The Vegas Golden Knights start the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The series might be seen as a "ratings bore," according to numerous pundits, purists, and prudes. However, it's a battle between two red-hot teams who took care of the Colorado Avalanche and the Montreal Canadiens.
The Hurricanes enter the Stanley Cup Final with a postseason record of 12-1, including two sweeps of the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers. They've been buoyed by the scorching play of Frederik Andersen and a balanced, calculated attack.
On the other side, you have the Golden Knights, who are riding the Mitch Marner wave. He enters Game 1 with 21 points, the most during this Stanley Cup playoff run. There's also Carter Hart, who's carrying the Golden Knights through his excellent butterfly goaltending. It's tough getting a good read on this matchup, especially with both teams riding high entering Tuesday.
Therefore, I had to summon Ben Huffman, the site expert for Cardiac Cane, from the ether to preview the series. What's on the other side for the Golden Knights ahead of another Stanley Cup Final appearance? Who should the Golden Knights faithful watch for as the series starts on Tuesday?
Which Hurricanes unit isn't getting enough attention as the series starts? How will they impact the series?
Ben: Take your pick of anyone on the fourth line (William Carrier, anyone?), but I'll say, Eric Robinson. The Canes' fourth line was their most consistent in the Eastern Conference Final. He'd been pretty snake bitten through two rounds until he scored three times in five games.
What matchup(s) could be problematic for the Golden Knights? What weaknesses could hurt Carolina?
I really like the Hurricanes in the battle of fourth lines. I have a lot of faith in Carolina's penalty kill (95% kill rate this postseason). However, the Hurricanes' defensive scheme leaves them open to odd-man chances a lot, and Freddie (Andersen) can be spotty in those situations. I think a lack of experience in the Stanley Cup Final could be an issue, too.
What's one underrated team aspect that could help the 'Canes?
Not sure that this is necessarily underrated, but this might be the most well-conditioned team in the league. I think that they're built for any type of game, no matter how long it takes.
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