The Toronto Maple Leafs start their play-in series this weekend, along with 15 other teams.
On Sunday, we will finally get to see the Toronto Maple Leafs in action, as they will begin their series vs the Columbus Blue Jackets.
After breaking down the #11 and 12 seeds, then the #9 and 10 seeds and finally the #7 and 8 teams, we are at the cream of the crop for the play-in round.
Today we will take a look at the #5 and 6 seeds for the NHL Qualifiers to see where the Toronto Maple Leafs stand. Statistics are courtesy of Hockey Reference.
A Look at the Competition
(6) Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina played 68 regular-season games and amassed a total of 81 points. They were 15th in goals for and 9th in goals against in the NHL.
They converted on 22.3% of their power play opportunities, good for eighth in the league. The Canes also have the fourth-best penalty kill leaguewide. They are a dominant puck possession team, ranking second in Corsi For % and third in Fenwick For %. The Hurricanes are no joke. (Stats naturalstattrick.com).
The forward group has some elite top-end talent and rolls four lines deep. The top line of Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov all recorded over 60 points this season.
Seasoned veterans like Jordan Staal and Justin Williams can help guide the young guns for a playoff run.
The defense corps is more balanced than elite, due to injuries to Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce.
Their ceiling is substantially higher with those players in the lineup. Even without them, the Canes have a durable top 6 led by Jaccob Slavin, Jake Gardiner and Sami Vatanen.
Peter Mrazek was solid but unspectacular in the regular-season. In 38 starts, Mrazek posted a .905 SV% and a 2.69 GAA. James Reimer is a reliable backup, but it will be Mrazek who gets the crease.
The Hurricanes pose a troublesome matchup for anyone, including their play-in opponent New York Rangers. They control the puck and have excellent special teams. Their postseason fate will likely come down to how Mrazek performs between the pipes.