Controversy in Carolina: Teuvo Teravainen injury and Jordan Martinook high stick debate
Following a wild night in Carolina that saw an overtime snipe from Jesper Fast and an apparent missed penalty, former NHL player and now analyst Colby Cohen and Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli detail the events that occurred between the Hurricanes and the Islanders. They also talk about how the Canes will fare moving forward in the playoffs following the news that Teuvo Terravainen broke his hand.
Frank Seravalli: Let’s talk about the Carolina Hurricanes, who took a 2-0 edge over the New York Islanders. A little bit of controversy in overtime, of course, an apparent missed call. Some nice work by Mike Rupp of the NHL Network, who pointed out that perhaps this wasn’t a missed call.
Colby Cohen: Yeah, look, I think Mike Rupp does a nice job on digging in on things and I think he’s one of the better analysts we have especially on the NHL Network side. You watch Mayfield’s stick as Jordan Martinook is turning, he kind of forces his stick up in the air, and that little pop that Mayfield has with his hands gives him a quick stick check towards the top of Martinook’s hand which would be the stronger area of where you’re holding your stick. In my opinion, this is what forces Martinook’s stick up into the air and into Mayfield’s face. Look, you can make the argument that Martinook needs to be aware of where his stick is, but I can tell you from being in situations like that in my career when you’re turning like that and bringing your stick sort of parallel to the ice by your waist when that guy gives you a shot, that stick is going to go up. You can see that Martinook’s stick is turned over, and it would’ve been nearly impossible for him to control his stick the way Mayfield popped his stick up. So yes, at first glance, the Islanders fans were pissed, I think people on Twitter were exploding, but I think the officials actually got this right. I really, truly do. So give Mike Rupp credit for going out on a limb and doing this video.
Frank Seravalli: Yeah, after watching it, I would agree with the assessment and your point as well that it would’ve been almost impossible to control. So now consider the overall series perspective, the Canes do a nice job coming back on the Islanders, they had a nice goal from Jaccob Slavin, the ol bank job off Sorokin’s dome to tie it and send it to overtime. Now, they’re headed to New York but minus another key player, what a year it has been in terms of injuries for significant forwards. First, Max Pacioretty goes down, then Andrei Svechnikov done for the season, and now it seems Teuvo Terravainen is done for the season as coach Rod Brind’Amour said after the game that he broke his hand and will require surgery on Thursday to fix it. Even being down 2-0, are the Islanders alive here?
Colby Cohen: No, I do not think so. Carolina has enough in that lineup to get the job done; they play such a good structure, such a good team game and never really get pulled out of sorta. They play so compact around the net too. Let’s not forget about the dcore for the Hurricanes; they have an incredible defense core. Now their powerplay needs to get going, that’s why they brought in Shayne Gostisbehere at the deadline, but I think they get through this round, but I don’t foresee them winning a second round without those players. Look, I got to talk to Rod Brind’Amour, and taking to him, he is such an intense guy, and he knows they are short-handed; no other team in the NHL is missing more marquee players than the Canes. So I think they get by in this series, but I don’t foresee them travelling through the playoffs without them.