Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights: Stanley Cup Final Preview & Predictions

Vegas doesn’t beat you with shot totals, they beat you with the one mistake you wish you could have back. Carolina doesn’t wait for mistakes, we manufacture them with pressure, layers, and a forecheck that keeps coming. That clash is why this Hurricanes vs Golden Knights Stanley Cup Final feels less like a matchup and more like a stress test of identities.

We bring on DNVR Colorado Avalanche reporter and host, Bailey Curtis, to scout what Vegas is really doing well: a deep four-line lineup, a neutral zone trap that can kill rush chances, and a lineup full of players who punish loose details. We also look back at what just worked for Carolina against Montreal, from a locked-in blue line to Freddie Andersen’s steady playoff form, plus the depth engine that’s driving results. The “Junkyard Dogs” line gets real attention here, not only for scoring, but for why their two-way reliability changes how Rod Brind’Amour can deploy matchups.

Then we get tactical. Can Carolina’s volume offense keep finishing at a high enough rate against Carter Hart? Can the Canes isolate Vegas defensemen and force messy exits before Vegas forwards can support? We dig into the biggest swing areas: K’Andre Miller and Sean Walker’s impact, an elite Hurricanes penalty kill vs a dangerous Vegas power play, faceoffs in key defensive moments, and the discipline required when Vegas turns the game into a whistle-to-whistle battle. We close with predictions and players to watch, including Svechnikov, Jarvis, and Ehlers.

Highlights:

• Montreal series standouts led by the full defensive group tightening up after Game 1
• Freddie Andersen’s consistency across rounds and why the numbers look better than the raw series stat
• The “Junkyard Dogs” line and why two-way trust changes Carolina’s playoff ceiling
• K’Andre Miller’s breakout impact with Sean Walker and what it means for shutdown minutes
• Penalty kill dominance and why Vegas’ power play is still a major threat
• Fourth line momentum drivers and how heavy minutes can tilt the series
• Vegas lineup strengths, injury fill-ins, and the “next man up” identity
• Volume shooting vs Vegas finishing and how unsustainable percentages can swing back
• Coaching styles with Rod Brind’Amour and John Tortorella and the importance of in-game adjustments
• How to defend Marner and Stone by removing mistakes and winning the neutral zone
• Special teams danger both ways including short-handed strike potential
• Predictions and players to watch including Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Sean Walker

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Transcript

Hurricanes Roll Into The Final

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Well, what a playoff so far for the Carolina Hurricanes. After Canes knocked out the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in four straight games, they went to work and finished off the Montreal Canadiens in five games, outscoring the hats 16-5 after the first game 6-2 debacle. Next order of business for the Canes will be the Vegas Golden Knights. Who stood out in the Canes win versus the Canadiens? How do the Canes stack up across the board versus this veteran-laden Golden Knights team? And what will be the key matchups to keep an eye on throughout the series? Joining me as always to break it all down, Star Trekers Stavonis, Aaron Manning, and Katie Burflet, and a very special guest tonight, DNBR Colorado Avalanche reporter, Haley Curtis. Hi everybody! Hello. Hello, it's a pleasure to be here, you guys. Thank you so much. I I have an opportunity to talk about more hockey that's revelant right now that's not related to the Colorado Avalanche.

Bailey Curtis Introduction

1:13

So anytime I can stay up on revelant active hockey, it's always fun. Well, for sure, and thanks for joining us, Bailey. We are very excited to have you because, of course, you've been scouting the Vegas Golden Knights as uh, of course, the avalanche for playing the Knights. And we hope that some of those uh some of those things that you've seen are going to be kind of interesting for us and interesting for the folks who uh check in with us. Tell us a little bit about what you're doing with uh DNBR. Yeah, so I joined the DNBR team back in October, uh, a little late to the season, but I hopped on their team to become the official beat reporter for the DNBR Avalanche beat, meaning I am boots on the ground at every single home game for the Colorado Avalanche. And I also had the pleasure of traveling with the team for their entire playoff run. Uh so whether that's LA, Minnesota, Vegas, uh, my publication, my our company was able to send me out and I was able to kind of follow the team around as a little groupie, whatever you want to call it. Just uh getting the opportunity to report on things and and just kind of see things. It's always nicer for me when I can go and see things in person. You're able to gather a lot more about the game than you might be able to just see on TV. Yes, uh broadcasters are always very good at catching things, but I'm able to kind of see things for myself and make my own deductions based off of the little things that I'm seeing that the camera's not always trained on, which is super exciting. Uh on top of going to at least 42 of the regular season games, uh I'll I'll travel from time to time for bigger events. I'm super excited that uh we've got a winner classic coming up here next year and uh New Year's that I'm very excited to go and cover in Salt Lake City, Utah. Um, yeah, outside of going to games, I am also the main host for the DNBR Avalanche podcast. So I get to kind of steer the conversation for my co-hosts, AJ and Ruda, most times. Uh, they are the big brains behind the operation. I'm I just kind of steer the conversation, allow them to kind of do what they do best. And yeah, we it it's I I was just telling somebody the other day, it is truly the best job in the world because not only do I have the opportunity to cover hockey, I get to do it in a passionate manner, which I didn't really get to do. Not not that I wasn't passionate about it with my previous publication, but there's a certain level of a lack of bias that you need as a reporter going into the game, especially writing for certain publications. I don't necessarily need that with DNBR. I get to, it's we're a company that is by fans for fans. Okay, so let's uh let's talk a little bit about uh the Montreal series. Um who stood out in that Montreal series? Uh Katie, why don't you kick it off? Um I think I'm just gonna go ahead and start with the entire decor. I think that they were fantastic, that they really set the tone and the pace for the Canes, whether it was back in their own zone, preventing opportunities or creating those breakouts uh for their for their forwards and supporting those forwards playing offense. It was

The Blue Line Stood out vs Canadians

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just a full 200-foot commitment from all three D-pairs, and they made good work of the Canadiens outside of that first game. But once they tightened up those screws after that first game, it was just uh I think I've heard the term anaconda-like thrown around in lots of different places. So I think I'm just gonna give my my flowers to the entire decor. Yes, and and I think uh as you take that a step further, you have to bring in on the defensive side Freddie Anderson. Um Katie, continuing on that, did you see anything that uh really stood out with Freddie in this uh series? Well, Freddie was his normal fantastic self. Once again, going back to that outside of that um that first game, he's been really good. The NHL edge stats back that up and show that he's been very consistent and had good save percentages no matter where the shots are coming from. And looking at some of that data, I thought it was interesting to see how he's progressed over the different series. And in the first series against the senators, he had a 955 save percentage according to natural stat trick. The second series against the Flyers, it was 945, so also really good. And then you go to the series against Montreal. If you look at the raw data, it says he had an 876, which seems to suggest that he regressed quite a bit. But again, if we treat that first game like an outlier and you just do the other four games, he had a 946-8 percentage. So this is consistent, high-level goaltending from Freddie Anderson across all three series, which gives me really, really high hopes that he's gonna be able to continue it on into this next series against Vegas. And if he can do that, I really like where the Canes are gonna find themselves at the end of this. Yeah, he's definitely uh he's definitely been magic uh between the pipes. Um okay, so another group that I think has really stood out, of course, and we talked about them last uh last podcast was the Junkyard Dogs, as uh Paul Bisonnet has uh labeled. The line of, of course, uh Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall, and Jackson Blake. Uh interesting thing I saw recently was a comparison to the Florida Panther line, their third line uh last year of Anton Lindell, Brad Marshand, and A2 Lucerina.

