The NHL has returned and every game counts in the shortened season. Luckily, the bubble cities are working and no confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported. Teams and players can focus solely on the Stanley Cup qualification round. The hockey odds for return of play as the first team to advance should get any better’s attention. The Carolina Hurricanes are now the team to watch.
Last night the Carolina Hurricanes advanced and already look like they are in playoffs mode. The Canes only needed three games to eliminate the New York Rangers from the qualifying series. Sweeping a team in your first series back has to boost the confidence of this young team.
The two-headed monster of Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho was too much for the Blueshirts to handle. Svechnikov made history, registering the Canes first-ever postseason hat trick. Along with Teuvo Teravainen, the line combined for sixteen total points. Aho and Svechnikov showed great chemistry on the ice, working together like a well-oiled machine.
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said this about Aho,
“He’s understanding what he has to do for our team to be successful. We’re fortunate to have guys who put the team first and he’s definitely doing that, playing a team game. He’s got all the talent in the world and you can see that in some of the plays he makes. Certainly, his maturity as a hockey player is coming to the forefront.”
The Hurricanes also did it on defense, stopping the NHL’s third-highest scoring duo, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad, from taking over any of the games. The duo was held to just two goals for all three games. In what is likely the final time we see Henrik Lundqvist suit up for the Blueshirts, the Rangers looked completely overmatched.
It is unclear as of now who they will face in the next round, but the Carolina Hurricanes are a threat to any team. They will have a full week off to rest before they return to the ice.
