're gonna get more chances.
Speaker 2:You know, and there were a couple of times when I really thought, you know that Burns was taking a little more time with his shot. He was taking a little more time to try to get it into, you know, a rebound area or something like that. He wasn't just flinging it on the net from the point like we've seen him do. And that may be because not being against those top lines gave him a little bit more time to sort of set where he wanted to go with it. So all of that is to the good. You know that that makes Burns more effective and you know we already talked about what it makes Slavin and Walker look like. So I hope that we will see that mix and match. I hope that it will be Slavin and Burns when it needs to be and Slavin and Walker when it needs to be, and you know, and that both of them will really benefit when it needs to be, and you know, and that both of them will really benefit?
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. And I think in general and you know we've covered quite a bit of ground here on the defensive core I think they've just been rock solid. Dmitry Orlov, of course. He's been doing the O-1 service too, so I think the D-Corps is one of the real assets too. So I think the D-Corps is one of the real assets. And as we get into talking about the preview and this upcoming series with the Panthers, that is an area they're very strong. As you know. Their top six D-Corps is very, very good, so the Canes are going to need theirs to be stepping up as well. Getting ready for this Eastern Conference. Final General thoughts to kick it off, katie, what are you thinking about this series coming up?
Speaker 3:I think this series is going to be a real test of the Canes' identity and the way that they play and their work ethic, their stamina, because the first two rounds you had teams that were more offensively driven, high-flying, and the Canes were very well structured to shut them down, frustrate them, get in their heads and prevent them from doing what they wanted to do with the puck and with the game. This series is going to be much more like looking in the mirror Florida. Florida plays a very similar style game to the canes and you can argue on different aspects of their game who edges out whom but that's the key, right there is they edge each other out in certain areas. So I'm sure we'll get into some of these, but you get in.
Speaker 3:You get into um something like the penalty kill. They're both have excellent penalty kills, but you give the edge to the canes when it comes to depth scoring. They both can have get contributions up and down the lineup, yeah, but you're probably going to give the edge to the Panthers.
Speaker 3:But, the difference is that when you give the edge to one or the other, sometimes little changes in the game, a little extra effort, a little extra puck luck even can swing that edge in favor from one team to the other. And so it's all going to be about finding those opportunities to exploit the edge that you have in order to benefit your team and to give your team an advantage, hopefully on the scoreboard, but definitely in the flow of play throughout each game and then overall through the series.
Speaker 1:Katie, you had some interesting information. I thought to peel this back a little bit. Your five-on-five charts were interesting and also the finishing charts. Can you share that with us?
Speaker 3:Well, if you go to HockeyViz and you look at the Carolina Hurricanes 5v5 shot chart, you'll see a lot of red, which means they are generating lots of shots, and not just lots of shots from one or two areas, lots of shots from all over the offensive zone, which just makes sense with the way that they play Shots on goal, go in, create screens, get rebounds, look for opportunities, collect the puck and cycle it right back again. So from the blue line on in, they created lots of shots on goal. If you looked at what Washington did, not so much. But you bring up Florida's chart and it looks just as red as the Canes does.
Speaker 3:They produce a ton of shots from all over the offensive zone and the Canes are going to have to be ready for that. They're going to have to be ready to suppress, and Florida produced a lot of shots from all over the offensive zone, and the canes are going to have to be ready for that. They're going to have to be ready to suppress, and florida produced a lot of shots too. So, again, it's that edge that I was talking about. What's? What's the edge going to lean towards? Is the edge going to lean towards the canes ability to suppress shot volume or is it going to lean towards the panthers' ability to create shot volume? And when they create shot volume? I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel like Freddie had to deal with a ton of screens this last series.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 3:He is probably going to have to work through a whole lot more screens this coming series, and so the Canes' ability to limit that, to limit the shots and then, when they do get through, to be able to clear rebounds and not give the Panthers those second and third opportunities, are going to be very important, and it's going to work in the other direction too. The Panthers are not used to dealing with a team like the Canes. They had to face Tampa Bay and Toronto, who are also high-flying offense, transition-minded teams first, and so it's going to be a novelty for them too to face a puck possession, shots-from-everywhere team like the Canes. So again, that edge. Where's the edge going to go? Are the Canes going to be able to drive, play and put the Panthers back on their heels, or are the Panthers going to drive, play and put the Canes back on their heels?
Speaker 3:It's probably a case of both, and then so which team is going to be able to capitalize on their chances? The best, and it's just it's really could go either way. There are just so many different little factors that can come into play, and hopefully the Canes can take advantage of the the chances they're getting. Um, as far as the charts on the power play. It's interesting as good as both the canes and florida have been five on five. They both have really, really poor numbers in their previous series on the power play.