Depth Scoring & the "Junkyard Dogs"

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Interesting. Uh again, looked upon as a very significant offensive line that would get, you know, real reasonably strong matchups. Aaron, what are your thoughts on the darts? Well, first of all, I like that they have actually embraced that nickname and are calling themselves that. That's kind of cute. It's just you like to see that personality come out when they start, you know, saying, oh, hey, yes, we are that, and that's what we're gonna be. But I think that the reason the label works for them is that this isn't just a skilled scoring line that's getting out there and scoring and you know, taking advantage of unequal matchups, although those matchups are being sought for sure when you look at the coaching and the way that they're doing that. Um, but they're also capable defensively. It's not a line that's gonna get run roughshod in the in their own zone. They're very good at paddling for the puck and getting it out of danger. So it's it's not a line that's you know, a lot of teams have lines that they're they're good at scoring in the playoffs, but they're you have to really weigh how much time they can be out against anybody that's you know, a more significant matchup. And um, because of how well they've managed to play on both sides, you know, they're they're able to be trusted in all kinds of situations and be used, you know, pretty much across the board. So um anytime you have a line that can do that, you're in good shape, you know. Now they they did not have the hardest time against Montreal because um, again, they they were seeking those those really ad advantageous matchups to use Seth Jarvis's favorite word. Um they were they were being matched up quite frequently against the Valleno line, which is the fourth line for the halves. And um, so they were they were definitely able to outplay that line anytime they were on the ice together. And I think I didn't go back and check the stats, but a good bit of their scoring did come when they were able to take advantage of those weaker matchups. So I think that they're gonna continue to do that. They have the skill to do that, and there's no reason not to deploy them in that particular way against Vegas. The trickier part, you know, and I know we'll get to this when we talk about Vegas, will be how exactly do you create those matchups for that line? Because you're gonna want as much of that as you possibly can. This is the line that I I again, I'm just basing this on our eye test stuff. I haven't had a chance to look at the stats this week. But um, I think their finishing has to be probably the best on the canes right now. There it's just, you know, there's no way that that anyone is beating them in that particular stat. And when you look at how the canes have struggled to produce offense in previous Eastern Conference finals and previous playoffs in general, finishing has always been their Achilles heel. It just has. So if this line is able to do that, you know, and that's you know, to be those junkyard dogs and finish the other guys, then you know they're they're gonna they're gonna get this done. So we'll uh we'll look forward to seeing what comes ahead for these guys. For sure. They've got a 12-4 goal differential. So 12 goals for them, four against while they've been on the ice, which is tremendous. And you know, you look at where they are in the stats. I mean, Taylor Hall is third in scoring. Who would have written a script that Taylor Hall would be third in scoring heading into the Stanley Cup finals? That's insane. Uh Logan Snakhoven is third in goals with nine. I mean, these are incredible stats. And the guy that was a fourth round pick, I don't know what he's doing in there. He's only got 15 points in 13 games, and he's tied for six. Of course, that's Jackson Blake. Incredible. Just an incredible performance. Um so, yeah, the dogs, they're gonna be key to the success of the Canes. Now, another person that has been key and I think will be extremely key is Key, okay, Andre Miller. And uh, Katie, why don't you talk about Miller? You were talking about the defense a little bit, saying, hey, they've been uh they've been getting it done. What about this guy? He's been amazing. He has been absolutely fantastic. He leads the team in plus minus at plus fourteen. He just seems to be out there, and whenever the puck is near him, he's able to get a stick on it or cut off a pass or just frustrate the offense to no end. And then he activates when he's in the offensive zone. We saw that beautiful play he made driving down low and then feathering a pass to the front, which Stahl was able to win his positional battle battle to knock it in net front. And but that play doesn't happen without Miller knowing his his role and where the i the open ice was and being able to use that big frame to protect the puck and and that long reach to get the pass around the defender in order to get it into an area where Stahl could do something with it. And so Miller has just been absolutely fantastic. You know, he's been taking lots of notes from getting to play on the same ice as Slavin and using a lot of those same skills that Slavin is so expert at in his own play as well. So it has been wonderful to see Miller step up and do a great job. And, you know, plenty of flowers to Sean Walker as well. Yeah. Because he's really helped to balance that entire D-pair. He's just a solid, um, a solid line mate for Miller to let him support him, to back him up and uh let him shine at the best in the best possible way. So Miller has been huge, and we definitely need to see more of that come against Vegas because they have plenty of weapons to deploy, and he will be one of the best countermeasures for the Canes to use against that uh high-level attack of the Knights. Yeah, I mean, him and Walker are combined plus 27, so they're right at the top of the NHL, so I think that tells a story. You know, the key thing I think we've seen with Miller is he's playing almost 24 minutes a game. He leaves the canes in that area. He's kind of stepped up and and taken a lot of the weight off Jacob Slavin, which I think is huge. Um, he's he does pretty well what Slavin does. So you've got almost two Slavins out there. I know that sounds incredible, but you know, we know how significant uh Jacob has been in the past, and now you've got a guy that looks like he's doing the same kind of thing in the same way. So it's incredible. And he's outstanding with his stick, as you mentioned, Kitty. That's one of the key things for uh Kay Andrew Miller. He's he's incredible. So that's uh that's good stuff, and it kind of segues into one of the other areas I thought we'd just touch on briefly, and that's the penalty kill. Uh and again, the penalty kill has been getting it done, and Kay Andrew Miller's been a part of that, Jacob Slavin. Aaron, any thoughts on the PK? Well, they've been incredibly good. You know, they've um only allowed four power play goals in the entire playoffs. Uh and uh they also had a short-handed goal, so you could say, you know, net three. Yeah, exactly. Uh but uh yeah, they they are um in the playoffs, they're second to uh Boston. Um and I think it that uh I you know I saw the stat that you shared earlier

K’Andre Miller & the Canes PK

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that Vegas is currently fifth at 87.5%. So this is a really good place for the Kings to be. This is you know exactly what you want. You look back to the beginning of the season when they were really struggling on the PK very uncharacteristically, but um that was because I think largely because of the injury to Jacob Slavin and the fact that he missed so much time. Um right now he leads the team in short-handed time on ice for the um playoffs. Uh he's playing uh four minutes and or averaging around 20 seconds a game. And then, you know, Stahl right behind him at three. We all know that Jordan Stahl is the king of the PK. So um, all of that is really good for the Keynes going into this series. They're going to need to be excellent on the penalty kill, as I know we're gonna talk about coming up, because that is one of the Golden Knights' more deadly weapons, and they're gonna need to be at their absolute best. So no, for sure. And and you know, as you said rightfully, I think too, Aaron. In in the past, we were always expecting the Canes to be in the top, you know, two or three for uh penalty kill numbers, and it wasn't that way for a good part of the season, but Tim's got them back uh on track. Uh fantastic play. Jordan Stahl, he's been a big guy, of course. He's he's been averaging three minutes uh a game on the PK, and of course, Jacob Slaven leads with over four minutes a game. Those two guys are rock solid there. And uh we'll talk a little bit about uh you know how this PK and and the power play of uh of uh Vegas is gonna play together. It's gonna be fun. One last thing I wanted to touch on, just very briefly, when we look back to the last series and what's been going on, and it's been kind of talked a lot about. In fact, uh Wayne Gretzky was all over this uh in a recent uh uh broadcast on TNT, and that's the fourth line. Uh they're getting a lot of kudos, right? Uh man, uh a lot of people talking about them. Katie, fourth line for the Kings. They've been fantastic. They are the ones that help to drive the momentum and create opportunities for the

