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We have fresh ice, guys locked in, superstitions upheld and the Stanley Cup probably somewhere being polished. I can't wait for the first game of the series between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes. Although it doesn't have a premier team in the league, this could still be a great matchup.
It probably makes a bit of sense to mention how the teams got here, so let's start with the regular season.
The Golden Knights weren't exactly elite during it, but they clearly did enough to make the postseason. It happens often in hockey, probably more than any other sport, where a goalie or team gets hot, and they ride it to the Stanley Cup. The Golden Knights were just 39-26-17 for the season, but have found their way to be one of the final two.
This is a great franchise, though. Since their inception, they've been to the Stanley Cup Finals multiple times and won it once. They've only missed the playoffs one time. This postseason wasn't a cakewalk for them, but they did sweep the Colorado Avalanche, who were regarded as the best team in the league. Prior to that, they took down the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks both in six games.
I can't tell you that this would've been a make-or-break season for the Carolina Hurricanes, but it certainly hasn't put anyone's job in jeopardy that they've finally gotten to the Stanley Cup Finals.
They were one of the league's best teams this season with a 53-22-7 record. They made it to the Conference Finals last season, but were swept. It felt as if the same fate happened; there would be some shakeups.
However, this has been a great run through the postseason for Carolina. They've lost just one game on their journey to the Finals. Does that mean they should plan the parade? Not by any means, but it does have to give them a lot of confidence. Their goalie, Frederik Andersen, has been a wall, allowing just five goals over their last five games against the Montreal Canadiens. It isn't just his performance, though. The Carolina defense is allowing very few shots on goal at all.
Take out Game 1 of the Conference Finals, and the Hurricanes have allowed just 15 goals all postseason. They allowed six in that Game 1. Oddly enough, they only allowed five goals to their opponent in each of the four wins in all three series they've had so far. Vegas is a good offensive team, but this is going to be a tough code to crack.
I don't think it happens in Game 1. Sure, we've seen Andersen stumble a bit in a similar situation last round. However, he also has two shutouts in Game 1s in the postseason. He's as locked in as you can get, and I think it will be tough for Vegas to figure him out. Give me under 2.5 goals for Vegas at -105.
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