Speaker 3:The canes were great in the power play against new jersey, but it was not particularly great uh, against was In fact, if you see where their shots are coming from it's almost all on the perimeter on the power play and there's this just big void of not a whole lot of shot creation going on right in front of the goal, and no team is going to be successful in the power play if you aren't getting shots off from the high danger areas. So that's really going to have to be something that the Canes focus on is getting the puck into those dangerous areas and getting shots off, and not just playing on the perimeter in the power play. But the Panthers have equally struggled. I mean again, it is like looking into a mirror. These are two very, very similar teams and the Panthers are not having a lot of success either.
Speaker 3:I didn't really watch many of their power plays in their previous series, but they must have been keeping it to the perimeter too. It's not quite the black hole of no shots that the Canes have on their chart, but there's a lot of blank spaces there too for Florida. So I would imagine that when it comes to special teams, it's going to be a battle of the penalty kills and I'm not expecting to see a lot of power play goals, unless one of the teams catches fire on the power play. This is going to be a series that is decided five on five.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, sorry, just to jump in on that.
Speaker 2:One of the things that everybody was commenting about in the Toronto series versus the Panthers is that the whistles have really started to go away, a lot more than I think I remember from.
Speaker 2:I mean, we were all complaining about that a little bit last year. I think there was a strange sense that the whole whistles in the pocket thing just wasn't happening even through two or three rounds last year. It seemed like a lot of silly penalties were being called that you wouldn't normally see in the Stanley Cup playoffs and I think that the league must have, you know, said something or done something, because even you know, with the Canes versus the Capitals and then watching some of the games of Toronto versus the Panthers, there were a lot of things that were being let go, that were just not being called at all, and unfortunately, because the Panthers are one of the most heavily penalized teams in the regular season, that's only going to benefit them to not have to play, you know, down as often. So that's not going to be, but the way the Canes power play has been, it may not end up hurting us either. So, like Katie said, really evenly matched there.
Speaker 1:Well, I was just going to mention that. I mean an interesting thing with the stats for the Panthers in the playoffs. Their big scores have not really been getting it done to the extent we'd expect, like, as an example I mean, you look at the power play in the past, sam Reinhart we get in the bumper spot and he scored almost every game. It seemed like it was incredible, right, and he scored last night, but he's only got four goals in the playoffs. And and again the same thing with Matthew Kachuk and Alexander Barkov. So they've been getting you know a lot of their offensive help has been distributed. They've been getting you know a lot of their offensive help has been distributed. They've been doing it to a large extent like the Canes, do you know, by committee, and you know, as you're saying too, katie, and what you were explaining. These two teams are very similar in the way they play and so they had talked about, I think 17 players had scored in the playoffs and the Hurricanes had 14.
Speaker 3:One thing I did want to bring up is, when it comes to finishing, we're used to the Canes having more expected goals than actual goals scored, which is they've been consistent with that.
Speaker 3:The Panthers, on the other hand, they have more goals scored than expected goals and they have been creating, they have been scoring.
Speaker 3:Sometimes they have been, uh, scoring sometimes when you're not expecting them to score. That could be the goaltending that the panthers have been facing, that the goaltending has not been as strong as we mentioned at the beginning, the. The canes have freddie, who's number one, but they defeated thompson and markstrom, who were either two, three or two four, depending on which stat you're looking at. So one place you could give the edge to the Canes is that Florida probably is not going to enjoy the level of finishing in this series that they enjoyed in their previous two series, whereas the Canes should be able to maintain or improve on their level of finishing because if the goaltending stays more or less similar to the way it worked out the first couple of series, they should not have quite as difficult a negative crack. We all have to take that with a huge grain of salt, because we've had our challenges with Bobrowski in the past but, he has been good this playoffs, but he has not been elite in these playoffs.
Speaker 3:So if he remains good, the Canes have a good chance of outscoring the Panthers. Because I don't think that the Panthers are going to find the same level of success against the Canes' defense and goaltending that they found against the Tampa Bay Lightning defense and goaltending, and definitely not the same level of success that they found against the Tampa Bay Lightning defense and goaltending, and definitely not the same level of success that they found against the Toronto Maple Leafs defense and goaltending.
Speaker 1:Oh for sure. I mean, yeah, the Leaf defense. They don't have Jacob Slate, so I think I'll leave it at that. Yeah, so we're talking about the keys of this series and you hit one of the keys I thought we really wanted to touch on, and that's going to be Freddie against Sergei Bobrovsky. You know, goaltending is critical in these series and I think the way that Freddie has come into the series, as I said before, he's playing the best hockey, I think, of the season for him. He's feeling great and so he definitely is going to be right there with Bobrowski. Now, bobrowski, the last short time has played a little bit better, but I totally agree, he's not lights out like he was last year. He was incredible.
