Carolina Hurricanes Are the Team To Beat in the East

The good news? The New York Rangers are still one of the best teams in the NHL, capable of beating almost any team in the Eastern Conference.

The bad news? One of those teams isn't the Carolina Hurricanes.

For a period and a half, the Rangers out skated, out hustled, out checked and outscored Carolina in what was billed as a potential second-round playoff matchup. They played their best and most spirited hockey against the Hurricanes in more than two years, outshooting them 14-7 in the first period, and taking an early 1-0 lead 1:02 into the second; and they damn near made it 2-0 when Frank Vatrano hit the cross bar a few minutes later. But the relentlessness of the Canes eventually wore down the Blueshirts and the visitors came away with an impressive 4-2 win in front of 18,006 disappointed fans at the Garden.

Forget about the Florida Panthers - a team that I believe is deeply flawed and will be exposed in the playoffs - the Hurricanes are the team to beat in the East. They have the best blend of skill, grit, defense and, yes, goaltending to win the Stanley Cup. The only teams that could possibly stand in their way are the Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames, both of which are in the Western Conference.

Consider the following: The Hurricanes don't have a single forward who will win either the Art Ross or Hart trophies, yet head coach Rod Brind'Armour has the depth to roll four lines. They don't have a single defenseman in the discussion for the Norris trophy, yet no team in the league involves its D more on the rush. They don't have a single scorer in the top 20, yet they're 9th overall in league scoring. They can skate, they can hit, they can defend, and they can put the puck in the net. They are a better, younger version of last year's Islanders, and if they can somehow find a way to extend Vincent Trocheck and Nino Niederreiter in the off season, they will be a nightmare for every team with championship aspirations for the foreseeable future.

The Tampa Bay Lightning? They are the champs until somebody beats them. But it's worth noting that since the Islander dynasty of the 1980s, there have been five teams that have won back to back Cups: the Edmonton Oiler twice, the Pittsburgh Penguins twice and the Detroit Red Wings once. In each instance, they were denied a three-peat. The odds are not in favor of the Lightning bucking history, especially with the way they've been struggling of late. Put succinctly, it's tough repeating in this league.

As I wrote in my last piece, I think Chris Drury has done a magnificent job since he assumed the duties of President and GM of this organization. The moves he made this season have transformed the Rangers into a legitimate contender. And head coach Gerard Gallant deserves serious consideration for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. It would be a mistake for anyone to take this team lightly. If their first round opponent winds up being either the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Washington Capitals, I fully expect the Rangers to prevail. But if they should meet up with the Hurricanes in the second round, as good as this season has been, it will come to an abrupt end. I can't see the Blueshirts winning more than one or two games against Carolina in best of seven series; that's how good they are.

That's not an indictment of the Rangers; it's just a fact. The gap between the two teams is simply too vast to bridge. For 30 minutes they gave the Garden faithful something to dream about: a trip to the finals, perhaps even a Cup. Then reality set it and the better team took over. The air went out of the balloon; the dream was deferred, for now at least.

I find myself the bearer of bad news today: the New York Rangers are not as good as the Carolina Hurricanes. There, I said it, and the sky didn't fall, did it?