Fourth Line Momentum & Heavy Hockey

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top three lines as well as give them a little bit of a breather uh while they create what they're doing. They're a combined plus 12, which is excellent for any fourth line. That's supposed to be the line that teams can take advantage of, and that just has not happened against these guys. Of course, the big shiny highlight for them is Eric Robinson's three goals. He was kind of quiet in those first two series, but really came alive on the score sheet against Montreal. Jankowski's done a good job keeping that line centered and moving around, and of course, Carrier brings the big physicality with all of the hits that he has been delivering. He's over 60 hits already, and I'm sure he's got plenty saved in the bag for his old team. Well, you know, we talked about Will Carrier a lot. Uh remember earlier in the year, of course, he was patrolling the wing alongside uh Jordan Martinuk and Jordan Stahl. Um and we kind of, you know, that wasn't quite the right fit, right? Because uh, you know, they just didn't have any offense at all. And uh I kept certainly emphasizing, and I know there was some agreement at times that maybe he's a fourth liner. And we recall that he was outstanding with Vegas when they won the cup uh as a fourth liner on a line with uh Nick Waugh, ex-Hurricane. So it was kind of fun. Uh I think he's doing a great job. Um and you know what? The interesting thing about these guys is that they get a fair number of offensive opportunities. Like, like you don't expect it, and they'll go in, and next thing you know, the puck's going right through the blue, and somebody's out front pushing around, and if they could get their stick on it, it's in the net. So they do get their chances and they're playing a heavy game. So I also did see there a couple of different reports today where there's a feeling that this line might be stronger than the Vegas fourth line. So we'll talk a little bit about that as well. I think that's a good story to tell. Uh hang on, there's some people talking about it who are seem to have a pretty good idea. In any case, um as we go into as we go into a discussion on uh on the uh on the two teams, and I think we'll break it down a little bit. We've got uh some interesting things to cover, and I know Bailey's gonna weigh in on quite a bit of it, which is great. Um I just wanted to go back to something. Uh uh couple of years ago I I did a podcast, and it was at the time that Eric uh Tulski was being hired by the Canes, and they had just a terrible situation with the Cat. The numbers were foolish. Uh they had $31 million available, and to re-sign the players they had on the roster, it was going to take 54. And we know what happened. You know, Gensel left, Peshi left, Terra Vinon left, um, Shea left. Okay, so the big dogs all left. They were all gone. And there's Eric, he's sitting there trying to figure out what do I do now? And look what he did, though. I mean, you think of some of the moves he made. He got Shane Gosses Fair in a long-term deal, Sean Walker in a long-term deal, Will Carrier in a long-term deal, Eric Robinson signed on. I mean, these are, you know, his first goal. Like that was his first summer in the in the situation. And then this past year, he was unbelievable, right? He uh he gets uh Stanhoven in the deal that went south on Ranton. He then turns around and gets uh, you know, Kandry Miller in a deal with the Rangers. He signs Nikolai Ehlers, he also got Taylor Hall in that deal with Ranton. I mean, these are incredible deals. I mean, if you think about almost half the team was assembled under Eric Tulski. It's incredible, really. It's it's incredible. And I don't think he gets enough kudos, so I wanted to give him one. That's a great job, Eric. That's fantastic. So all right. We look at the lineups. Um Bailey, if you look at just look at the general lineup before Vegas, and you've watched them now very closely. You've seen them through the season, of course, you've watched them in the playoffs. Um you know, they've got four lines that are solid, but they got six D, and they've had to fill in with, you know, um uh some of the D guys that uh we didn't expect. Um so what are you seeing? What did you see generally with our lineup? Was it deep? Was it was it heavy?

How Vegas Is Built To Survive Injuries

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What did you see? It's a deep lineup where every single line has their role, which I think this late in the in the playoffs, when you're making a run as deep as the Vegas Golden Knights have, that's key, right? You you need to be able to roll all four lines and make sure that the product that you're getting out on the ice is a sufficient one. That second line in particular has been lights out for this Vegas Golden Knights team. But even that top line, I mean, Eichel's not a name that you slouch at uh as of right now. Dorfev is a a guy who's making a name for himself in these playoffs. He's somebody I talk to my co-hosts a lot about and saying, like, he's maybe not the most proficient skater. He's not the best guy out there, but he's taking advantage of a lot of the chances that not only he is creating for himself, but the guys on the ice with him are helping create for him. Um, Tomash Hurdle, he's he's been a huge body for that third line, throwing around open ice hits, making sure that you're he he's standing up for his line mates when he needs to. And then I I look at that fourth line, and if you if you're looking for a guy who's maybe a fly in your ear kind of guy, Smith. Cole Smith has been incredible for this team. Yeah, he's racking up a lot of penalty minutes, but it's because he gets in everybody's faces. He knows that that this late in the playoffs, it's hit or miss whether or not something's gonna be called. So if you can go and take the chance, go and take that chance. And it's somebody that Cole Smith in particular is somebody John Tortarella has talked about numerous numerous times. I think back to the uh game forward post game presser. He was like, I thought I was gonna kill him for some of those penalties that he was taking. But he's out there scoring goals. He's out there doing it like doing his job. And for a guy on a $1 million deal, like that, that's really all you can ask from your fourth line. I it's something my co-hosts and I say a lot about other teams' fourth lines. It's something we've gotten away from for the ABS fourth line just because they've been or they became such a force in the postseason. But all you really hope out of your fourth line is that they're not bleeding mistakes for you. You asked them to be sufficient. And that Vegas Golden Knights fourth line has been more than sufficient for them. Well, Nick Dowd, of course, uh, you know, veteran coming in from Washington. We knew what he could do. He's a big player that can win a lot of draws. Uh, so he's interesting. Now they had some injuries on the D. What did you see with some of these guys that were filling in? Um I the biggest thing that I really saw, and I think was the most disappointing, was how little that they're in actuality getting out of a guy like Rasmus Anderson. Oh that that's been the the big kind of draw for me. Um Shea Theodore has been incredible for for the Vegas Golden Knights. I I mean he he's a veteran guy, though. That's what you expect of him. Um and being able to play the way that he has uh with Braden McNabb, there is another guy who maybe hasn't been injured, but he's missed at least one game in these playoffs uh due to some extensive physicality. And and I mean anybody who saw that hit knows that it wasn't pretty during the Anaheim series. But um yeah, they the thing is, is yes, while they've had some guys out due to injury, it's not anybody who's you know, they like they've been able to pick up the pieces. The Vegas Golden Knights are a team that thrive on that next man up mentality. Um, you look at what they were able to do with Mark Stone out for the first two games and how they were still able to get the edge over Colorado. Now, granted, there's a lot of other factors that draw into that, on especially on Colorado's side. But Mark Stone comes in and he fits, it's not as though it was a missing puzzle piece that, oh, this team is so much worse without Mark Stone in it. And he just came in and bolstered everything that they were doing correctly. And that that's kind of the pieces that I see as far as maybe what's been missing or hasn't been showing up on the defensive side of things as well. Um, you're you're getting what you need out of Braden McNabb, you're getting what you need out of Shea Theodore, um a couple other guys who maybe weren't injured, but Dylan Coghlan's been incredible for that. Well, yeah, I was gonna say Dylan, Dylan Coghlan, good lord. Yeah, no, I they trust me, I was getting there. Um there's a lot of moving parts for this team defensively, and the injuries haven't really hindered them in in the way that you might expect them to this deep in the playoffs. Well, one of the things we will watch, and we'll talk a little bit about this as we go forward, of course, is uh Mark Stone. Uh he's a key part of this lineup, and uh he's been struggling with injuries as well. But that's a good that's a good intro. I think that's great. If we look at uh some of the general kind of stats on these two teams, Katie, is there anything that jumps out at you? Well, the Athletic provided a really nice chart to show a comparison of where the Canes have been producing and where the Knights have been producing um head-to-head. And the one that really stands out to me is that while the Canes are leading a lot of the offensive categories five-on-five, uh their shooting percentage isn't as good as Vegas's. And so that's going to be a key area that I