Speaker 1:But look at some of the other areas of the Canes the defense core. How are we going to stack up against their D core? They're deep, as I mentioned before. I mean, the third pairing is Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov and Jones he had a tremendous game last night, by all accounts, he was one of the stars, so they're deep. On the blue Goal scoring has been something interesting in the playoffs For the Panthers, they have 11 goals from their defensive core. The Canes have eight. So again pretty evenly matched. Erin, what are your thoughts on the D court?
Speaker 2:Well, I think you hit on it right there. It's going to be really critical for the Canes to have the D continue to contribute to the scoring and we talked a little bit, I think, in our last podcast about how that wasn't really going on during the regular season. So what's what they're doing now is definitely working. It's definitely what they need to be doing and you know, as far as the, you know how evenly matched they are. Like Katie pointed out already to, the Canes have so far played just 10 playoff games. The the Canes have so far played just 10 playoff games. The Panthers have played more.
Speaker 2:So that couple extra between our numbers and their numbers is really just the effect of that difference in number of games played. There's not a huge edge for them necessarily. I think that it's going to be a bigger challenge, probably for Freddie, because he hasn't seen a lot of that in the teams that we've faced so far. There hasn't been the defensive core for New Jersey, of course was. I think a lot of people termed them the walking wounded. You know they were not healthy, so that wasn't a factor, you know, and it didn't end up being as much of a factor with the Capitals either. That'll be important for the team defense, to make sure that when the Panthers defensemen are activating, that they can shut them down and that they also don't inadvertently screen Freddie themselves. So, just being mindful of that, it's going to be something that they have to pay more attention to than they have so far. So we'll see how that works out, but I think that the Canes have a chance of being every bit as involved with the D scoring as the Panthers.
Speaker 2:So and then that was probably not true. I haven't looked into the twenty twenty three game or two games. You know the series, the previous series with the Panthers. I don't recall our defensemen having scored so well in the playoffs that year. So this is, you know, as people are putting the two teams together and saying, well, but you know, the Canes lost, they were swept. It's not the same team, it's not the same players and especially, I think some of those areas were areas where the Canes weren't necessarily getting as much, you know, in those playoffs. So we'll see how that works out.
Speaker 1:Kate, I agree with Erin.
Speaker 3:So we'll see how that works out. Katie, I agree with Erin. What she said again is they're very closely matched. I think that which decor has the edge is whichever decor stays the healthiest. So that puts the Canes at a slight disadvantage if Chatty's not able to go in game one and we have to wait for him to come back.
Speaker 3:But again, they're so close that just a play here, a lucky bounce there can a shift off moving the legs, all the different slogans that the Canes like to say in every pregame press conference and postgame interview. I mean they say it for a reason, right, it's because it's true and it is important. So we'll see. They're so evenly matched. Either decor could end up being a difference maker in this series. So we'll see they're so evenly matched. Either D core could end up being a difference maker in this series.
Speaker 1:For sure, and they are For sure. These are two of the most evenly matched defensive cores. The Canes are six, deep, talented from top to bottom, just as the Panthers are, so that's going to be interesting to see which one comes out ahead. If we look at the forwards, it's interesting that you know we're seeing some different things with this Panther team. As I mentioned before, some of their top players are not, you know, leading like they normally do. In fact, they're getting a lot of their production and heavy lifting from their third and fourth lines, and this is a little bit different than the other teams we've faced as well, I think.
Speaker 1:The Panthers' third line, of course, which has been really impressive with Lindell and Luster, aiden who used to be with the Hurricanes, of course and Brad Marchand. They've been doing a great job, and Marchand in particular has really come to play in the playoffs. He's got 12 points. He's a guy that has been a cane killer in the past. In 36 games against the Canes he's got 14 goals and 13 assists, and we saw him so many series with the Bruins. He was just a thorn for the Canes, for sure, and a pain in the butt, to put him mildly. What are we thinking about this forward matchup. How do we feel about it, katie? Why don't you kick that off?
Speaker 3:Well, the word matchup right there that you suggested is the key, is it not? Again, these two teams are very evenly matched and so it's going to come down to matchups, and the matchups are going to favor the Canes in the first two games because of being the home team, and so Rod is going to be able to very strategically put the line combinations out there that he wants to have against the Florida Lions. Now, the top two Florida Lions, like you said, have not been producing as well, and the question is, is that more because of them or is that more because of how the defense in the previous series played them? I think it's probably more of the former than the latter, because I don't know that. I'm particularly bought into the defense in Toronto, particularly to be that much of a shutdown force against a line like Barkovs or Reinhardts or whatever. So I think the Canes will be able to match up pretty evenly with them and to be able to take advantage. I fully expect to see Ajo's line matched against Barkov's, if I had to bet, and just kind of top line against top line.
