The Carolina Hurricanes' second line has been the hottest trio in the entire NHL this postseason. Logan Stankoven (6g, 1a), Jackson Blake (2g, 6a) and Taylor Hall (3g, 6a) have been on an absolute heater and not only are they putting up points, but they're just absolutely burying teams in their minutes too. In their 5v5 minutes, the trio has a 6-0 edge in goals, 42-24 edge in shots on goal, 20-9 edge in high-danger chances and their expected goals share is 71.92%. They've just been incredibly dominant and teams are starting to take notice. "When we are on the ice, we're trying to make a difference and help the team whether that's being responsible in our own zone or chipping in offensively," said Logan Stankoven, who scored in each of the Hurricanes' first five playoff games. "But yeah, I think teams are paying a bit more attention and so they are maybe putting more of a shutdown line on us." After Game 1, where that line scored all three goals for Carolina, Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet admitted that they needed to be harder on them in the next game. "They're on a heater right now," Tocchet said. "We need to get in front of them and win battles. When you're playing a confident line like that, you have to make sure you're in front of them and you have to make it a tough night for them." That line then scored the overtime winner in Game 2. So far, nobody's been able to stop them, and it feels unlikely that that will change anytime soon, especially with the Flyers losing their top shutdown centerman in Noah Cates who was ruled out for the series. In the first round series against the Ottawa Senators, the Stankoven line was hard matched against the Senators' best defensive line centered by Shane Pinto, and for four games, they simply fed them their lunch. But the Flyers still have another curveball to try and throw, as Tocchet will be able to play a bit more of the matchup game with the home-ice advantage as he looks for a way to slow down Carolina's top producers. "There are some things that I can do to help our team out with having certain people on the ice," Tocchet said on Thursday. "That's a hot line and one we have to get in on." We'll see if anything changes, but Stankoven, for one, is happy with the extra attention teams are giving them, as it's not only is it a testament to their current level of play, but it also allows other players more freedom. "It's great because we have a lot of depth and so it opens up other guys," Stankoven said. "We'll just continue battle through it no matter who we're out there against." For Carolina, it's an incredible luxury to have all three playing so well, especially given that some of their top producers have yet to show up this postseason. "They're playing well, but one of the things that makes them successful is that it doesn't matter who you put against them because it doesn't really change how they play," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. "That's what I've seen from them regardless of what the matchup seems to be." It's hard enough to go against a line that's just relentless on pucks, but even more so when it's just three really, really talented players all clicking on the same page who are going that hard. "People maybe focus on how they're competitors, but they're actually very skilled players," Brind'Amour said. "If they were only skilled players, you'd just talk about what great skill they have, but the fact that they work extremely hard, it almost masks the other stuff." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECENT ARTICLES All Signs Pointing Toward A Game 3 Return For Hurricanes Rookie Defenseman [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/latest-news/all-signs-pointing-toward-a-game-3-return-for-hurricanes-rookie-defenseman] NHL Announces Second Round Schedule [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/latest-news/nhl-announces-second-round-schedule] Hurricanes Top Line Confident Heading Into Second Round Despite Lack Of Scoring [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/latest-news/hurricanes-top-line-confident-heading-into-second-round-despite-lack-of-scoring] Former Flyers Excited To Take On Old Team [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/players/former-flyers-excited-to-take-on-old-team] Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2fc97c03-6cff-45e8-ae59-23b0632dfa24.jpeg] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwmeDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to never miss a story. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