Volume Vs Finishing & Shooting Luck

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want to keep an eye on is because the canes create volume, are they able to keep their shooting percentage at least high enough to outpace what the Golden Knights are able to produce with what probably is a lower volume but higher quality per shot opportunity that they create? The Golden Knights definitely uh search out and seek those high danger opportunities, and they're willing to let those more low danger, mid-danger opportunities pass by them in order to try and hunt those high danger ones. And so I think that's really kind of what I've keyed in on on some of those stats is the canes being able to have enough finishing in order to keep the Golden Knights at bay with the way that they're able to be opportunistic. Sorry, Baby, go ahead. No, I I was just gonna kind of add on in on this too, because I do think it's a really interesting stat when you look at shooting percentage. And there's some numbers I think that help skew that a little bit for the Vegas Golden Knights. So you look at guys like Brett Howden, like Cole Smith, who are shooting at 30% or above, and that's not a sustainable number for guys like that. I mean, Cole Smith has totaled 10 shots in this postseason run so far, and he's scored on three of them. For a fourth-line guy, that's just not it's not a sustainable number. And Brett Howden, I mean, he's put up 28 opportunities that at least at least found the frame of the net, shooting at a 35.7, almost 36%. It's those numbers like that tend to be outliers. The next guy down, Pavel Dorofe, who's shooting at 23.8. That is a much more sustainable number, just given what he's been able to do through three rounds so far. But that you've got those two outliers that I think are boosting those numbers for Vegas. It would look a lot more even if they weren't finding some of those luckier opportunities. Yeah, though, those are those are great stats. And it does make a huge difference. I mean, obviously, if you're shooting at 30 or 35 percent, as you say, that is definitely not sustainable. Uh, let's start looking at some of the matchups, and there's going to be some really uh interesting ones for sure. And we'll start with head coaches. Uh, Bailey, why don't you talk about torts, John Tortorella? Yeah, this is it's kind of an anomaly situation for the Vegas Golden Knights, right? Because this is a team everybody talked about the Pacific as a whole and how it was kind of fraud alert for a lot of them. And and you know, they're they're trying to keep up with the gauntlet that is the central division. And while some of that is true, I I mean, look at the Vegas Golden Knights record through the regular season, they ended with more

Coaches & Goalies Set The Tone

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losses than wins, uh, over time or not. And and that's just it's kind of a baffling stat when you look at you know, every other team that came into this postseason outside of the Pacific. Um, and they they ended up leading their division. So John Cordorella is an interesting case because he he comes in at the end of the season and completely kind of turns the tide in the locker room. Uh, it's a team that I'm sure would have been on pace for at least getting into the playoffs. Um, that that's just how close the race was for the Pacific Division. But John Tortorella kind of comes in and shakes things up and says, hey, you know, all this complacency that you guys might be playing with, just saying, hey, getting into the playoffs is good isn't good enough. And look at the record he went and finished the season with. Jared Bednar said it best following game four. They the Vegas Golden Knights are a buzzsaw. And it's because of the message and and the authority and the respect in which John Tortorella demands out of that locker room. He's demanding the best out of every single player. He's making moves that maybe surprised uh a few different media outlets and fans across the league. Uh I know we're gonna get into uh goaltending specifically, but Clinton making the decision to go with Carter Hart when you have uh a goaltender sitting on your bench who has already won a Stanley Cup and has done a lot of things for this organization. He decides to go with Carter Hart, who maybe that's the right decision, just given the numbers that he's been able to put up for the Vegas Golden Knights in this postseason run. Um he's been a very reactive coach. He's a coach that's I I think won a lot of the coaching battles, if you're looking at those specifically in the postseason. He's a coach that knows how to adjust well, which is something. And when I say that, I don't necessarily mean like, okay, you're you're breaking down video between games and you're saying, all right, we need to adjust our game here and here. Those mid-game adjustments are really hard to make. And John Tortorella has gotten really good at making those mid-game adjustments and saying, like, hey, this is where this team is excelling. We know you can be better in these tight areas to make sure you clean that up between intermissions, and they go out and do it. They really respond to him very well. Um, and it that's that goes from top down. Carter Hart's been very vocal about what John Tortorella has been able to do for him, just as Jack Eichel has. Up and down this lineup, they have a lot of respect for John Tortorella, and John Tortorella has a lot of respect for them. And he's also a coach that a lot of other coaches in the league respect as well. That he's he's somebody I was able to kind of see the outside of the relationship that both he and Jared Bednar have. They spent a little bit of time together, and so seeing just how much other coaches respect him as well, it's he's a fun coach to play against, I'll put it that way. Well, for sure, and he definitely has the respect. And uh, you know, it's interesting that uh he's he's changed his coaching style a little bit. Apparently, he you know, he used to be a kind of a heavyweight kind of pushing and shoving and you know, trying to get people to do certain things for him, and now he said he listens more. He's uh he's not rushing to uh to tell everybody what to do, he's trying to figure things out. And and Jack Eichel, and you mentioned Jack, and he's a key part, of course, of Vegas. Um, he basically said, look, uh his message and demeanor is is really impressive. Like we really want to listen to him. So I think that's the story, and you're right, he's made some smart decisions. I mean, Carter Hart, he fell on his sword in one of the games early in the playoffs, and uh there were some questions would he go to Aiden Hill or not, but he didn't, and he went and kept going with uh, of course, Carter Hurt. So yeah, Torts, he's been here, he's been around. He's he's uh he's a guy that uh you know you expect him to be significant. But the fact that they made that move with just a short uh part of the season left was kind of perplexing. And and you know, it's uh somebody sitting back and saying, hey, this is incredible. No, and it's it just goes to show how much belief the organization as a whole had in this team and were unhappy with the the message that was rattling around that locker room, the complacency that was rattling around that locker room, knowing that there was more left in the tank for this Vegas Golden Knights team. And I think that's exactly what John Torello was able to pull out of them. As much as he might be a coach that's listening a little more now, he's still a coach that demands a lot out of his players. Don't don't let him don't let him fool you that way. He's absolutely a coach that that demands a lot, but he does it in a way that the players respond really well to. And I think that's the kind of key point here is that the the players really respect them. He's sending messages in the locker room that the players respond to, but he's also giving a lot of players in the locker room their own voices too, and making sure and encouraging his leaders to take that step up. And I think with championship teams, that part is really important. Yes, making sure that everybody is on the same page with the message you're trying to send in a postseason run, but making sure that that's trickling down, not just from you, but for your from your leadership as well. Um, he he's a coach that doesn't really have a long shelf life either. Like he's with the way that he coaches his teams. I mean, it look at the his tenure in Philadelphia. He was able to do a lot with that team. But it's a coaching style that doesn't last a long time. You look at these longer-tenured coaches. I I think of John Cooper, I think of Rod Brindamore, I think of Jared Bednar, who their message hasn't debate or not, their message has not gotten stale, and they've been able to demand a lot in most of the important moments from their players up and down the lineup. They've been able to embolden a lot of players, not just the leadership, to use their voices and to speak out and to uh crowdsource, if you will, to help solve problems on the ice. And I think that's kind of the approach John Tortorello is trying to take with Vegas, at least that's what it seems like. Um, and I really hope it works out for him. The the room absolutely loves him from what I gathered in my time covering the Vegas series. It's it's empowering to see a lot of how that organization from the guys on the ice every single day up to Kelly McCrimen running the front office and just how positive everything has been about around John Tortorella. Yeah. Well, I think so. And you know, on the other hand, I don't think the Keynes coach is a slouch, Aaron. Oh, you know, he's just such a warm and fuzzy guy. No, I'm kidding. This will be the eighth straight season in the playoffs for the Carolina Hurricanes, and that is an incredible accomplishment, especially when I listen because I haven't been a hockey fan for eight years yet, I don't think. But um it's an incredible accomplishment when you listen to Keynes fans that have been around for a really long time. When you where the team was before he came in and the, you know, the the the just waves and waves of empty seats and players being invited to come down to the lower bowl because it looked so bad on television that there were just weren't anybody, you know. There's just wasn't anybody there. But yeah, some of those games, Aaron. I I know, I know you have, Tom. I know you have some of you listen to that. So you know that you know that he's earned that right to be in this position now and to be taking them to a Stanley Cup final. And honestly, I think that as we've talked over the last couple of years, you know, one of the frustrations was seeing them get so close and then run into the Florida Panthers two times in a row, you know, in the Eastern Conference final and just not be able to take that next step. So he's this is a a golden opportunity. We knew this was gonna be a great opportunity this year with the way things uh kind of shook out in the East. So they have to be able to seize the day. And I, if there's anybody that's gonna try to get them to do that, it will be Brenda Moore. Um, he demands a lot of high energy, he demands that they play his way. There's no room for anybody to be the lone wolf who comes in and saves the day. They don't have those kinds of players, and they and there's really no room for a player like that on a team that is so focused on being, as they are saying a lot about themselves right now. A well-oiled machine. I mean, a well-oiled machine requires all the parts to do just their job, and that's it. You don't get to decide you're gonna do another part's job, you know. So you have to play that way. But the players love him, and they love that, I think they love that they don't have to be, you know, players that other teams would consider superstars in order to have a valuable position on the Keynes. So it goes both ways. And and so we will really see that, I think, in this series. Now, um, continuing on, Katie, why don't you talk about the goaltending matchup? So we got Fred Anderson, we got Carter Hartz. Um, how do you see it? Well, both goalies are doing really well, which for the Keynes is no new uh no new news. They've been going against hot goalies the entire playoff. Uh Omar was hot and Vodar was hot, and whoa, Dobesh was the hottest of them all, and the Canes still managed to find a way to solve them. And they are going to have to go four for four with Carter Hart because Carter Hart is also having an extraordinary playoffs. And he and he and Freddie kind of mirror each other in the sense that if you just look at their regular season stats, neither of them had particularly impressive regular season stats. They spent time injured or being uh benched in favor of other goalies starting because their numbers weren't that great and kind of muddled through. But there was something about that back half of the season, especially after the Olympic break, where both of them kind of started figuring it out, getting their groove back, getting rolling, and their counterparts were not being as successful, which opened the door to more playing time. And if you're gonna give Brenda Moore the opportunity to play his experienced veteran over his inexperienced rookie, even though Besie's too old to be considered a true rookie, Brenda Moore is gonna go with the veteran. And so he has trusted Freddie Anderson and wow, has Anderson delivered in a huge way. Like I mentioned with those stats before. If you get rid of that one outlier game, he has been the model of excellent throughout every single series. And Carter Hart's not two steps behind him as far as far as that's concerned. He was a little wobbly to start, but it seems like each series he's just gotten stronger and more confident. And so it's really gonna be incumbent upon the Kanes to find a way to get to him and get to him early because the more opportunities he has to build his confidence, the bigger of an uphill battle the series is going to be for the Carolina Hurricanes. Yeah, I think that's a good analysis. A couple of interesting things. Uh Freddy's had great numbers in the playoffs forever. Okay, so I mean, his playoff numbers, he's 58-36, he's got a 2.26 goals against average and 9.15 save percentage, and that's with uh Toronto, of course, mostly and the hurricanes. Um those are excellent numbers. I mean, they're fantastic. So he's a guy that delivers in the playoffs. Yes, he's probably been maligned because you know they they've gotten into situations where you know he was the GOAT uh when actually, you know, I I look at some of the Florida series and so on, and it certainly wasn't fret. So he's playing the way he can play, except he's kind of a step ahead. His numbers are off the charts. I there's one thing about Carter Hart that I wonder. He missed almost two years of hockey. Any thoughts on that? Yeah, I I mean the most impressive thing there is that he he came back, and while he maybe looked a little shaky in his first couple games back, he's put on a heck of a performance in these playoffs. Uh he he really emerged as the guy John Tortorella believed in and saying, hey, we we know we have this guy potentially backing you up who who's you know got the hardware to prove how good he is, but we're giving you your shot. We're we're giving you an opportunity to say, hey, I'm back and I can be a competent goaltender in this league. And Carterhart took that and ran with it. And he he's been sufficient enough to get this Vegas Golden Knights team through a team like Utah, the offensive puncher like the Anaheim Ducks were, and then he just came and stood on his head against the Colorado Avalanche, shutting down shot opportunity after shot opportunity. And while I think that is very telling of, you know, what he's been able to build through this postseason, through this regular season and his comeback, it's also very telling that the defense that you have in front of him. But I think that's also true of Frederick Anderson and the product that they're putting out in front of Carter Hart that's just and and in front in front of Freddie Anderson that have just made their jobs so much more easier easy. They're they're able to get square to pucks more easily. They're they're able to if they're giving up some of those rebounds, they know they've got players who are trailing just behind enough to pick up those opportunities and move the puck out, break the puck out the way that they need to and move the other way. Exactly. So for sure, and and it kind of kind of segues into something else as we look at you know some of the challenges the Keynes defensive side are gonna have. You've got Mitch Marner and you've got uh Mark Stone. These are two guys that you know basically, you know, uh what can I say, Marner's leading in scoring? He's a it's a little bit unusual. I mean, Martner, the knock on Marner in Toronto always was was that he disappeared in the playoffs. Uh you know, he did not score at the rate that he normally did in the regular season. He struggled. Um, and of course, they had you know not much success. So that didn't help. But what

