Carolina penalty kill 92.5% stat

The Carolina Hurricanes entered the Stanley Cup Final on Monday with the NHL’s most efficient playoff penalty kill, a unit that had erased 92.5% of opponents’ power plays through 13 games. The figure came from an Associated Press matchup look distributed Monday and carried by Yahoo Sports. Carolina had allowed only four power-play goals all postseason and had also scored once while shorthanded. Vegas arrived with strong special-teams numbers of its own, setting up one of the clearest matchup questions in the series. ### How good has Carolina’s penalty kill actually been? Carolina killed 49 of 53 penalties through three rounds, according to the AP report published Monday. That produced the 92.5% rate and left the Hurricanes with only four power-play goals against in 13 playoff games. The same report said Carolina had one shorthanded goal in the postseason. The Hurricanes also reached the Final with a 12-1 playoff record, according to AP and NHL coverage. That means their penalty kill has held up not over a short burst but across three rounds, including the Eastern Conference final. ### Who drives that unit for Carolina? Jaccob Slavin had logged more than 56 minutes of shorthanded ice time entering the Final, the AP report said. AP described Slavin as Carolina’s defensive anchor on the penalty kill, a role consistent with how the Hurricanes have used him in recent postseasons. Cory Schneider, identified by AP as a goaltender-turned-NHL Network analyst, said Carolina’s penalty kill reflects a longer-running team identity. “Carolina’s been an elite penalty-killing team for years now and that’s part of their identity and that comes from their puck pressure and their sticks, their discipline,” Schneider told AP. He added: “Vegas will have its work cut out for itself.” (ca.sports.yahoo.com) ### Why is special teams such a central question in this series? Vegas had won 12 of 16 playoff games entering the Final, including a sweep of Colorado in the Western Conference final, AP reported Monday. Carolina had won 12 of 13. AP said both teams had allowed among the fewest goals in the playoffs while each averaged more than three goals per game, leaving little separation in the broader profile. (baytobaynews.com) The same AP report said Vegas averaged a little under four minor penalties per game, compared with Carolina’s five. That gives each power-play chance more weight in a series between teams that have otherwise controlled play at even strength, where AP said Vegas had scored 34 goals and Carolina 30 in the postseason. (sports.yahoo.com) ### Is Vegas weak on the penalty kill? No. Vegas had allowed six power-play goals through three rounds and scored four shorthanded goals, according to AP. Brayden McNabb had logged more than 45 total minutes on the kill, while Carter Hart had stopped 64 of 70 shots faced when Vegas was shorthanded, AP said. AP also cited midseason additions Rasmus Andersson and Nic Dowd as regular penalty killers for the Golden Knights. (ca.sports.yahoo.com) NHL.com said Monday that Carolina and Vegas surged into the Final on dominant runs, with Carolina trying to become the first team to finish 16-1 in a postseason. That context helps explain why a narrow edge in special teams has drawn so much attention before the opener. ### When does this move from numbers to games? Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is scheduled for Tuesday in Raleigh, with Carolina holding home-ice advantage, according to NBC’s schedule report and NHL coverage. (ca.sports.yahoo.com) The best-of-seven series is set to open at Lenovo Center, where the Hurricanes will try to carry that 92.5% penalty kill from the stat sheet into the first game against Vegas. (nbclosangeles.com) (nhl.com)