Hurricanes seem to have all the championship ingredients this season

The Carolina Hurricanes might finally have the correct recipe and the team to get over the hump and break through the glass ceiling they have been stuck under in the Eastern Conference.

With Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the New York Islanders, the Hurricanes are through to the second round where they will face the New York Rangers with a trip to the Eastern Conference Final on the line. 

This is not unfamiliar territory for the Hurricanes. Over the past six years, they have made two trips to the Eastern Conference Final and won their share of playoff games with a rock-solid team that, while lacking in true superstar talent, has never really had any weaknesses.

But that lack of star power has been one of the things that has consistently worked against them in the playoffs. They have never really had that one big-game player who could give opposing coaches headaches and take over a game in the biggest moments. 

This year’s team, however, seems different, and it all started with the trade-deadline acquisitions of Jake Guentzel (from the Pittsburgh Penguins) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (from the Washington Capitals). They have not only added two high-level players to an already-deep roster, but they also bring Stanley Cup winning experience. In Guentzel’s case, he is still one of the league’s best players at his position and is the type of top-line talent and elite goal-scorer the Hurricanes have lacked for the better part of the past six years.

Add in some rapid development from young players like Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas, and the Hurricanes suddenly have some serious offensive talent to go with their always strong defensive play. It is the type of offense that can turn a great team into a champion. 

They rarely received a pushback from the Islanders in their five-game series win and were clearly the better of the two teams on the ice. 

As good as the Rangers are, it is a matchup that should be a strong one for Carolina. The Hurricanes allowed just four goals to the Rangers in the three regular-season meetings (the Rangers did win two of the games, to be fair) and have been a better five-on-five team for the entire season. If the Hurricanes stay out of the penalty box it will negate one of the Rangers’ biggest strengths — the power play. That is sometimes easier said than done, but Carolina has all the ingredients you want to see from a contender.

The Hurricanes defend well (fourth-best goals-against average in the NHL during the regular season), they control play during five-on-five action, they are getting strong goaltending now that veteran starter Frederik Andersen is healthy and they added difference-makers at the trade deadline.

They were already good in recent seasons. They look even better this season.