Marner & Stone Matchup Problems

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are you seeing in terms of of that combination? You know, you look at the canes, you look at the canes blue, you look at those two guys, you saw them against Colorado. What were they doing, Bailey? How can the canes stop those guys? Really, the big key to this is gonna be shut down opportunities. And it I know it sounds cliche or simple. Um, it's a lot easier said than done, but that's truly where you have to attack these guys from. Yeah. It's not just Mitch Marner, it's not just Mark Stone. This is a very opportunistic team, a team that's going to make you bleed if you make the mistakes enough to give them opportunities for blood to flow. Uh, Mitch Marner, I I mean, this is uncharted territory for him, right? Because he he hasn't had many opportunities or any opportunities to make a deep run like this with the Toronto Maple Beasts. And the Vegas Golden Knights have really built an army around him and given him the tools and resources that he needs to go out and build. The player that they believed he could be. And he again took it and ran with it. And he's building himself a con Smythe worthy performance. Mark Stone, he he's what you call the playoff merchant, I suppose, with some of the cap workarounds that the Vegas Golden Knights have been able to wrangle in past years, that the CBA finally said, uh-uh-uh, and and gave them a little less slack to work with. Um but he's another one of those opportunistic players. He's a player who knows how to find gaps in defense. Um, so that's that's gonna be a key for a very defense, defensively sound Carolina Hurricanes team, right? Um they they really need to make sure they're capitalizing and keying in on not making those little mistakes because you have guys like Mark Stone, who is not playing particularly high in the lineup, by the way. Uh guy who's playing a little further down, considered a depth guy for this Vegas Golden Knights team. And he he's still able to pick up on a lot of those opportunities. And offensive zone sustainment is going to be key here too, because it's something both Marner and Stone are very good at. Uh Mitch Marner, as far as John Tortorella is concerned, is one of the best 200-foot players in the league. Well, which I think what was it was the one of the more surprising things for me, too, because you hear about how offensively gifted he is, too, but it's on the other side of the puck that maybe blows people away and you maybe underestimate a guy like him a little bit. And so it comes down to those conversations of being efficient on both sides of the puck. And you've got a lot of different players on this Vegas Golden Knights team that can do that. Mitch Marner and Mark Stone are just two of them. Well, there's a funny story about uh Mitch Marner. Um, if we saw the press conference with uh Eric Tulski and Rod Brindemore uh, and they asked Eric, you were interested in Mitch Marner, why? And Eric said, I can't really talk about that. Uh that's not something that's appropriate. And and Rod got up and said, What's not to like about the guy? You know, like he is a Rod Brindemore. He's not wrong. Yeah, no, he's absolutely the kind of player. I mean, you look at some of the the players that they've gone out and acquired. You mentioned Miko Rantinen earlier, who a lot of us uh both in the hurricanes and the avalanche community are very familiar with. Um very offensively minded, but not very good on the other side of the puck. And Rod Brendamore is a guy who set a big precedent and a big standard as far as playing defense as well. So you have a guy like Mitt Marner, Mitch Marner, who fits the cookie cutter description of exactly the way Rod Brendemore wants a forward to play. Yeah, he's he's a tremendous 200-foot guy. So yeah, so those are guys that they're gonna have to watch. Um, now, on the other hand, the Canes have their line of guys that are gonna be a challenge for Vegas. Aaron, you talked about the junkyard dogs. How would you stop the junkyard dogs if you're the Vegas Golden Knights? Well, first of all, um we talked about this a little bit with when we were talking about the the fourth line matchups uh between the Canes and the Golden Knights. Um it's it's been a feature all along in the playoffs that um because Logan Stankhoven's line does not take the heaviest matchups, not not on purpose anyway, you know, sometimes they're out against them, but you wouldn't want Paul Stancoven

