RALEIGH, NC – The latest story would say one thing: 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 enter Game 7 against the New York Rangers with a home ice advantage, playing at the PNC Arena on Monday (20:00 ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) and this is an advantage that is insurmountable for opponents in the Stanley Playoff Cup.
However, this will be match 7, with the final of the Eastern Conference on the line. And Game 7s can mean anything.
“We feel we have a recipe for success, but they probably do,” Rangers striker Andrew Kopp said on Sunday. “This is one of those where both teams feel confident. It will just be a matter of who can play the closest to a perfect match tomorrow.”
[RELATED: Complete Hurricanes vs. Rangers series coverage]
The Hurricanes entered Game 7 with a 7-0 record at home in these playoffs. They are 3-0 in Game 7 at home in their history, and the Rangers are 2-5 in them away. Carolina won six consecutive games 7, starting before, when coach Rod Brind’Amour was still playing and scoring a goal in the series against the Buffalo Sabers in the conference final in 2006. The Hurricanes continued to win the Stanley Cup.
If they win on Monday, they will be the first to win seven consecutive games 7.
“I think there is confidence in general,” said Brind’Amour. “We know that if we play our game, we will have a good chance. We always focus on the next one and we have another day, so this is a good opportunity.”
Of course, the Rangers are 7-1 in their last eight 7 games.
So again, it’s not that easy. It is not that simple.
“A lot of professionals are watching him and saying that Carolina can have an advantage,” said New York coach Gerard Galant. “A lot of people have said that. But I as a coach and our players don’t believe that. We just believe that if we play our best game, we will win.”
The Rangers were also 4-0 when faced with elimination in those playoffs, winning again with their season on the line on Saturday at Madison Square Garden 5-2. They have one of the best goalkeepers in the NHL in Igor Shesterkin, who has 0.925 percent saves in these four elimination games and is a finalist for both the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player in the regular season and the Vezina Trophy as the best goalkeeper .
If Shesterkin is involved, it is also difficult to overcome.
“He was unreal,” Galant said. “Obviously he is for the Most Valuable Player Award and the Vezina Award. He was so great for us all year. We rely on him. He makes great saves for us at key moments and gives us a chance to win every game we play, no matter who we play for. “
The Hurricanes have a plan to attack the Rangers in Game 7, because that’s exactly how they played in Game 5, the dominant, suffocating hockey brand that kept New York up to 17 strokes.
“If you could play like that every night, you would,” Brind’Amour said. “Both teams are trying to get to this type of game, their game. Obviously, if we can do that, it increases our chances of winning.”
They may succeed. Maybe not. Everything happens when it comes to Game 7, a chance to meet the well-rested Tampa Bay Lightning in the conference finale.
The losing team? Well, he’s going home to wait for next season.
“The season is online, isn’t it?” That’s what Hurricane Defender Tony DeAngelo said. “It is very funny. It takes a lot of character from the team to get out there, play the right way and come out victorious, as we did last time. So we just have to try to do the same thing we did before. “
Both teams are full of confidence, faith in themselves and what they can do, no matter what the past looks like, no matter what the results are (again and again) at PNC Arena.
Both teams believe they will play on Wednesday when the conference finals begin. Only one team will be right.
“We know how good a team we have,” said Rangers striker Frank Vatrano. “We know how important tomorrow’s match is. As Copper said, whoever plays the perfect game and makes fewer mistakes will win. To be an outsider or a favorite, for us, whatever is said outside the hall “matters.
“For us, this is to know how good we are and to know the trust we have in each other and to know that we will do the job. You can’t watch the past matches we played on this rink. I just have to look at this tomorrow. “
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