The Hurricanes and Panthers have had an excellent post-season so far. But Carolina's defense will be tough for Florida to overcome, writes Adam Proteau.
The NHL’s 2023 Eastern Conference final for this year’s Stanley Cup has been decided, and the two teams that will take on each other – the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers – have earned their way into the series with consistently strong post-season play.
The two teams have taken different paths to get there: the Hurricanes were one of the league’s most consistent regular-season franchises this season, while the streaky Panthers have gotten hot at the opportune time.
That said, one thing stands out as we examine the Canes and Panthers matchup, and that’s Carolina’s defense corps. The Hurricanes’ group of blueliners is better than that of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins’ collection of D-men, the two defensive groups the Panthers have taken on in this year’s playoff tournament. In a series that has similar groups of forwards, Carolina’s edge on ‘D’ will be the difference-maker in deciding who goes on to the Cup final.
As expected – and as we’ve seen throughout this regular season – the Hurricanes’ D-men have been a cut above the rest. Major minute-muncher Jaccob Slavin has led the way, averaging 22:09 of ice time in the playoffs while chipping in a pair of goals and six points in 11 games. Meanwhile, first-year Hurricane Brent Burns has played the most of any Canes player, averaging 23:55 while adding an edge that Carolina needed to be better than they were last season.
But the quality of Carolina’s defense doesn’t end there. GM Don Waddell actively moved to improve his defensive depth, and just below Burns and Slavin on the depth chart are veterans Brady Skjei (averaging 21:39) and Brett Pesce (averaging 21:12). And rounding out the top six D-men are trade deadline acquisition Shayne Gostisbehere and 26-year-old Jalen Chatfield.
The Canes’ defense is big — their top four defensemen are all at least 6-foot-3 or taller – and they have incredible balance and experience to lean on. They’re not overwhelmed by any opponent, and they’ll continue that trend when the Panthers come to town.
By comparison, Florida’s group of defensemen is not nearly as deep or as big: only two of their top-six defensemen are taller than six-foot. The Panthers also rely on their top four D-men more heavily than Carolina does, and they have weak spots, including the unhinged, undisciplined mentality of Radko Gudas and the inexperience of sixth defenseman Josh Mahura, who averages only 11:00 per game. When Carolina comes at the Panthers in waves of high-speed forechecking, Florida is going to be in tough to dominate puck possession.
Granted, the Hurricanes have had an easier go of it in the post-season thus far, dropping the New York Islanders with relative ease in the first round, then turning things up a notch in their second-round series win over the New Jersey Devils.
The upstart Panthers are going to be their biggest challenge thus far in the playoffs, but under the guidance of Rod Brind’Amour, Carolina is one of the best-coached teams still left in the post-season. The Canes aren’t going to panic if Florida wins in Game 1 or 2 of the Eastern Conference final.
Indeed, they have roster options to look at in the event things don’t pan out well to start the series. In net, Frederik Andersen is the current No. 1 goalie, but veteran Antti Raanta is likely an alternative option if he’s healthy. Brind’Amour has choices if things go squirrely for his team, and that’s an advantage for Carolina.
There was a reason the Hurricanes were this writer’s pre-season pick to win the Cup this year. On paper, they looked to be a deep, balanced, skilled, fast group – and in practice, that has proven to be accurate. They’re in for a huge battle against Florida, but there’s every reason to believe the Hurricanes can move on in this series and back into the Cup final for only the second time in franchise history.
And their defense is likely going to be the driving force behind their tremendous play.