Top 3 reasons why the Carolina Hurricanes can beat the Rangers

1. Health

A healthy Hurricanes roster is a dangerous one.

The Carolina Hurricanes will finally be healthy. They haven’t been able to ice their full lineup in quite some time. But with Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Vatanen, among others, healthy, the Hurricanes will be at full strength.

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It can’t be understated how important it is for the Hurricanes to get Hamilton back. He was playing the best hockey of his career before getting injured. Hamilton has a huge impact in all three zones and is capable of driving the team on offense. He’s also an excellent power-play point man, picking up 12 PP points in 47 games this season.

Vatanen’s a bit of a wild card, but at the very least, he’s a very serviceable NHL defenseman and should help shore up their defense. Depending on when the NHL returns, it’s possible they’ll have Pesce back as well. He’ll likely be ready to return by August. If the Hurricanes get him back, that’s another huge piece for their defense.

And then there are their two goalies. A huge reason they faltered down the stretch is because they didn’t have either of their top two goalies. Both James Reimer and Petr Mrazek were playing quite well before they both got injured against the Toronto Maple Leafs. While everyone got to laugh at the Maple Leafs losing to David Ayers, who is literally employed by the Maple Leafs, the Hurricanes had to turn to two unproven goalies.

Having both Mrazek and Reimer healthy gives the Hurricanes two very solid options in net. If one falters, the other can step in. Don’t be surprised if the Hurricanes switch goalies more than once in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.