Carolina Hurricanes fans had two main areas of worry heading into the playoffs: goaltending and special teams. Two areas of the game in which the Canes had seen virtually no consistency this season.
So for the team to quickly allay those fears in a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, had to have felt pretty good. ‘
The Hurricanes struck gold on the power play twice — the only two goals they scored — and Antti Raanta played exceptionally in his start.