Game 5 is set to begin between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders. Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk answered the #AskDFO inbox question to discuss whether or not the Hurricanes are legitimate contenders and whether they can put the series aside tonight as they hold the chokehold 3-1 over the Islanders.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Tonight, Frank, we had Game 5 between the Hurricanes and the Islanders. This one felt very much like the Canes had stepped on the right pedal. The question today “Are the rods going to put that away, and do you maybe see them differently after this series?”
Frank Seravalli: I don’t know, but I think they’ve put the streak aside and, like I said about the Oilers, they’re making it easy. The Canes could also rest considerably here, especially as the Rangers and Devils look like they can go the distance. So I think it’s impressive what they’ve been able to do, but I also think the Islanders are a very average team. You know the Canes were able to do it without Terravainen and Svechnikov, and obviously in a different case Max Pacioretty was impressive, but because those guys went out and didn’t come back, I don’t consider them a competitor. legit in the sense that you might be able to win this round, but we’ll see the next one. Do they have the firepower to keep pace with New York or New Jersey? I tend not to think so. Everything else then begins to speed up as well; it’s not going to be easy because they are competitive and consistent. But they also, at times, when talking about their playoff track record, which they seemed to have killed, they don’t make it easy for themselves. They’ve had multiple opportunities to make short runs in the past, and they’ve let it slip. It would be really good for them if they could clean that up in Game 5 and move on.
You can watch the full episode here…
