The Canes are missing a huge piece without Teravainen

All right, let's start with the absence of Tevo Terevanen, which I know how great Andrey Svechnikov is, but I could make the argument that this is a more damaging loss for the way this team has to play and how many things that Tevo is involved with on this team. Your thoughts on no Tevo Terevanen? I think that the league should make a shift from not necessarily focusing on when you have slashes that are on the stick, even if the stick breaks, maybe let some of those go and anything on the hands because it's a player safety issue that you start to police that that much more.

So that's a big extraction for me, but that's in the rearview mirror. Without Tevo Terevanen in particular, yes, defensive areas at five on fives, he's had trouble getting going in the regular season and so far in the postseason offensively. But one would think after the major narratives after game two coming into game three, the Islanders being in their building that you're going to spend some time killing penalties tonight and not having Tevo Terevanen killing penalties, I think is a significant loss and therefore a big box to check. Again, he played very well in game one. He was playing well. I thought that line was effective, even though they did not generate great scoring chances.

I thought they were good again. And just knowing his 200-foot game, the penalty kill, what ultimately he will mean to their power play when they finally do get it cranked up, it is just an incredibly difficult loss. Let's talk about the physicality. I'm not going to call what the way the Islanders played dirty. I really think it was just playoff hockey and they took some liberties. And I don't even I don't personally I don't see the Paggio slash on Tevo as a dirty play.

I think he missed his mark. I think he was trying to slash the stick and he got the hands, which of course is terrible for everybody. But the Martin hit on Stahl. That was way worse for me because that was obviously intentional. Puck wasn't even close to Stahl, just standing there not doing anything. It was an intentional move. This has to be the Islanders' plan. So for me, focused on tonight and thinking about what the focus needs to be for the Hurricanes' groups to play to their strengths, whatever my big thoughts are about where I think player safety in particular headed by George Parros has failed, why should I even get into that right now? I can see repeated occasions in the game. You mentioned Martin on Jordan Stahl. I thought, aside from the high stick, which is just a high stick, nothing more than that. So Zekes and Aho early in the game, I didn't like the hit Clutterbuck on Aho in a defenseless position and the collision with the boards.

I didn't like either one of those at all. But what's the point right now? Because it's a bigger picture issue. When the Hurricanes tonight, I think we have a good idea of who Carolina is A.G., but this is another step here and a challenge to figure out who they are. Having lost another very, very important piece, Tara Vainen adding to the list with Svechnikov and Pacharetti, a team that didn't win on the road in the playoffs last year, they cannot at all, and they did a good job of it, really good job of it in Game 2. They cannot be goaded at all into any of the silliness that the Islanders implemented at different points, and you mentioned in Game 2. Now, with regards to the Islanders, I actually thought the Islanders had a very good start to that hockey game. Atlanta was really good at getting through the zone much cleaner, and then Matt Martin and company, I thought they came off their game. I mean, I know what their game plan is, and within the framework of the rules, quite candidly, if I was playing against Carolina, I'd probably have the exact same game plan.

But, I thought they came off of what had been a good start, and perhaps they recovered at different points in the game, but I thought it became a detriment. So, when I look at this game tonight, I think both teams have to ask themselves, who are we? And for the Hurricanes, it's playing a simple game, being able to play effectively, they're probably going to be in the box, but try to limit the amount of time that they do kill penalties, and do their best to not be reactive, but come out with a good start. They had a couple of great starts here in this building, albeit in the regular season, and see if they can quiet the crowd down. And for New York, who are they going to be? Are they going to be a team that comes and takes liberties again, tries to run Carolina out of the building? Or are they going to be the team that was starting to build a team game in the first 15 minutes of Game 2?

Who's going to answer that question? Who are we in this game tonight? Yeah, the Islanders did get off to a good start, and then Carolina scored the first goal, and that's when the Islanders kind of got off their game.

That's when the obvious frustration set in. Yossi Puja-Yarvi is going to draw in. My guess is we'll see him play with Aho and Jarvis on the top line.

I mean, that's just the easiest thing, rather than disrupt everything else. Although, Rod doesn't have last change, so deploying Stahl against Horvat, Barzil, and Lee is going to be difficult, if not impossible. So, how do you see this shaking up?

To tell you the truth, Adam, I would not go that way for these reasons. I thought Jack Drury, in particular, was very good in Game 2. Even strength won a lot of power play faceoffs, but let's just talk about even strength. You're asking a ton of Jack, but I would keep him in the top nine. I'd potentially keep him with Aho where he'd finish the game, and the reason I say that is because there was a late, regular season game, and you and I spoke about it in commendable fashion to Rod when he put Seth Jarvis, who was really struggling, and took the pressure off of him. Moving him down with Stastny and Stepan, and he reacted very well to that. He's, once again, I think, trying to rebuild his confidence, but I would put Puyaarvi on that fourth line, and what you're going to get out of him is up to him.

I think that's less of a pressurized situation, and with, again, the big loss to Table Terrifying, you're going to need guys to emerge and do more than you counted on them to do. And one of the guys that, you know, it's a ton to ask of Jack Drury, but based on his play, and based upon his, I think, mental confidence and his willingness to make plays, I would keep him right up where he's at. Or I would potentially think about, you know, if you're comfortable with the guy on his offside of H.S. Aho Jarvis, if you're not comfortable with that, then, you know, whichever righty you prefer, and then you're really putting pieces together between the Koch and the Emmy line and the Aho line.

I personally, and I don't know which way Rod's going to go, I would start Puyaarvi on the fourth line. What about Jesper Faust? If you have to break up Stahl, Martinuk and Faust, what about Jesper Faust in a top-six role?

I remember, and one of the things that I was encouraged by when Carolina brought Faust here from New York, was that he played with Panarin and top-line players in New York. He is capable of doing that, especially in short bursts, but, I mean, Carolina's got to find another mix, right? Isn't this what makes the playoffs and adjustments? You never want to get into a situation where you're losing critical pieces, that you've got to make these decisions.

And you have only so many options. Again, for me, you're right in everything you said. For me, based upon the stretch in the game that I liked the very most, which was the mature approach right from the get-go and overtime, that led to Voss scoring and my hope that that line not only, you know, as you can count on them for playing the game right and what they're going to do defensively, much less control who they play against on the road, obviously, because Lane Lambert will now have last change. To start, I would keep the three of them together.

That would be very important for me. I'm just an analyst, not the coach. But because I have a definite inclination that they might build something offensively and potentially could really be a difference maker moving forward in the series because of how all three factored into that overtime winning goal. If things aren't going well or if you need a tweak, if you need to energize the group, give it a different look on the road as the game wears along. You definitely have that versatility with both Jesper Faust and Jordan Martin with regards to moving them around.

Just me, Adam. But to start the hockey game, I wouldn't disrupt that line for the sole reason that I just have a bit of a gut feel that you keep them together that they might really get something with regards to offensive confidence from that overtime winner. And they might go on a little bit of a mini run, which they did.

You know, we remember their run offensively in December. Tripp Tracy, appreciate your time as always, sir. Talk to you later. Appreciate it. Thanks, A.G. It's more than just your lawn.

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