The New York Rangers will be facing the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is the second time in three seasons that these two teams will meet in the second round, with the Rangers winning in seven games back during the 2022 playoffs. With both of these teams taking and holding onto the top two spots in the Metropolitan Division this season, it was not a shock that these two teams would meet in the playoffs.
The Hurricanes want to get revenge from two seasons ago and make it to their second straight Eastern Conference Final, while the Rangers want to beat the Hurricanes again and prove why they were the best team in the NHL this season while also making it to their second Eastern Conference Final in three seasons. With so much to play for and some history between these teams, here are three storylines to watch for as this series begins and progresses.
Vincent Trocheck Against His Former Team
The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, Vincent Trocheck was playing for the Hurricanes as their second-line center. He scored three goals in that series and left Carolina that offseason as a free agent. He would then go on to sign a seven-year deal with the Rangers and has now been their second-line center for the past two seasons. He had a career year this season, with 25 goals and 77 points in 82 games played. He has continued that great play in the playoffs with three goals and six points in the four-game sweep over the Washington Capitals in the first round.
With Trocheck’s departure, the Hurricanes haven’t been able to find a center to replace him and it has been a rotation of players, but nobody has been able to stick. Trocheck has been excellent for the Rangers since coming over and his strong play in the first round could lead to even better play in the second round, as they are going up against a match tougher opponent. It will be interesting to see how well he plays against his former team and maybe he will have something to prove and show the Hurricanes that they made a mistake letting him go to their division rival.
Special Teams Play
The special teams for both teams during the regular season were excellent. The Rangers finished third in the league on both the power play and penalty kill, while the Hurricanes finished second on the power play and first on the penalty kill. So far in these playoffs, the Rangers’ special teams have…
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