Taylor Hall Leads Hurricanes With 7 Points In Playoff Run
Taylor Hall has 7 points to lead the Carolina Hurricanes in this playoff run, and he says the fit in Raleigh has been as good off the ice as it has been on it. The 34-year-old forward said he feels at home with a contender after coming out of a rebuilding Chicago situation.
Hall, Hurricanes Find Quick Match
"I came here, and it's been an awesome fit, just on the ice, off the ice, I can't ask for anything more," Hall said ahead of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He also pointed to the opportunity he wanted when he arrived: "Bottom line, I was excited to get out of Chicago. I was excited to come to a team that, you know wants to compete for the Stanley Cup every year."
The move came through the three-team trade involving Carolina, Colorado and Chicago, with Mikko Rantanen at the center of it. Hall has turned that opening into production, and his 7 points lead the Hurricanes during the postseason.
Hall, Stankoven And Blake
Hall had two goals in Carolina's first-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators, and he and his linemates Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake stood out in the series. That line has given the Hurricanes a different scoring layer while Hall keeps filling the role he described as "a cog in the wheel" of the group.
He said the team has kept rolling since the Olympic break: "I think since the Olympic break, we've been playing really well. We support each other on the ice very well." Hall also said the group keeps its edge without the stiffness he once expected from a contender: "You think culture, and you think like seriousness, and you have to have your game face on all the time. It's not like that here. We have fun working hard."
Rod Brind'Amour's Standard
Hall's comfort comes into a program that has already proven durable under Rod Brind'Amour, with the Hurricanes reaching at least the second round in all eight seasons he has coached them. Hall also framed the group around the details that build trust on a long run, recalling a plane ride card table, a win, and "tunes blaring" while teammates laughed.
That matters for Carolina because Hall is not just filling minutes; he is adding 7 points, two goals and the kind of playoff output that fits a team built to keep advancing. For a player who was the number one overall pick in Edmonton in 2010, won the Hart Trophy with the Devils in 2017-18 and is now a 5-time All-Star, the role has narrowed to one thing: helping the Hurricanes keep winning games that extend the season.
