In essence, this matchup is going to be about elite PP vs. elite PK and 5-on-5. People are trying to look at regular season numbers to justify predictions about what happens in the postseason. That's a dubious take at best, IMO. To me, a lot of the end results in playoff hockey are mental in nature. Again, the Hurricanes are going to be incredibly hungry because of last year's sweep, and that alone counts a lot. The emotional momentum, at least for now, is clearly on the Canes' side. It's a big reason why I also see Tampa obliterating Columbus the second time around. Also, our stats this postseason, at least to start, have been amazing on both ends of the ice. Right now, they're playing incredibly well, maybe at an even higher level than when we went on our big ECF run.