How Vegas Tries To Smother Carolina

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and Blake up against the top two lines in Vegas. So they have typically been feasting against either their co-partner third lines or against fourth lines. It is gonna be harder, I think, for that line, the Stancoven line, to have that much space and and so on and freedom to move against that fourth line. I know they're fast, and if they can exploit their speed, they can probably still do it. But you're talking about um the line of Smith, Dowd, and Kolisar, and you know, the team leader in hits for the Knights is uh Barbashev with 83. But then you've got um Smith with 66 and Kolisar with 70, and even Dowd has 37. You compare that, you know, even just to the to the Keynes uh fourth line, it's not it's not a comparison. And when you look at how the the Hall, Stanko and Blake line, you know, compares. I mean, yes, Logan Stanko is, you know, he's been throwing some hits, but they're probably not going to do any damage, you know. It's not that's not his role, and that's not what I mean. He's he's certainly not going to be knocking anybody out of the game. So with that increased physicality, I think that there may be some areas where they can get those matchups, but then there may be some areas where that matchup may not work as well when you have two smaller players on a line. Um, you know, and so it's gonna be interesting to see if Rod adjusts his uh his matchup uh choices with that line at all uh in in this series, because that would be the way that Vegas would try to shut them down as to use that weapon of their physicality to try to get these guys to maybe, you know, come out of the corners a little quicker or be a little bit more afraid to hang under the puck too long. I don't think that it's gonna be something that those three guys are gonna do in terms of their mental and emotional makeup. They're not afraid to take that kind of physicality. But it can slow you down as as the as the games wear on, you know, this is gonna be a decently long series, I think. As the games wear on and guys are battling in the corners and you're getting pushed around a little bit more and you're getting you're taking some of those heavy hits, it can start to slow you down and start to impact your ability to get in there and produce those um scoring chances. And then you have to ask, if are the knights going to shut them down also by really getting in front of the net and really, you know, stacking those layers of defense in front of Carter Hart because they probably will do that as well. And and there's a size differential that could be harder for this line to solve when you have some of Vegas' bigger defensive players can't kind of putting up that wall in front of the net. So it'll be interesting to see how they work how they work through that. But that's my that that's my thinking of the kinds of things that the Knights will probably try to do. Well, that's an interesting one and it segues into a question because when you look at the Vegas defensive corps, uh you've got, of course, you know, Shea Theodore and uh Braden McNabb. Those guys are rock solid defensively, but they're gonna get the tough matchups. Okay, that's the first thing. So that leaves the other two pairs. And the number two pair uh of uh, you know, Anderson and Hannafan uh could be a pair they could beat up on, certainly Coughlin and Colasar. So Bailey, when you look at that and you say, hey, wait a minute, you know, this Hannafin Anderson duel, which is their number two duel, you know, we were laughing before saying, hey, there's almost two Slavins on the Canes now. How do you see the Canes uh taking advantage of those two guys? Well, first off, uh player that the Hurricane should be very familiar with in Dylan Coughlin, uh player who I wasn't sure would see as much uh, I guess, proficiency as he has in an NHL jersey again. He's a fantastic AHL player. Um the Hurricanes saw that in in spades. Um the way that he's been playing with Korzak has been fantastic for this Vegas Golden Knights team. Um, and it's a defensive pair that John Tortorella has applauded multiple times throughout the the postseason. Dylan Coughlin's really been a huge step uh in or huge key in a lot of their their success in the postseason. And that just goes back to that depth um that that the hurricanes are gonna be facing here. But as far as this Hannifin um Anderson line, I wanted to read out an interesting stat for you because you mentioned this McNabb Theodore line or the this McNab Theodore pair is gonna be the pair that sees the most matchup from top any guys, right? And that's very evident when you look at expected goals for and against. Um right now the the McNab Theodore line is seeing 7.3 expected goals against, which when you're seeing the top guys from every single team, like that that's I feel like pretty it's still a very high number. Um it's a lot higher than you want to see from a top line, but it's still when you take into account the the ice time that they're getting and the mad types of matchups they're seeing, it's understandable. This Hannafan Anderson line sits at 11.7 expected goals against. Yeah, and I think a lot of that is telling just with the way that Rasmus Anderson likes to play, he's more offensively minded. Uh had a down year in Calgary, his that has not improved with the biggest Golden Knights, one bit. No, Hannah's really, really not helping him in that regard. He's a guy who likes to play, I think, a little higher up. He likes to get caught in the offensive zone. And it's something that if the Hurricanes can really stick to a nice four-checking game, something you can really take advantage of. And I I wondered just how much John Tortarella kind of sticks him to the man and just says, hey, you've got a team that can explode if they need to, and you can't afford to make those offensive zone mistakes that give them a little more room down the ice. One thing that's interesting that I saw, and I think it was from Corey Schneider, is he said that when it comes to zone clears and the defensive end, the Golden Knights really lean on their forwards to do that and not so much their defensemen. That the defensemen are really weak in getting zone clears. And when they do get zone clears, it's more just to lob the puck out to the neutral zone and hope that your guy can pick it up. It's not with it's not with clear intention towards advancing the puck to their guys up the ice. And so if the Canes forecheck can really isolate the Vegas Golden Knights defensemen and get the puck directly from them and not allow their forwards to come back and support and help with zone exits, that will be a huge advantage to the Canes and their offensive push in the zone and being able to get multiple looks in a single possession. I think what would really help them here too is taking a bird's eye view look of the Vegas Golden Knights and how they play through each third. Because they're they're a team that really relies on a neutral zone trap, which if if you take that explanation in that, it makes a lot of sense why they're not really trying to lob the puck all the way across the ice. If you can sit there and play the game that you've perfected over the season in the neutral zone, you're you're really just creating a smoother transition for yourself to go and shoot up the ice if you if you can sit and trap teams in the neutral zone. And you're you're just setting yourself up for success that way. Well, you know, there's an interesting thing in what you were talking about is that uh, you know, trying to put pressure on that defensive core, trying to make them, you know, cough pucks up and do different things. But I mean, obviously, behind all that has been the great play of Carter Hart. For the Canes, one of the areas that I think might help them against Carter Hart would be for their top line to really get rolling. And Katie, why don't you talk about that? Because I think we've started to see some things that are kind of encouraging,

