- The Hurricanes wouldn’t be denied, not by Robin Lehner, not by the Islanders. Carolina became the first team to advance to Round 3 this postseason, dispatching the Isles in four games.
- The Blues couldn’t get much going against the Stars, and when St. Louis did, Ben Bishop was there to clean up the rest. Dallas mostly kept the St. Louis crowd, except for a somewhat strange “Bish-op” chant.
Hurricanes 5, Islanders 2 (Carolina wins series 4-0)
The Hurricanes completed the sweep of the Islanders on Friday. After the Islanders played well in the first period but only managed a 1-1 tie, the Hurricanes scored two quick goals to open the second, and end Lehner’s night early. The Isles never really recovered, eventually falling behind 5-1 before Brock Nelson scored what was basically just a dignity goal. After two tight wins on the road in Brooklyn, the Hurricanes really ran away with the squabbles at home, winning both Carolina contests by scores of 5-2. Carolina only allowed the Islanders five goals all series long, essentially beating Barry Trotz’s team at its own game.
Stars 2, Blues 1 (Dallas leads series 3-2)
The game was at home for St. Louis. The Blues enjoyed a significant advantage in getting man advantages, as they went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Dallas failed to score on just one opportunity. For long swaths of Game 5, the Blues crowd had little to cheer for, as the Stars generally kept the Blues away from high-danger scoring chances. While Ben Bishop coughed up the puck for the Blues’ lone goal after the “Bish-op” chant, it still seemed silly (maybe a little desperate?), as Bishop turned aside whatever rare Grade-A chances St. Louis did manage. The Stars rank as one of the Cinderella stories of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, yet much like the Hurricanes, Dallas sure seems like it belongs deep into Round 2. The Blues will need to be better - and maybe get Bishop off of his game - if they hopes to keep the Stars from getting to Round 3.
[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
Three Stars
1. Ben Bishop
Honestly, it felt like Bishop beat himself on the only goal the Blues scored, rather than St. Louis really solving him themselves.
That goal still counts, of course, so Bishop won’t get the shutout. He did make 37 out of 38 saves, and while the Stars’ stingy defense deserves partial credit for his strong work, Bishop holds it together. He’s the foundation of the Stars’ often-successful efforts to shut down opposing teams, and that’s not just a riff on Bishop being really, really tall.
Bishop looked a little labored after making a save during Game 4, but if he wasn’t 100 percent in Game 5 on Friday, he had a funny way of showing it. The Stars goalie was rock solid, making tough saves look easy, and rarely giving the Blues much hope of winning.
There’s been some concern about Jordan Binnington’s play, yet more than any failings by Binnington, the concern might really revolve around how small the margin of error is when Bishop’s at the other end of the ice.
2. Teuvo Teravainen
Let’s consider this a combined second star for Teravainen and Sebastian Aho. Both red-hot Finns scored a goal and an assist in Game 4, enjoyed +2 ratings, and blocked two shots apiece. They’ve been dominant at times during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it’s nice to see Teravainen get some of the recognition after Aho had risen a bit in the eyes of hockey watchers before him.
I’m giving Teravainen an edge because Aho’s goal was a little funky (it seemed to go off Adam Pelech?), and also because Teravainen’s assist was a primary one, compared to Aho’s helper being secondary.
You could argue for Aho instead, as he doubled Teravainen’s shots on goal (four to two) and enjoyed a strong game in his own right.
It feels worthwhile to wedge one more strong two-point performance from Carolina in this top three, and you could make argument that this player should be in second, instead of the two forwards.
3. Justin Faulk
The Hurricanes have been leaning on their vaunted defense corps as the postseason’s gone along, with Jaccob Slavin getting a ton of recognition, in particular. That’s richly deserved, but Faulk had quite the Game 4, and will probably enjoy the rest that comes from this sweep.
Faulk generated two assists in Game 4, getting a helper on Aho’s power-play goal and the lone assist on Andrei Svechnikov’s insurance tally in the third period.
Faulk checked all the boxes, really. He logged a game-high 27:07, getting looks on both the power play and penalty kill. Faulk generated a +2 rating, two SOG, seven hits, two blocked shots, and two takeaways in Game 4. None of that is sexier than that goal right after leaving the penalty box from Game 3, but Faulk deserves a mention in the three stars all the same.
Taunt of the Night
In response to Brock Nelson sarcastically tapping Curtis McElhinney on the head after scoring a goal earlier in the series, Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton returned the favor on Nelson during the handshake line. Savage, Dougie. Savage.
Factoids
- Bishop’s 38 saves ties the Stars franchise record for the most stops in a regulation playoff game, joining Ed Belfour and Marty Turco.
- If your bracket is still intact, well ... good job. There aren’t many like you. Also, some people might not believe you.
- As someone who needs a haircut mentioned early on in the playoffs, the Hurricanes tend to go far in the postseason during the rare years when they can make it. They’ve now reached the conference final round in four consecutive playoff appearances: 2002, 2006, 2009, and now 2019. Maybe the Hurricanes’ motto should become “Feast or Famine?”
- Mr. Game 7 also scores in other games. Justin Williams reached 100 career playoff points.
Saturday’s games
Game 5: Columbus Blue Jackets at Boston Bruins (Series tied 2-2) 7:15 p.m. ET on NBC (stream here)
Game 5: Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks (Series tied 2-2) 10 p.m. ET on NBCSN (stream here)
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.