I honestly can’t remember less “hype” for an NHL team coming into the playoffs with Carolina’s bonafides. I’m NOT complaining, though. The Hurricanes have, in my opinion, been over-hyped more than a couple of times in Rod’s run as coach so it’s kind of nice to be flying under the radar a bit. This is not the grind it out Corsi Canes that we got used to over the last decade. They scored far too many goals in transition and on the power play to fit that description, and they generate too few chances off the cycle. Yeah, they still forecheck like demons and still do that second pass pressure thing in the neutral zone, and that still lends itself to piling up the Corsi/Fenwick numbers. But that’s just not the sum of the parts anymore. With Ehlers slotting in with the checking line and all three defense pairings having guys who can make a meaningful impact in the offensive zone, Carolina is open to beating you on the rush or forcing a numbers advantage with all three of their primary lines now. And that should make their scoring more durable, which has shown up in their offensive numbers this season. Did they go get a 100 point forward like everybody in the media demanded? No, but they kind of snuck in a back door to a deeper, more diverse version of the same kind of bottom line. VERY typical Canes behavior.
I do think that Canes fans are buying into the lack of media attention a bit more than they should though. Maybe I’m just sheltered, and I have been up in the mountains for a couple of long-ish stretches during the wind-down of the season, but the fan base seems a little flat compared to years past.
I do think that Canes fans are buying into the lack of media attention a bit more than they should though. Maybe I’m just sheltered, and I have been up in the mountains for a couple of long-ish stretches during the wind-down of the season, but the fan base seems a little flat compared to years past.