Speaker 3:May the best center and wingmen win that particular contest every time they're out against each other. But then after that, if Rod's going to let them go best on best, then who's stall covering? Who's he going to prioritize? Is he going to prioritize Kachuk's line, with them not being as productive and struggling and Kachuk may be fighting through some injuries still?
Speaker 3:Maybe Rod trusts KK's line to take that particular matchup better and then go ahead and let Stahl's line be the one that works on the line that has been scoring more for the Panthers, which as of late has been the line with Marsha and and try to shut them down. So it's all going to be in the matchups and thankfully the Canes have the advantage there because they get to start off on their home ice dictating the matchups and hopefully dictating the tone for the whole series, so that once the series transfers down to Florida the Panthers will already be at a disadvantage in the series. But we'll see how it goes, because these forward cores again, they're both deep, they both have a lot of strengths, they both have a few chinks in the armor. It's just about how the coaches put together who plays who, who plays against who. What do you think, erin?
Speaker 2:Well, I think you're right.
Speaker 2:I think that it's going to come down to the matchups and I think that it's going to be really important for those matchups to be a little bit fluid at first on the Kane side, because there may be some, you know, like you said, who.
Speaker 2:Who is he going to match Stahl's lineup against? Who's he going to match? You know, where does Jack Roslevic, who does his line, match up against? Because you want the Roslevic line, with Hall and Stankoven, to get lots of really good scoring chances. So what's their best matchup, you know? Do you want to put them out? If you're going to pick a line that you think that they might not have to be playing heavy defense against, which line is that think that they might not have to be playing heavy defense against which line is that? You know? So it's, it's all going to come down to those, those moments, and I think that there could be some adjustments in game as those things unfold too, because we're going to want to see you know, rod's going to want to see how they each um respond to the, the challenges. And, and you know it, I think one of the advantages of the cane system is that because they are? You know it's the joke, they're the coursey canes, right? You know that we look at those numbers all the time. But those possession numbers will give very early clues to which lines are not able to suppress the shot volume, and those will be the ones that will be quickly altered, will be the ones that will be quickly altered.
Speaker 2:I think that was the most reassuring thing in the Capitals series was how quickly Rod made the changes that he made and how they were not reactive. The Canes were not down in the game where those changes were originally made. Both teams were tied at zero, and so he just decided that this needed to be done to give them a chance to take the lead in everything which they did. This needed to be done to give them a chance to take the lead and everything which they did. So it's just having seen that from him in the first in the capital series, I think that I'm trusting that those changes are going to be made on the fly when they need to be made.
Speaker 2:So, like you said, it's going to come down to the little things, and one of the little things has always been Maurice versus Rod Brindamore when it comes to coaching, because Maurice is very quick to alter things and to you know to change things up and you know to get into a little bit of shenanigans himself with his players and encouraging some of that. So we don't need to talk about that probably, but it is a factor of their games and how they play. So I'm just going to when I look at the Canes, though, I don't see any plays in their lineup right now where I'm afraid for any of these lines to match up against any of the other lines. I really I don't think that there's a weak line on the Hurricanes. So we'll see how that goes.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, I think you hit something which is definitely going to be critical in this series, which is the coaching matchup, and I know we talked a lot about that last series you know, katie, you were looking at that as an X factor for the Hurricanes Rod Brindamore up against Spencer Carberry, and Rod did win that series on a coaching side. I think he did a number of great decisions. I think we all agree that he won the battle on the coaching side, and now he's up against a guy that really has his act together in Paul Maurice. For sure he's taken this team to the Cup before he really knows what he's up to back there. So this is going to be a great challenge again for Rod. Last time it didn't come out quite the way he would like, so maybe this time he's smarter. He's learned some lessons too, and I think that's the other side.
Speaker 1:We talked a lot about the players who have learned. You know, through these series before you know it's been a tough learning experience. They've come close a number of times. Now you know they're going to put that to work, and I think the same thing with Rod. I think he's learned several lessons through these playoff runs and I think he's ready to take the team to the next level as well. So that's going to be fun to watch and, as you say, sometimes Paul Maurice can be a lot of fun Some of the things he'll do, and we'll see how he handles some of his key players on the Panther side. So let's talk about X-Factors. We had some fun in the last series and I think we're pretty close to being right on with our discussions. Um, what do we think the x factors are going to be in this series? Where do we think, uh, those situations are going to present themselves that might make all the difference. Uh, for the team that comes out. Katie, why don't you kick it off with yours?
