Hurricanes’ X-factor that will lead them to 1st Stanley Cup since 2006

The Carolina Hurricanes have overcome multiple seasons of playoff frustration in getting to the Stanley Cup Final. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour has had one of the most consistent teams in the league, but they had failed in the playoffs for the last seven years to get to the Stanley Cup Final.

That will change Tuesday, when the Hurricanes host Game 1 against the surprising Vegas Golden Knights. The Hurricanes are 12-1 in the postseason, losing only the opener of the Eastern Conference Final to the Montreal Canadiens before ripping off four straight wins. The Hurricanes had been off for 12 consecutive days before the first game against the Habs, and that is almost certainly the reason they were off form in the opener of that series.

The Golden Knights had a shocking sweep over the Presidents Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche. Vegas had been touch and go to make the playoffs when they fired Bruce Cassidy with eight games to go in the regular season and brought in John Tortorella. He appeared to be at the end of his coaching career after he had been fired by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Tortorella appeared to be from the old school who demanded that his players perform according to his philosophy. That may have been his way prior to getting hired by the Golden Knights, but the team has played with energy under his leadership.

There is plenty of room for debate as to whether he can keep it up beyond the Stanley Cup Final, but that doesn’t matter right now. It’s clear the Hurricanes will have their hands filled with the VGK, and the vice versa is also true.

Hurricanes don’t depend on superstars to lead the way

The Hurricanes have excellent depth and don’t have to depend on just one line for the bulk of their scoring. That depth is likely to provide them with at least one X-factor who will have a key impact on the Stanley Cup Final.

A strong argument can be made that the Hurricanes don’t have superstars. The team’s second line of Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake have led the way to this point. Hall is the team’s leading scorer in the postseason with 5 goals and 11 assists for 16 points. Blake and Stankoven follow with 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Brind’Amour certainly wants to see this line continue to dominate with its speed and relentless forechecking, but he has other players who can step up in the Stanley Cup Final.

Seth Jarvis can be the player who turns out to be the offensive difference maker in this series. Jarvis in the right wing on the team’s first line with center Sebastian Aho and left wing Andrei Svechnikov. This trio has not put anywhere near the number of points on the board as the No. 2 line, but this group is relentless on the forecheck and regularly wins puck battles.

Brind’Amour needs this line to come through against the Golden Knights and Jarvis should be the one that starts burying the puck in the back of the net. He has 3 goals and 5 assists in 13 postseason games after scoring a team-high 32 goals along with 34 assists in the regular season.

Jarvis is a star in the regular season but he has a chance to be an X-factor in the Stanley Cup Final.

K’Andre Miller has been sensational on the blue line

The Hurricanes have been quicker than the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers and the Canadiens in all three rounds of the playoffs. That quickness is personified by the play of Brind’Amour’s defensemen. Jaccob Slavin is one of the most dynamic defensemen in the league when it comes to shutting down opponents. Injuries limited him to 39 games in the regular season,

Slavin has played in all 13 games in the postseason. He is not an offensive threat, but he can shut down the best offensive players. The stud Carolina defenseman has not had to do it by himself.

He has gotten plenty of help from K’Andre Miller, who has been sensational in the postseason. Miller has not scored a goal, but he has been credited with 8 assists and he is a team-leading plus-14 in the postseason.

Miller has excelled at getting in the passing lanes, blocking shots and making excellent outlet passes after he gets control of the puck. He is something of an X-factor among Carolina’s blue liners.

The Canes acquired Miller last summer from the New York Rangers for first- and second-round draft picks. He was a solid player in New York, but he has shown composure and consistency with the Hurricanes that he never demonstrated with the Rangers. He has upgraded the Carolina defense and he could be the difference maker in this series with his ability to shut down opposing forwards.

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