The New York Rangers will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is the second time in three seasons that these teams have met in the second round, with the Rangers winning seven games in the 2022 playoffs. With both teams in the top two spots in the Metropolitan Division this season, it was no surprise that these two teams would meet in the playoffs.
The Hurricanes look to avenge their loss from two seasons ago and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year, while the Rangers once again prove why they are the best team in the NHL this season with another win over the Hurricanes, while I hope to advance to the finals. The Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in three seasons. There's a lot of play and history between these teams, so here are three storylines to watch as this series begins and progresses.
Vincent Trocheck plays against his former team
The last time these teams met in the playoffs, Vincent Trocheck was the Hurricanes' second-line center. He scored three goals in that series and left Carolina as a free agent that offseason. He later signed a seven-year contract with the Rangers and has been a second-line center for the past two seasons. This season was his first career year, with 25 goals and 77 points in 82 games. He continued his great play in the playoffs, scoring three goals and six points in four consecutive games against the Washington Capitals in the first round.
With Trocheck's departure, the Hurricanes were unable to find a center to replace him, and although they have rotated players, no one has been able to stick. Trocheck has performed well since coming to the Rangers, and his strong play in the first round could lead to even better play in the second round against a tougher opponent. It will be interesting to see how well he plays against his former team and maybe he has something to prove and show the Hurricanes they were wrong to let him go to their division rival. It's going to happen.
special teams play
Both teams' special teams during the regular season were excellent. The Rangers were third in the league in both power play and penalty kill, while the Hurricanes were second in power play and first in penalty kill. So far in these playoffs, the Rangers' special teams have continued to perform very well, while the Hurricanes have struggled a bit to start. The Rangers rank fourth on the power play and fourth on the penalty kill, while Carolina ranks seventh on the power play and ninth on the penalty kill. For Carolina, they will be hoping for some significant improvements on special teams. Because if they don't and get too many penalties, the Rangers are going to make them pay and there's a very good chance they'll lose this series.
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Meanwhile, the Rangers hope to continue what they've been doing on special teams. On the power play, there are plenty of options, including Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Trocheck, and Adam Fox. All of these players have the ability to score on the power play in different ways, which could plague the Hurricanes throughout the series if they don't improve their penalty kill. As for the Rangers' penalty kill, they need to stay disciplined as the Hurricanes struggled a bit in the first round but also have the talent to turn things around quickly. Both teams will need to stay disciplined as these special teams could be the biggest factor in this series.
Igor Shesterkin vs Frederick Anderson
Goaltending for both teams could be key in this series. The Rangers have Igor Shesterkin, who had an impressive 1.75 points average (GAA) and 0.931 save percentage (SV%) in the first round. For the Hurricanes, Frederick Anderson had a 2.25 GAA and .912 SV% in the first round. During the first round, it was unclear whether Anderson would play every game or split time with backup Pyotr Kochetkov, and when Anderson returned during the regular season, they remained that way until the end. Ta. It remains to be seen whether the Hurricanes will stick with No. 1 or try to keep him fresh by giving him a break every other game in this series.
The Rangers don't have to worry about Shesterkin, as they know he can play just fine in any game. Anderson is a question mark for Carolina. He played very well late in the regular season and was good enough in the playoffs, but he has an injury history and has had consistency issues in the past. If he struggles to start this series, he will have to rely on Kochetkov, who has less playoff experience, and he will face Shesterkin, who has proven he can step up in more important games. Goaltending will be a big factor in this series and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
In theory, this series should be played over a total of seven games. Both teams have great star power in the front and back rows, depth to provide offense when needed, special teams is good for both teams, and goaltenders who can steal games. This will be a very exciting series, and it will be interesting to see if these storylines impact the winners and losers of this series.
