From Frederik Andersen’s dominance in the crease to the offensive flair of Taylor Hall, discover which stars are driving Carolina’s historic run toward a Stanley Cup title.
The Carolina Hurricanes are onto their first Stanley Cup Final in two decades, where they will be facing off against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Hurricanes are on a historic run, being 12-1 overall through the first three rounds, and so it's clear that a lot has been going right for Carolina.
So who are the Hurricanes' Conn Smythe Trophy, an award given to the playoff MVP, front runners?
Frederik Andersen
The Carolina Hurricanes' starting netminder has been consistently dominant this postseason.
The Dane has a 12-1 record with a 0.931 save percentage and three shutouts, with an average of 10.2 goals saved above average.
While many might argue that the way Carolina plays insulates him, Andersen has still more than held up his side of the equation.
Andersen leads all netminders this postseason in 5-on-5 save percentage (0.940) and he's also rocking a 0.857 save percentage on high-danger chances.
Jackson Blake
The Hurricanes' sophomore has been a member of one of the most dominant lines this postseason and has really elevated his game overall.
Blake is currently second on the team in both goals (5) and points (15) and has an overtime/series winner under his belt too.
His line has outscored opponents 12-4 at even strength, with a 70.34 expected goals for percentage.
Blake leads the entire team in individual high-danger chances with 24 and is first among forwards for takeaways with eight.
Taylor Hall
Taylor Hall is leading the team in points (16) and has been one of the most dynamic forwards this postseason.
Not only is he bringing that offensive flair with his skating and playmaking, but his production has been clutch as well with 12 of his points being either coming on go-ahead or tying goals.
His line with Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven have been the best of the playoffs and he's been an integral piece of it.
He's also brought a heavy physical presence as well, laying out quite a few massive bodychecks throughout the postseason that has drawn a lot of ire from opponents.
K'Andre Miller
While he might not have the counting stats many voters will look for, there really hasn't been a more dominant player for the Hurricanes this postseason than K'Andre Miller.
The 6-foot-5 blueliner leads Carolina in ice time and is also fourth on the team in points (8).
He's +14 so far these playoffs and has been on the ice for 16 5v5 goals for and just three against.
Miller has dominated his minutes and has been an integral piece in every situation also playing on the penalty kill and power play.
The blueliner has taken his game to another level and there hasn't been a Hurricane playing as well as Miller has been.
Jordan Staal
As Jordan Staal goes, so too do the Carolina Hurricanes go.
Staal is the leader in Carolina in every sense of the word and he's the one who sets the example for everyone else to follow.
Whether he's winning clutch faceoffs on the power play, shutting down the opponent's top line or power play or even delivering big hits, he's making a difference night in and night out.
No line has gotten tougher competition for the Hurricanes, yet he and linemates Jordan Martinook and Nikolaj Ehlers are dominating possession and still outscoring their opponents.
Logan Stankoven
The Hurricanes' leading goal scorer, Stankoven has been one of the league's hottest players since the start of April.
Centering the top line of the playoffs, Stankoven has found a knack for scoring clutch goals and he really doesn't look like he'll be slowing down any time soon.
With nine goals and 12 points, he's been a clutch player for Carolina and only has five games in which he hasn't scored at least one goal these playoffs.
He leads the team with three game-winning goals and can become one of just three players in franchise history to record double-digit goals in a single playoffs.
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