RALEIGH, NC – Recent history would say one thing: the Carolina Hurricanes will win Game 7 of the Second Round of the Eastern Conference.
But it’s not that easy. And it’s not that simple.
The Hurricanes reach Game 7 against the New York Rangers with an ice advantage at home, playing on Monday at the PNC Arena (20:00 ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS), and it is an advantage that has been unbeatable for opponents in the Cup Stanley. Playoffs.
Still, this will be Game 7, with the Eastern Conference final in play. And game 7 can mean anything.
“We feel we have a recipe for success, but probably them too,” Rangers striker Andrew Copp said on Sunday. “It’s one of those days where both teams feel safe. It’s just a matter of who can play closer to a perfect game tomorrow.”
[RELATED: Complete Hurricanes vs. Rangers series coverage]
The Hurricanes reach Game 7 with a 7-0 record at home in these playoffs. They are 3-0 in all 7 home games in their history, and the Rangers are 2-5 in them on the road. Carolina has won six straight 7 games, starting with coach Rod Brind’Amour still playing and scoring the series goal against the Buffalo Sabers in the 2006 conference finals. The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup.
If they win on Monday, they will become the first to win seven games in a row.
“I think there’s only trust in general,” Brind’Amour said. “We know that if we play our game we will have a good chance. We are always focused on the next one and we have another day, so it is a good opportunity.”
Of course, the Rangers are 7-1 in their last eight games of 7.
So again, these would mean that you have to spend for these processes. Not so simple.
“A lot of professional people look at it and say Carolina could have an advantage,” New York coach Gerard Gallant said. “A lot of people said that. But I as a coach and our players, we don’t believe it. We just believe that if we play our best game, we will win.”
The Rangers are also 4-0 up in the playoffs in these playoffs, winning once again with their season in play Saturday at Madison Square Garden, 5-2. They have one of the best NHL goalkeepers in Igor Shesterkin, who has a .925 savings percentage in those four playoff games and is a finalist for both the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player of the regular season and the Vezina Trophy. the best goalkeeper.
If Shesterkin is activated, this is also difficult to overcome.
“It’s been unreal,” Gallant said. “Obviously, he’s nominated for the Most Valuable Player Award and the Vezina Award. He’s been so great to us all year. We trust him. He makes us great stops at key moments and gives us a chance to win every the games we play. It doesn’t matter who we play. “
The Hurricanes have a plan on how to attack the Rangers in Game 7 because that’s exactly how they played in Game 5, a dominant and suffocating hockey brand that kept New York at 17 shots.
“If you could play like that every night, you would,” Brind’Amour said. “Both teams are trying to come up with this kind of game, their game. Obviously, if we do, it increases our chances of winning.”
They might be able to. Maybe not. Anything goes when it comes to a Game 7, a chance for a date with the well-rested Tampa Bay Lightning at the conference finale.
The losing team? Well, go home to wait for next season.
“The season is at stake, isn’t it?” Hurricane advocate Tony DeAngelo said. “It’s a lot of fun. It takes a lot of team spirit to come out and play the right way and come out with a win like we did last time. So we just have to try to do the same. We did a series ago “.
Both teams are full of confidence, confidence in themselves and in what they can do, no matter what the past has been like, no matter what the results have been (over and over again) at the PNC Arena.
Both teams believe they will play on Wednesday when the conference final begins. Only one team will be right.
“We know the good team we have,” Rangers striker Frank Vatrano said. “We know how important tomorrow’s game is. As Copper said, whoever makes the perfect game and makes fewer mistakes will win. room will do it “. you care.
“For us, it’s about knowing how good we are and knowing how confident we are in each other and knowing that we’ll do the job. You can’t look at the past games we’ve played on this court. You just have to look at the tomorrow”.