Canes Top Line Plan B & C

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but you know, this changes the rules for the Hurricanes in terms of putting pressure on Hart in the defensive core. Well, the one signature aspect of the top line throughout all of the series has been despite their lack of offensive production, they have shut down the um their opposition. And so that is something they definitely don't want to lose. It's not going to be of any benefit to them if they loosen up on their defense just in order to create more offense. It's still going to draw out about even. So they will definitely need to keep their defensive game on point when it comes to whoever they're matching up against, whether it's the top line with Eichel or the second line with Marner. Um, they they need to keep that up. But they they have been showing a lot more um opportunistic tendencies, especially Svetch. He has led the way with that, followed by Jarvis and a little less so with Aho, but of course that's because Aho is the is the key to the to the good defense to start with. So he has to be a little bit more mindful with where he goes and how he positions himself on the ice. But I really think that Svetch is the one who is set to have a breakout series and to finally start cashing in and a bunch of the looks that he's created. He's also built more for a series like this. I think he's third in the team with hits, and so even playing top line, he's still bringing that physicality. He's battling in the corners, he's going to the middle of the ice, he's shooting the puck more. And so I think that they're right there on that verge as long as they don't get too frustrated and too caught up in that neutral zone trap, like Bailey was talking about. But if there's one area that the Kanes definitely have experience in, is even though they have been fantastic off the rush this season. Yeah. I think it's seen various stats that they were second only to the Avalanche when it came to rush goals. They aren't limited to playing on the rush. So when the rush is set down, they have a plan B and a plan C that they can go to. I mean, Brenda Moore's system started as what has been traditionally known as a dump and chase system. So the Canes are perfectly content if they can't get through the neutral zone to flip the puck in and go chase it down in the corners and lay the body and battle for those 50-50 pucks along the walls and try to create chances that way. And that the top line is skilled in that as well. So I I think they have a lot of different avenues and opportunities that they can work with just as long as they don't let their defensive uh uh skills lapse at all. No, I I think you're I think you're right on. Um an interesting thing that will uh I think also play a key part of the success for whoever wins, of course, in this series will be special teams. You know, we've talked a little bit about some of that uh in the PK side for the Canes, the power play for uh Vegas. Um what are you thinking about with the special teams? Who's gonna win that special teams battle, Bailey? Honestly, it's anybody's game at this point because Vegas has been fantastic on the power play. And I I think some of that has been due to you know, you have teams like Anaheim, teams like Colorado whose power play started or whose

Special Teams & Importance of Faceoffs

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penalty kills started to go a little cold. And they they've been able to capitalize on that. Uh I think their penalty kill numbers are a bit inflated too, given you know, some of these power plays for some of the teams they've faced through three rounds so far have also gone a little stale. So however inflated you think these Vegas numbers are, it's still a team that you should be wary of. Um one thing in particular um that I think needs to be looked out for is again that opportunism for Vegas when they are shorthanded or when when you're looking at different opportunities because they have the ability to go the other way. It's those keying in on uh small mistakes when you're on the power play that they can go and take advantage of. And they they love working through the neutral zone, they love taking advantage if they can catch players short on the back check. So really watching out for some of those opportunities, making sure you're playing it close, yeah, a very tight game close to the blue line. This Vegas team is a team that knows how to get sticks in lanes, they know how to shorten gaps, they know how to get in into passing lanes and do it well. And so as long as the Hurricanes can do that both at they keep an eye on that, both at five-on-five and on the power play. I I think they have the slight advantage here. That'll be interesting. I mean, we you know, and you mentioned the short-handed goals, of course. The Canes led the league this year, I think, in short-handed goals. So they, you know, it's gonna be interesting that uh both of these teams have the ability to score, and they put players out that uh generally can make something happen. So that's that's gonna be kind of fun. Uh you've got the juggernaut, PK, the Canes. You talked about it, Aaron. I mean, it's been incredible. Uh and can they shut down this uh forward crew? Now it's interesting that Torts went back to a five-forward power play. Okay, and that seems to uh that seems to have really turned things around for them. Uh they have uh Bench Martner actually is the point guy, he's the lone point guy. If you watch them, uh it's kind of an interesting setup. So they're they're dangerous. But that does open up that opportunity for short-handed uh breaks for the Keynes. And we know that uh that uh our good friends Seth Jarvis and uh and uh Sebastiano are about as good as it gets with that. So that'll be a fun one to watch, and uh we'll have to see. The other thing I was gonna ask about this, and and you know, this is always a question, is is the face-off side. And Katie, have you got any thoughts on the face-off side here? Because I see the stats are certainly in favor of Vegas. How does that affect this special team? So I mean if you if you look at the numbers, they seem to overall the face-offs don't favor the canes, but it seems like when they get that key defensive draw when they're sending out Stahl to win a face-off, he he is doing well and he is helping the Canes gain possession and kill those first few seconds. So um I I think that strong play will continue, especially when you consider that some of those numbers are skewed by uh going up against teams like the Senators that are just with where they were one of the top teams, if not the top team, in face-offs for a lot of the seasons. So I think I think they'll be fine for the most part, but it definitely something they want to try and tighten up on against Vegas. Every every opportunity could could be key. So there's definitely uh there's some areas that both teams I think have uh potential advantage, and there are areas that uh you know they're gonna have to keep uh keep their eye on because uh boy, it's gonna be a hard fought series, and they're gonna push hard to you know to find any opening to uh to crack the other team's uh success in this. So it'd be kind of fun. So we're gonna uh we're gonna wrap up with some closing thoughts. Before we do, I just wanted to mention uh we're now available on Fire TV and and Roku, and for folks who have that, it's a great watch. I've been uh watching some of the episodes on Roku and they look great. So yeah, we're excited about that as well. Um so closing thoughts. Um what do we think is going to happen in this series? Who's gonna win? Um and who are players on the canes that uh that we might want to keep an eye