Speaker 3:well, if you look at a lot of sites, they they will list X factors on the things that are just kind of almost boring as X factors because they're so blatantly obvious. Goaltending, it's like is that really an X factor? Is goaltending really an X factor? I don't know about that. Special teams really an X factor? I think it's just kind of given those are important.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:So for me an X factor is something that doesn't get talked about but could end up influencing in a very powerful way the game and how a game, the outcome of a game and eventually the outcome of a series. So for me it is generally the Canes bottom six offense, and by bottom six offense a lot of people like to pretend that Stahl's line is the third line. Reality check Canes fans. The top line is Ajo's line and the second line is Stahl's line. That's always going to be how Rod utilizes them and sees them, and so the third line and fourth line can be somewhat interchangeable At this point. The third line is Roslevic Hall and Stankankoven. It has been pretty set for the last few games, so we definitely want to see production from them. We want to get from them um, get goals and and whatnot from them. Um stankoven scored in game one of the new jersey series and he scored in game one of the capitals series, so hopefully he can continue to be mr game one in this series and help provide some depth scoring.
Speaker 3:But the real x factor for me is going to be that fourth line, because if you have those top three lines just really set in stone, then does the fourth line make sense? Is the fourth line just kind of whoever's left over? Do they have chemistry together? Do they work well? Do they match up well against whoever they're out against on the ice? Are they against Florida's fourth line or are they out there trying to provide some extra defensive gravity to a situation against one of the other lines? And how well do they communicate? Which makes it a little tricky, because the last couple of games it's been Robinson, kk and Blake and I think that they all have lots of good upsides.
Speaker 3:as a player, but I'm still unconvinced that as a line they really work well together. It would be controversial of me to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway. I honestly think that the best fourth line that the Canes had during the regular season was Robinson, Jankowski and Jost. Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And so.
Speaker 3:I mean, do you sit a Blake or do you sit a KK?
Speaker 3:I don't see Rod ever doing that with either of those players, but at some point that fourth line has to be effective.
Speaker 3:And if you're going to keep KK and Blake on that fourth line, they need to find a way to create enough chemistry that they can counteract the depth in Florida's bottom six, that they can counteract the depth in Florida's bottom six and right now I think perhaps that is the biggest chink in the Canes' armor on offense. And they need to find a way as a team and Rod needs to find a way as a coach to help mitigate that particular issue with the synergy that seems to be lacking there. Because the other three lines have been really good and shown a lot of promise. We need that fourth line to just get on board with the rest of them, whatever that that configuration ends up being in this series in the end, because I don't know that it's going to stay kk, blake and robinson. Somebody's going to move up or somebody's going to move down, but they need to find a. They need to find a line combo that really works and is really effective.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. And you know you take a look at the bottom six of the Panthers and we talked about the. You know the Lindell line. That line is a solid line, both defensively and offensively. They can make things happen out there.
Speaker 1:And the fourth line has been trouble for the opposing teams. For sure they're a heavy line. You know thomas noshek is centering uh gachevich and uh and he's got uh greer on the other side. Those guys are big, they're, they're in your face. And I'm a little bit concerned about this fourth line. It doesn't really have an identity.
Speaker 1:You know we've taken a look at, you know, jackson Blake in kind of recent games. The eyeball test is a little concerning. You know he's struggling out there and I don't see him as a fourth line player, frankly, not in a series like this. And this will be an interesting question for Rod. He's got the depth.
Speaker 1:I don't know where Jankowski is in terms of health, but he's a guy you would expect to be in this series. He's a bigger player, he's defensively accountable, he can jump in on the penalty kill as well and I like the work that Jankowski has done with the Canes and I'd be happy to have him in there. And it brings up a question Is it going to be a Jack Roslevic that comes out? Is it going to be, you know, a Jackson Blake that would come out to get him in there? It's not going to be Kokanemi, that's for sure. So you know there's some real questions, I think, on the lineup as we head into this series. I'm not convinced. It's exactly the way it was coming out of the last series. In fact, I kind of hope they bring Jankowski in and bring some more size. But I'm with you. I think the you know, the third and fourth lines are going to be critical in this series.
Speaker 2:And we'll see how it plays out.
