RALEIGH, N.C. — Evgeny Kuznetsov wasted no time making a postseason impact for the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s a promising sign for what could be ahead in the NHL playoffs.
The addition during the trade deadline has strengthened a deep Carolina team attempting to make a final push as a Stanley Cup contender. As the Hurricanes aim for a 2-0 lead in their first-round series against the New York Islanders on Monday, the move, seen as low-risk at the time, has already paid off in the postseason with Kuznetsov’s talent and experience as a Cup winner in Washington.
“He’s a proven winner,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He’s done it in the playoffs and he’s got a Stanley Cup ring to prove it. … He’s a veteran guy, there’s certainly no panic in his game. In this type of environment, that’s, I think, what makes him special.”
Game 2 of that series comes Monday night, part of a schedule that includes the start of two Western Conference playoff series.
Kuznetsov led the Capitals with 32 points (12 goals) in the 2018 run to the title and had a decade-long stint as one of the team’s core players. But he had a tumultuous end to his tenure, including being put on waivers in March and going into the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program before the Hurricanes took a shot on him.
“Of course it was a long, tough season for me and a lot of things went wrong and stuff like that,” Kuznetsov said. “For me it was a great opportunity to start fresh in the playoffs, first game.”
Kuznetsov centered the fourth line in Saturday’s 3-1 win against the Islanders, but came up big early by squeezing the puck into the top left corner above Semyon Varlamov’s right shoulder on the power play.
Kuznetsov — who marked the moment with his bird-like, arm-flapping celebration — became the second player in franchise history to score a goal in the opening 95 seconds of his first playoff game, joining Matt Cullen in 2006. He went on to assist on Stefan Noesen’s winner early in the third for a two-point night.
The Islanders did plenty well enough to win the game, including dominating the second period and blocking shots to minimize the stress on Varlamov while also finishing with a nine-shot advantage. But they also came up empty on a couple of key opportunities against Frederik Andersen, who battled down one post-rebound finish attempt by Noah Dobson while down in the crease. Kyle Palmieri’s reach past an extended Andersen went wide of the open net.
“This is a team that plays well defensively, so there might not be tic-tac-toe kind of goals,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said Sunday. “It might be more like, ‘Hey, we need to bring the puck to the net.’ … These are the type of goals that we might have to have.”
LEAFS at BRUINS
Bruins lead 1-0, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
After a stellar performance from Jeremy Swayman in Game 1, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery has to decide whether to keep alternating him with 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, as the team did all season.
“It’s going to be hard to go away from Sway. He played a terrific game,” Montgomery said after the 5-1 win on Saturday night. “If we decide to go with Ullmark, we’re comfortable with it, and our team’s comfortable with it.”
The Leafs are wondering if William Nylander, their second highest scorer, will be able to play after missing his first game in over two seasons due to an undisclosed injury in Game 1.
Auston Matthews, a center for Toronto, mentioned that Nylander is an important player for their team. He also said that they have faced similar situations during the season and other players have stepped up to take advantage of the opportunities.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS at STARS
Game 1, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
The current Cup champion Vegas secured the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference and will face Dallas, which finished second in the league with 113 points.
The Golden Knights defeated the Stars in a six-game series in the Western final on their way to winning the title.
The Stars have won 17 of their last 21 games and set a franchise record with eight players scoring at least 20 goals, despite losing all three regular-season games against the Knights.
KINGS at OILERS
Game 1, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Edmonton and Los Angeles have faced each other in the first round for the third consecutive season, with the Oilers winning a seven-game series in 2022 and a six-game series in 2023.
The Oilers have won eight out of 12 meetings over the last three regular seasons.
Kings forward Quinton Byfield expressed the team's motivation to beat the Oilers, despite acknowledging that they will present a tough challenge.