Series Predictions, Players To Watch & Closing Thoughts

1:03:23

on uh in this series? And why don't uh Aaron, why don't you kick it off? I'm really, you know, I'm looking at this whole thing and saying, like kind of like I've done all along, the the canes have, I think, the edge here. It it is um it is still their series to lose. But in previous series, I would say that and say, you know, they really have to have something horrible go wrong because they they they really, I mean, apart from the Ottawa Senators, who I thought were a tougher or could be been a tougher matchup, their their injuries on the blue line really kind of changed that narrative completely. Um they were a team that could have probably stretched the series longer and given the Canes more of a run for their money way back in round one. But the Flyers were never gonna be that difficult of an opponent. Montreal was never gonna be that difficult of an opponent at this stage of their rebuild. Um you can't say that about Vegas. This really could be anybody's series. It could, it's gonna come down to a lot of little factors. The Canes have the edge, and I think they will take it. But that the the one of the big X factors I'm looking out for is the Canes have not had to face a series where they have had significant injuries. And I know that after watching some of the uh Colorado games, I'm sorry, Katie, but after watching some of those games and seeing, you know, the kinds of physical, you know, the way that that physicality can start to impact players that are already perhaps nursing some things as everyone is at this time of year, that would be the biggest game changer, I think, that would change how the Canes would be able to go about their business because they are such a well-oiled machine and everybody does fit exactly where they fit. And you've got, you know, everyone's playing their roles and everybody's on the same page, and that can change in a heartbeat if a key player or two isn't available. So um barring that though, I really think that the canes will get this done, and I think that the series will run six or seven games. I don't see any. I know there are a lot of people saying the canes are gonna take it in five or they're gonna sweep. I mean, it's I they haven't been watching Vegas if they think that's gonna happen. I don't think there's any way that the Canes can take it that fast. So as far as the players to watch on the Canes side, um, I think it's gonna be fun to watch Wilcarier because this is his former team. He won a cup with these guys. So, you know, that's gonna be fun to see how that goes and unfolds um in terms of that. And as far as, you know, the the players that are key, though, I have an odd feeling that Seth Jarvis is going to make his presence felt um more than he has so far. Um, just the dreams of a lifetime to play in a Stanley Cup final, um, and then combined a little bit with the disappointment of being the guy in the Olympic team photo that had. The silver medal on. I think that that will be a factor for him to be motivated to motivate him to try to make an impact on this series. So we'll see. That's great. That's uh yeah. Yes, that Jarvis, you know, we've been hoping he would uh find his ways uh kind of struggle. Katie, what do you got? Well, after Aaron said that you're gonna say game feet four. I think that that game one is gonna be the get their feet wet sort of game for the Canes. And whether it's a victory like they came out with against the Senators and the Flyers, or it's a loss like they came out with Montreal. Once they get their feet wet, they just get rolling and they start working downhill and they just start working and working and working and wearing the other team down. So I actually my prediction is canes in five because I think the way that they're playing and the way that they can just well, it's bold is also perhaps tempered slightly by the fact that I want them to win it in front of the home crowd. True. So that that there's a little bit of that as well. But I just every single series, it seems like they've gotten a little bit stronger, a little bit stronger, a little bit stronger as the games have gone on. And even if the score has been close, you can see that like that game was gonna go to the canes. You could tell that game was gonna go to the canes. And so again, barring all of the you know, the injuries or the wheels falling off the goaltending or something like that, I just think that momentum is on the canes side. They get a chance to establish themselves once again at home. I really, really like where they have put themselves so far in the different series. And I think that this next series, even though it's against a tougher opponent and the battles will be a little bit harder fought, I think the canes will find themselves in a similar position. And who is your player to watch? You know, there there's one player that is super, super impactful that we have not mentioned his name not once. I know you're gonna say that's probably the guy I've got. It's it's Nikolai Ehlers. I know you're gonna say Ehlers can't be the interesting thing. We know we know Stahl's line is going to get some premium matchups, and so Ehlers is going to go against either Eichel or Marner, almost guaranteed that that is going to be something that Brenda Moore is looking to do. And he is going to be the counterpunch offensively to those two fantastic wingers. And so if he is able to match or exceed what those guys are able to produce and still hold up the defensive end of the bargain that comes with playing with the two Jordans, I think he could end up playing a very special and very important role on this team. So I'm I'm gonna be keeping my eye on Ealers and seeing how um how he progresses throughout this series. No, exactly. And and you know, there's been a lot of discussion about uh the matchup of Ealers and of course Mitch Marner. Uh similar situations, joining new teams, uh had been with their team for a long time, both in Canada, as it turns out. Um and I think you're right. I think they could see each other a lot on the ice, and I fully expect uh Nick Ealers to show what he can do. Um hey Vailey, it's up to you. Um Aaron already kind of mentioned it, but the big thing that I'm looking for in this series is the physicality matchup, the physicality battle. I think that's gonna be huge. Um when looking at previous Eastern Conference final matchups between the Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers, what was the biggest Achilles heel? You look at that physicality, and while the hurricanes are that well-oiled machine and they've been throwing a lot of physicality around themselves, they haven't really run into many teams that are gonna hit them as hard and as fast as the Vegas Golden Knights are. And when that tends to happen, we know this story and we know it well. The hurricanes get away from their process. They they start hitting back and it may be comes a little more brazen or a little more undisciplined, or you're you're seeing them get away from that process that they know how to stick to and know how to play cohesively. And so I think discipline is gonna be the huge thing here and being sure they can use their physicality to their advantage, but also not letting the Vegas Golden Knights goad them away from that discipline and away from that process. Um, because of that, and because of how evenly matched I think that particular matchup is, this game absolutely goes or this series absolutely goes six or seven. Um, I I just don't see a world where unless one of these teams is falling apart, then it gets done in four or five. These teams are too deep, they're too talented, they're too physical for this to be that lopsided for either of them. Um in this case, as far as players to watch, uh, another player we really haven't mentioned too much of. We talked about KayAndre Miller, but I want to point out his defensive partner and Sean Walker. Oh for you. I and and maybe that's a little bit of bias from me, former Av. Uh really he signed a very team-friendly, very helpful deal with the Hurricanes, and he's been nothing short of impressive. And as much as I want to point to my Colorado boy Jacob Slavin here and give him the flowers and this, that second pair has been liked out for this Carolina Hurricanes team. They've been they've played in crucial crucial situations on the ice and it's been an advantageous part in a lot of the success that the hurricanes have found. And a lot of that is largely due to how much production and how much uh positional effectiveness they've been getting out of a guy like Sean Walker. So I I think I'm really excited to see what he does and if he continues on that upward trend in this in like a final series. Incredible. Yeah, he's he has been. And and you know, you talk about uh you know this physicality situation. He boy he likes to lay the body on for not a big guy, he definitely does his share of hits as well. You know, it's interesting. Um, one of the things that Eric Tulski, when we talked a little bit about him rebuilding the team, one of the things he was really contemplating was trying to build a team that could beat the Florida Panthers. He figured they were going to be the problem. And so he was going out and trying to get some players that he thought could come in and could handle that heavy, heavy going. Now, a couple things about last year, of course, in the playoffs, the Canes were missing some players. Uh they had entries to 2D guys. Walker was out, and of course, Jalen Chatfield. So it's a little bit different now. But but you know, interestingly enough, in the playoffs, the Canes actually have more hits per game than Vegas does. Even though Vegas has three or four guys up near the top, the rest of their team don't hit that much. So it's kind of interesting uh when you take a look at it. And and I think you're right. I think it's gonna be a physical series. I think they're both gonna be trying to find their way um and create space and try to find uh the opportunities that they need. But it's gonna be exciting and it's gonna be close. I think it's gonna be a six-game series. I feel the same way. I think the Canes will steal some in in Vegas, but I think they'll win the series. And um I'm gonna double down on Nick Ehlers. You know, I just I'm not giving up on Emma just because Katie took. And uh and I think that's gonna break out, and I think he's gonna have a great series. So so lots to look forward. It's gonna be exciting. Um, something I thought I'd mention, though, as we kind of wrap up this part, was that uh there was a coach's survey done by the athletic, and they said, hey, who's gonna win the series? Twenty-nine coaches were uh checked out with and and uh and laid their winners down. The canes were on 16 ballots and uh Vegas on 13. So I think uh I like that because you know usually the coaches are pretty close to the action, so maybe they've got their idea on what's going on. And also the odds makers, they're still showing the canes by a slight margin. But it isn't a big margin, but it is a margin. So at this stage, it looks like folks are getting on board with the hurricanes. Bailey, it's been fantastic having you on. Thanks so much. Um gosh, it's great to have you here to talk about Vegas and uh have some fun around the Colorado Avalanche as well. So thanks so much. I wish it I wish it was the Colorado Avalanche. We were all do. We love it. But um I'm looking forward to a really hard pot series. And I I was telling uh former co-host of the search cast, Zach Martin, this the other day. I was scrolling through some pictures and I found a picture of me in a a little Cam Ward jersey with uh stormy. And I I'm just thinking about how like I was maybe 10 years old, 11 years old in that photo. And I'm just thinking about how excited that little girl would be for this series and seeing the hurricanes finally get this close to the top of the mountain for the first time since those days. So I I'm rooting for you guys. I I can't wait to see what this series turns into, and hopefully it turns out the way that we're all hoping it does. Well, great. And uh thanks again for spending time with us. Uh, for those of you who've been watching or listening, of course, we're delighted you spent time with us. If you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have questions or comments, please leave those in the comment section. We'd love to hear from you. 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