NEW YORK -- Tony DeAngelo swears that playing the New York Rangers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs doesn't change anything on his end.
"I could care less who the opponent is," the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman said. "Real good team. Real good power play. I know from experience."
DeAngelo wore a Rangers jersey for four seasons. He is one of six current Hurricanes who recently played for the Blueshirts, including forward Jesper Fast (seven seasons), goalie Antti Raanta (two), defenseman Brady Skjei (five), defenseman Brendan Smith (five) and center Derek Stepan (seven).
Once local heroes, they enter enemy territory for Game 3 on Sunday at Madison Square Garden (3:30 ET, ESPN). At least they know what they're in for.
"I think anytime you have familiarity, it helps. But I think more than anything, it's just a lot of guys with playoff experience," Smith said. "I would take that more than MSG experience, but I think that helps for sure."
Here's a look at the Broadway past for six current Hurricanes and how they feel about this battle among friends.