Speaker 2:I think, if I can, jump in just for a second. I think that there is. There are two possibilities. One is that you guys are going to be right about this and that they are going to have to to do something different with jackson blake. It would be jackson blake that would be the issue, if there is one, because he has been struggling. He is only 21 years old. It is his first playoffs here. You know this is a big deal for a young player. So if he can't find his game and if he can't do the things that he can so capable of doing now we forget.
Speaker 2:He started out for the canes on the third and fourth lines all the time, you know he was down there in the bottom six. He can play in the bottom six. It's not like that's not his game. He's not a top six or bust player and actually the Canes have had that kind of player in their prospect pool before and it's an unfortunate thing because a lot of those players that are, you know, in the AHL and they're labeled top six or bust, unfortunately a lot of times they go on to be traded because they don't have room for them in the top six. So I think Jackson Blake is a smart player I think that he is. You know, certainly his dad's experience in coaching on the sides that we've heard a little bit about is going to help him to seize the opportunity.
Speaker 2:The one thing that I think that we might see from this line if Blake can get his game going, which I think would be great for the Canes they need everybody to get going. Yes, of course, if Jackson Blake could start being the offensive playmaker that he has been in the past. The other two players that you have on this line are the two players who were part of the Canes' best line all season, the Robinson-Kokuniemi-Natchez line. Yes, can Jackson Blake whose skating speed has improved dramatically, by the way can he begin to take the role of Natchez on that line and get these two guys up and in the offensive zone with some real scoring punch? That would be a real game changer, especially given, like Katie said, how all of these things are about these little differences and these little edges. What if you have a fourth line that can be a lethal scoring line? That would certainly be a difference maker and a game changer. The question is is Jackson Blake capable of playing on the playmaking level of someone like martin natchez?
Speaker 1:I'm not going to rule it out until we see well for sure, and you know we all appreciate jackson blake. It's nothing to do with that. One of my concerns with jackson blake is he's he's slight. He does get pushed around a lot and you, you know the third and fourth lines, particularly the fourth line of the Panthers. That's what they do. They're a heavy line. We've talked a lot about this in the past. If you've looked at teams that have done really well in the playoffs, it's usually they've got a great fourth line as well.
Speaker 1:Kokuniemi, to me, is he's an enigma. Some games he looks good, other games he's not so good in my mind. So it's just a question where he's going to be in this and he needs to play a heavy game. Okay, robinson, we know what we're going to get with Robinson every 9-0, which is great. But I think Kokuniemi's got to step up. He's got to play a heavy game and you know, as you say, blake's going to have to make some of those plays. You know that's what he really does, that's where he shines, and so, yeah, and if they can get time in the O zone, which is really what you want them to do, make sure the you know the opposing line is not getting a lot of play in the Kane zone. I think that's going to be key. So we'll see how it plays out. But, as I mentioned, I'd love to see Mark Jankowski. Anyway, I kind of like him. I think he's a good player. Okay, erin, what do you got?
Speaker 2:Well, my X factor is a pretty obvious one, perhaps, but not as obvious as goaltending or special teams. I hope the Canes are the more rested team coming into this series by a lot. They finished the Capitals series in five games. They've been resting since what? Thursday, you know Thursday night. So the Panthers are coming in after really just one day off. Yeah, and they had to travel, so it doesn't even count. So this is going to give them a little bit of an edge. It's not going to be a huge series changing edge necessarily, but if the Canes can take advantage, in game one especially, of being the more rested team.
Speaker 2:We have the old rest versus rust debate. We do not want to see rust. We do not want to see the players coming in, you know, looking like they've forgotten how to hockey. You know we want them to be ready to go from puck drop. If they can take advantage of being the more rested team and really bring that to the Panthers, who have not had a chance to catch their breath, I think that's the kind of thing that could be a series changer, in that it would set the tone going forward that you know we're not going to sit back on our heels and let you dictate the game. We're not going to wait around for you to make moves and just counter them. We are going to take it to you and we're not. You know we're not fighting a bunch of injuries, we're not dealing with, you know, one player whose status is questionable. Take advantage of that.
Speaker 2:I want to see that from them, because I know there have been times when we've felt like the Canes had that advantage and we're talking regular season. It's not the same thing. But when they've had a couple days off and they come in and we think, oh gosh, they're going to get this because they've. And then they come in and they just don't seem like they remember what a puck is or what to do with it. So they can't afford that in the playoffs and they especially can't afford that against the Florida Panthers. So that, to me, is my X factor. Come in like you have this advantage. You know Rod keeps saying that in the playoffs, rest is a weapon.
