Five points for the Hurricanes going into Game 2
1. CLEAN IT UP Lost in the shuffle of the overtime drama and Petr Mrazek’s performance Friday night was how loose the Hurricanes played in the first two periods, turning the puck over and doing some uncharacteristically sloppy things. Mental fatigue surely played a role, but the Islanders (like the Hurricanes) are built to feast on such mistakes. The Hurricanes need to tighten things up Sunday.
2. NO-NO NINO Since the midpoint of the Washington series, only one of the Hurricanes’ top forwards has yet to have an impact in the playoffs. Nino Niederreiter is still looking for his first goal and has just two points, although he had two great chances Friday – passing up a shot on two-on-one to try to hit the trailer instead, then missing the net on the overtime rush that led to Jordan Staal’s overtime goal. Niederreiter has gotten better as the playoffs have worn on, but he has yet to get back to the clinical finishing he displayed upon his arrival in January. Was Friday a sign that he’s close to breaking through?
3. POWER UP At some point, Rod Brind’Amour is going to have to shake things up on the power play because the Hurricanes’ performance has been abysmal. Friday night was another round of perimeter shooting without screens in front, without any playmaking down low, without any attempt to create a two-on-one anywhere on the ice. The Hurricanes are 3-for-29 in the playoffs. They’re winning in spite of their power play. That’s a dangerous game to play.
4. PETR PRINCIPLE Mrazek’s numbers weren’t great in the first round, which had a little to do with him and a lot to do with how the games were played and the quality of the opposition. Friday was a goaltending masterpiece, and the kind of scrambly game that played to his strengths. (The shutout dropped his goals-against average from 2.53 to 2.22 and his save percentage jumped from a subpar .899 to an palatable .914.) Mrazek is a battler, and the Hurricanes needed that Friday more than they would have Curtis McElhinney’s calm resolve. McElhinney may yet get a chance to play – and nearly did in Game 5 in Washington – but Mrazek is at the top of his game right now.
5. CHARLOTTE’S GOT A LOT The Hurricanes got good minutes from AHL call-ups Patrick Brown and Clark Bishop on Friday with Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Martinook still out. Midseason call-ups Greg McKegg and Saku Maenalanen also played well, with McKegg having the Hurricanes’ best chance to score in regulation. The Checkers, meanwhile, managed to clinch their first-round playoff series Friday night without Brown and Bishop. It has been a good month for hockey in the Carolinas.
This story was originally published April 27, 2019 at 2:23 PM.
