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Carolina Hurricanes: What went wrong this season?

By Andrew Miller

RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 17: Carolina Hurricanes players unite after scoring a goal in the first period during the game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes on March 17, 2018, at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 17: Carolina Hurricanes players unite after scoring a goal in the first period during the game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes on March 17, 2018, at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – MARCH 17: Carolina Hurricanes players unite after scoring a goal in the first period during the game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes on March 17, 2018, at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – MARCH 17: Carolina Hurricanes players unite after scoring a goal in the first period during the game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes on March 17, 2018, at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

For what seems like the 10th consecutive season of this discussion, here’s a long look at what went stale for the Carolina Hurricanes this year.

For anyone that watches Carolina Hurricanes hockey, this is a question that comes across the mind at least once a month, if not more. What went wrong this season that caused the Canes to miss the playoffs again? For a couple seasons during this now-to-be nine year stretch of missing the NHL Playoffs, it just took this team too long to get things going. Even though they got hot down the stretch, it was too little too late.

Now, the Canes were in playoff position, actually holding a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference before the turn of the calendar year. In their last 13 tries, the Canes have won less than five games and have not managed to win more than two games in a row during that time. Facing essentially a season defining stretch of back-to-back matchups on March 12 and 13 saw the Canes fall short to the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins by a combined score of 12-7.

This type of meltdown in the final months of the regular season signals another struggle of a stagnant franchise that will continue to frustrate the fan base. Carolina is in the midst of a league-high playoff drought. If it continues into 2019, it will be a full decade since the Canes made the playoffs last.

At this moment, the Canes have 71 points in the standings, and sit well behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, and Florida Panthers in the playoff picture. With the current situation at hand, it’s only a matter of time before the Canes are mathematically eliminated. Here’s a look at what went wrong this season for the Carolina Hurricanes.

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