Despite being down 0-2 in the series, the Carolina Hurricanes have a lot to build on from their first two games in Washington. The next two games will have a much different feeling as they take on the Caps in front of what will be a packed and loud PNC Arena.
Vital Statistics
Category | Hurricanes | Bruins |
---|---|---|
Category | Hurricanes | Bruins |
Record | 8-6 | 11-5 |
Goals/Game | 2.79 | 3.31 |
Goals Against/Game | 2.71 | 2.06 |
Shots/Game | 30.9 | 34.3 |
Faceoff % | 49.1% | 53.3% |
Power Play % (Rank) | 10.0% (14) | 31.9% (1) |
Penalty Kill % (Rank) | 70.8% (14) | 85.7% (4) |
ES Corsi For % | 55.61% | 51.66% |
ES PDO | 101.2% | 101.0 |
PIM/Game | 8:38 | 6:30 |
Goaltender #1
Category | Petr Mrazek | Tuukka Rask |
---|---|---|
Category | Petr Mrazek | Tuukka Rask |
Record | 5-5 | 11-5 |
Save % | .894 | .939 |
GAA | 2.73 | 1.96 |
Goaltender #2
Category | Curtis McElhinney | Jaroslav Halak |
---|---|---|
Category | Curtis McElhinney | Jaroslav Halak |
Record | 3-1 | 0-0 |
Save % | .943 | N/A |
GAA | 1.70 | N/A |
Game Notes
- In case the NBC broadcast didn’t remind you enough on Saturday, Sebastian Aho broke his 15 game goal drought with a game tying tally in the second period.
- Tonight’s game will return to local broadcast on Fox Sports Carolinas in the Canes’ market, and will be available nationally on CNBC.
- Tonight’s game is the 37th playoff matchup in PNC Arena. The Hurricanes own a 21-15 record in the building, and they really could stand to put another in the win column tonight.
- With an assist on Saturday, Andrei Svechnikov leads all rookies in playoff scoring with three points (2g, 1a) in two games. He became the first NHL player born in the 2000s to score a playoff goal, and has been one of Carolina’s best players thus far in the series.
- Lucas Wallmark scored his first career playoff goal on Saturday after posting two assists in his playoff debut in Game 1. He became the second player in franchise history to tally two assists in his playoff debut (I bet you can’t guess the other). Answer is at the bottom.
- The Hurricanes lead the playoff table in possession this series, but the Capitals continue to defy many NHL patterns as they cruised to a two-game series lead with a 37.80 Corsi For Percentage and a 106.5 PDO (Shooting Percentage + Save Percentage). Those are the lowest and the highest in the league respectively.
- For the first time in franchise history, the Hurricanes will be wearing their alternate jerseys for home playoff games. The new black jerseys held an impressive 12-2-2 home record this season.
- Parking lots open for tailgating today at 2:00 pm, doors open at 5:45 pm, and there are a number of promotions and activities scheduled for fans in attendance. Check out the Hurricanes Promotions page for more details.
Storm Advisory
- No one had the Blue Jackets winning the series against the Lightning in our pick ‘em, which confirms that Gov. Roy Cooper is apparently not among our readers:
Let me remind everyone that @RoyCooperNC called the Columbus/Tampa series a week ago. He knows his hockey. #RenaissanceMan
— Mike Maniscalco (@mikemaniscalco) April 15, 2019
- Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, Petr?
- Hobey Baker winner Cale Makar will make his NHL debut tonight in Game 3 of the Avalanche/Flames series. [Denver Post]
- Team USA won gold at the World Women’s Hockey Championship after an extraordinarily controversial goalie-interference call in overtime went against Finland. [The Ice Garden]
- It’s hearing day for Nazem Kadri, who may be done for the series - or longer. [PPP]
- In which “Baby Shark” is played on an arena PA system following a fight at an NHL playoff game:
Ryan Reaves and Evander Kane drop the gloves in Game 3 pic.twitter.com/Ypuy3QqAmI
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 15, 2019
Playoff Storyboard
Here’s what happened yesterday:
- If you think that the Hurricanes are in hot water, get a load of the Lightning. They’re down 3-0 and the Blue Jackets have a legitimate chance to sweep the league’s best team on home ice. What is going on?
- Speaking of sweeps, the Islanders won in Pittsburgh yesterday by a score of 4-1 to push the Penguins to the edge of elimination. New York has a chance to finish that series out in enemy territory tomorrow.
- The Jets took down the Blues in St. Louis last night as the entire city of Winnipeg let out a collective sigh of relief. This has been a nasty series that could shape up to be one of the best in the first round.
- The Sharks dropped their first matchup in Las Vegas last night as the Knights jumped out to a 2-1 series lead. Something to watch out for today is the disciplinary action from the Department of Player Safety in response to this ugly hit from Big Joe. It’s probably just a matter of how long, at this point.
Joe Thornton ▶️▶️▶️ Tomas Nosek#HfHits
— hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) April 15, 2019
Fleury was ready to fight him for this one. Didn’t happen. pic.twitter.com/eJIpqi78mY
And the trivia answer: Lucas Wallmark is the second player in franchise history to post two assists in his playoff debut, joining Sylvain Cote, who pulled off the feat in the 1987 Adams Division quarterfinal against the Quebec Nordiques.