Hurricanes focused on 'X-factor' Kucherov, Lightning's potent power play

On the heels of winning their fifth-straight playoff series, Jon Cooper sat in full Tampa Bay Lightning garb with a message about his team.

“You can’t have all Ferraris,” said the colourful coach.

“Sometimes you need a good old-fashioned four-wheel drive Jeep to get you through the mud.”

He was referring to the addition of Barclay Goodrow for their Game 6 win over the Florida Panthers.

But he may as well have been talking about the philosophical shift that helped his uber-talented club win a Stanley Cup last year by bolstering its finesse and skill with attention to defence and grit.

So, if indeed the deadline additions of Goodrow and Blake Coleman were key to tilting the scales for the perennial juggernaut in the bubble, what could this year’s playoff addition of Nikita Kucherov do for the bunch?

Well, if his playoff-leading 11 points in the first six games coming off hip surgery are any indication, you don’t need a car salesman to tell you the Bolts may very well be in the driver’s seat of the league’s most powerful machine once again.

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With the division’s top-ranked Carolina Hurricanes hoping to act as a roadblock for the defending champs, they know the return of the former Hart Trophy winner changes the complexion of a matchup that was split in the eight regular season contests.

“(Kucherov) is the X-factor there,” admitted Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour of the former NHL scoring champ who missed the entire season recovering from hip surgery.

“He’s one of the most talented players and he’s probably the freshest guy in the league. When you add in both factors, that doesn’t bode well, but that’s part of it. That’s a huge weapon for them that they haven’t had, and it’s something we’re going to have to be aware of.”

Opening up significant cap space by being on long-term injured reserve all season long, Kucherov surprised some and raised a few red flags, when he jumped right into the lineup in Game 1 against the Panthers and scored two power-play goals while adding an assist.

Like riding a bike for the man who won the NHL scoring crown over Connor McDavid by 12 points three seasons ago.

“It took a few games for me to adjust to the speed and physically adjust to the game,” Kucherov said Saturday, with no hint of a chuckle.

“But after two games, I felt normal, like I would during the season. I didn’t have any issues, and so far, so good.”

Immediately reunited with Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat, Kucherov’s return coincided with that of Steven Stamkos, who anchored a formidable second unit alongside Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn.

Panthers coach Joel Quenneville aptly likened the playoff return of Tampa’s two stars to starting a game of Texas Hold ’Em with a pair of aces.

No bluffing there.

The Lightning cashed in with eight power-play goals against Florida, operating at a 40 per cent clip that sets up a Carolina series that begins Sunday in Raleigh with a keen eye on special teams.

“The one thing, certainly, to watch from the first round is you’ve got to try and stay out of the penalty box,” said Canes GM Don Waddell, whose club will be doomed if it takes another 32 penalties like it did in its six-game series against the Nashville Predators.

“You know you’re going to take some penalties, but they’ve got to be good penalties because I think they’re running somewhere around 40 percent on their power play, which is remarkable. The five guys they put out there to run the power play are pretty darn good in the league, probably the best. So discipline and we’ve had great games with them this year.”

Brind’Amour’s “power-kill” unit is headed up by team scoring leader Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas, Teuvo Teravainen and a revitalized Jordan Staal up front, playing an aggressive style that can just as easily see the puck end up in the opposition’s net.

Obviously Tampa’s attack will put heavy pressure on 25-year-old goaltending revelation Alex Nedeljkovic, who followed up his stellar regular season with a 2.22 goals-against average and .922 save percentage against Florida

Dougie Hamilton offers a formidable counter to defending Conn Smythe Trophy winner Victor Hedman, who showed no signs of the ailments he is suspected to have played through the second half of the season.

The series-opening puck drop is Sunday at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT at PNC Arena, where Carolina has gone 23-3-5 this season, including three home wins against the Predators.

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