Speaker 3:Well, that's a weapon in your arsenal and I want to see them use it just running the panthers into the ground I would piggyback on that, that I want to see that that initiative that you're talking about go hand in glove with plenty of the physicality we saw at the beginning of the washington game. Smart hits absolutely really start wearing the Panthers down. They're already going to be tired. They're already worn down from a seven game series. Don't give them a chance to kind of get their muscles warm and get into the game. Start hitting them literally and figuratively, right away. We want the puck possession, we want the pressure in the zone, but we also want the physical game. We want them to be looking over their shoulders and wondering who's coming at them next and causing turnovers that way, or making the other team rush their passes and creating more opportunities for the Canes. So, like you said, we've got to start on time, we've got to bring it to them, but pair that with the physicality so that it's us in their heads and not the other way around.
Speaker 2:And Will Carrier is going to be a huge player for that, and he's going to be. He is one of these players. When you talk about the different matchups and the teams being so close, we did not have Will Carrier the last time these two teams met in an Eastern Conference final and he is an incredibly physical player. This is going to be the kind of player that you might look back at the end of the series and say, yeah, he was the difference maker. So I'm hoping to see that from Carrier.
Speaker 3:He also didn't have Svetch and he's one of our more physical players as well, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And you can add Eric Robinson to that list, because he's a hit leader as well and Carrier, you know, the last couple of games we've seen him start to get a little bit more comfortable out there. He's starting to make some of those plays where he goes behind the net that's his patented play and gets it out front and boy, there were a couple of opportunities that the puck just, you know, flip past people. They weren't quite there, but yeah, definitely that line, I think, is starting to come on and it's great to see Stahl get a goal. So that was kind of fun.
Speaker 1:One last comment on that too was you know you talked about the rest factor. I think this is one of the learnings for Coach Brindamore. He has been really deliberate about giving the players lots of rest when he can, and I think that's something that he kind of realized that you know, maybe in the past he wasn't doing as much of that. I think he's done a concentrated effort this time and I think it's going to pay off. The Canes should be well-rested. I mean they got through New Jersey in five games. They got through the Caps in five games. I mean, you know, it couldn't be any better than that. I don't think you couldn't expect it. So now on my side you know I talked a little bit about the you know the Panthers top guys. They're okay. They're not kind of shining like they usually do.
Speaker 1:We've got the same situation with Sebastian Ajo, and he's a guy that I bring up as my X factor. He's playing okay. And he's a guy that I bring up as my X factor. He's playing okay. Definitely. He's doing a good job in the face-off dot. He's got a 54% face-off win percentage in the playoffs. He's playing almost 21 minutes a game, so he's the top forward in ice time on the Canes. He's the big dog for the Hurricanes but you know, last series he only had eight shots.
Speaker 1:I mean he's not, you know, again, he's doing some good work, but you just don't see him being the Sebastian Ajo that we have seen in the past. I mean, we've seen him dominate in series and I think he's got another level to go. I think he can take it up a notch and if he could and he could help, you know, kind of the top guys or the Canes outshine their top guys, and we talked a little bit about Seth Jarvis. He certainly is. You know he's done some good work, but he can do more too, and Svets has been carrying that line to a large extent. So I think certainly Ajo is the guy that I'm looking forward to taking his game up a notch here and really making a difference. And if he gets flying like he can boy, he is really something. So let's hope that Sebastian can find that magic. A quick second on the odds situation for this series. It's kind of nice, I'm going to say this, that the Canes aren't at the top of the list.
Speaker 1:So the odds makers, basically, are picking the Panthers and if you look at the odds makers for the Cup and the Canes were near the top or at the top for a long time, they're now on the bottom of the remaining teams. So this is good. I like it. I like to be a little bit down the list and we can quietly go about our business instead of people thinking, yeah, you should be winning the cup. We can just go about and win it and take our cup and have some fun with it. So, yeah, interesting situation. I'm not sure how that's changed, because we came out of this past series. You know five games against the Caps, so I'm a little bit surprised that the odds makers have moved us down the list, but that's okay. If we take a look at, you know, this series and our closing thoughts, what's on our mind? Katie?
Speaker 3:Ooh are you looking for a prediction, or yeah, for sure yeah, we always do a prediction I.
Speaker 3:Oh, it is so hard because, as I have reiterated over and over again, this series is on an edge. It really could be anybody's series, but it seems like a cop-out to say this team in seven or that team in seven. It's basically saying it's a coin flip and I'm going to pick the Canes because I like the Canes and I want the Canes to win. So I'm going to be a little bolder than that. I think this series is going to be tougher than the ones before. So they won the previous two series in five. And man, it is tempting to say Canes in five, that things are going to go the Canes way. And they are because they're able to start off at home and get that rhythm going and make the Panthers be the ones who are having to chase rather than us being the ones to chase. But there's always bumps in the road, there's always a few struggles. So I'm going to go ahead and say Canes in six.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, and what do you think? What are you expecting in the series? Just, it's going to be a hard series, it's going to be tough, and are you expecting?
Speaker 3:I don't think that there's going to be many games decided by more than two goals. Okay, like you know, the Panthers had two different games where they won what? Six to one against the Leafs.
Speaker 1:They did two of them I don't.
Speaker 3:You know, unless something awful happens. I don't want to speak into existence. You know, because of the way the Panthers are known, how to play. Unless something like that happens, I just don't see any of the games getting out of hand in favor of either team. I don't see the Canes drubbing the Panthers in any particular game and I don't see the Panthers running up the score against the Canes. So I think it's going to be very close. It's going to be very hard, hard fought and if Freddie continues to play the way he has and the defense continues to be as effective and limiting chances against Florida the same way that they did with New Jersey and Washington, advantage Canes, and therefore Canes in six.
Speaker 1:Beauty Karen.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm going to be boring because I'm going to agree with Katie. I've been thinking Canes in six all along. Somebody actually put this in a really succinct way that I think makes sense. If the Canes are going to win this series, they are going to do it in six games, because if the series gets pushed to seven, uh, I don't think maurice has ever been defeated in a seven game series. I don't think he's ever lost. His teams have never lost in a seven, in a game seven, um. So whatever tricks they have up their sleeve for that, you know, or however they would be pushing to get that.
Speaker 2:But I also think the reason that I've I was thinking Kings and six is because of what I said. My X factor is if they can take advantage of being the more rested team, if they can put away the first two games at home. I don't know how easy it would be for them to steal a game on the road, but I'm thinking that they're going to try very hard whether it is game three or game four or whether it would be game six. You know, I mean it's just it's hard to say. I don't know how that all shakes out as far as which games would they win? Which games would they lose? You know, could they do it in five? Could they actually do it in five?
Speaker 2:That would depend on, I think, some of those factors Katie says we don't want to talk about, because they have some guys that are pretty banged up too. Our team does not play a style where they're trying to win a war of attrition, where they're trying to injure guys or break guys down, but sometimes, when you're already at that point, you know an ordinary gardening variety hit would be enough to take a player out of a series if they're in that state. So, all things considered, if it gets to seven, I think that we're going to be kind of holding our hands folded and praying for a good outcome, because we know perfectly well what their history is in game sevens and I just don't see us wanting that outcome. So Canes in 6, if they can take advantage of being the well-rested team which I think that they should.
Speaker 1:Well, listen, I'm going to be the happiest person in the room if it's Canes in 6. I'm saying Canes in 7, and the reason I am is because of that home ice advantage which, for the Canes, is massive. Now, having said that, Toronto did go into Florida and win their game, just to extend their series, of course. And as far as Paul Maurice winning all the time is concerned, I guess it's time for him to lose one of these. So 8-7, I think it's going to be, I agree with everything you're saying, ladies, it's going to be a tough series.
Speaker 1:This is going to be much harder. You know we could be surprised, as you say, the Canes might come out and shock them, and a team on the run is something that could be a different situation too. And there's one other thing we haven't really talked a lot about. You know the Panthers played till late last year, like they won the Cups, so they played as late as you could play and then they came right back after a very short summer and here they are, you know, well into the season again.
Speaker 1:This is tough stuff for these guys, for sure. And you know the Canes have an advantage. They didn't go through that and they've got a number of players who, in fact some who didn't even play in the playoffs last year. So they've got a bunch of folk who should be in better situation. The injury situation on the Canes is good. We don't know much about the injury situation on the Panthers, but I think the signs are good for the Canes. You know you start to think could this be the year of the Canes? Well, let's see how they kick it off. I think the first two home games are going to be critical in this series.
Speaker 1:So kicking it off tomorrow night and very quickly right after that they're coming right back, you know, for game two. So we're going to have some fun with this over the next two or three days as things really start to pick up. Once again, you know, lots of excitement with the Canes. What a couple of great series so far, and that's the other thing I was thinking as we kind of wrap up here. It's been great. They've won two series. We're into the finals.
Speaker 1:A lot of folks at the start of the year certainly didn't expect the Canes to be there. So all good stuff. For those of you who've been listening or watching with us today, we really appreciate it. If you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have any comments or some things to say about the canes or you'd just like to reach out to us, please do that in the comment section down below. And if you want to be alerted of future episodes of Storm Tracker, please press the subscribe button and the bell and you'll be alerted just as soon as those are available. As always, aaron, katie and I thank you so much for spending time with us and we look forward to getting together with you real soon, right here on Star Trek.
