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Carolina Hurricanes Playoff Battle – February 18th

By Dean Plunkett

Nov 7, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner (53) holds onto the puck behind the Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond (30) during the 3rd period at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner (53) holds onto the puck behind the Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond (30) during the 3rd period at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here is your recap of action in the Eastern Conference playoff battles yesterday, and the current overall status of the Carolina Hurricanes 2016 push to the post-season.

There were only two games involving Eastern Conference teams on Wednesday, with the Montreal Canadiens visiting the Avalanche, and the Rangers hosting the Blackhawks.

Hurricanes Current Status:
The two points from the win over the Jets helped the Hurricanes move a little closer to the Penguins for the final wild card spot (two points) and the Islanders for 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division (four points). Wednesday’s results kept the Canadiens four points behind the Hurricanes, and the Rangers loss kept them in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference.

There are six games tonight that will have an impact on the Eastern Conference teams fighting for post-season spots, including the Hurricanes tilt against the Senators in Ottawa. Needless to say, the standings could be much different come Friday morning.

Related Story: Carolina Hurricanes Ground the Winnipeg Jets

Current Standings: Thursday, February 18
New York Rangers – 70 points – 2nd in Metro
Boston Bruins – 68 points – 2nd in Atlantic
Detroit Red Wings – 67 points – 3rd in Atlantic
New York Islanders – 66 points – 3rd in Metro
New Jersey Devils – 65 points – 1st Wild Card
Pittsburgh Penguins – 64 points – 2nd Wild Card
Tampa Bay Lightning – 64 points
Carolina Hurricanes – 62 points
Philadelphia Flyers – 60 points
Montreal Canadiens – 58 points

Latest in the Eastern Conference: Wednesday, February 17
Montreal Canadiens @ Colorado Avalanche – 2-3 Final

  • The Canadiens, hoping to keep a spark in their playoff hopes alive, visited the Colorado Avalanche, who are in the middle of their own battle for a spot in the Western playoffs. They came up short when Jarome Iginla followed up on his game-tying goal in the second period, with the game-winner with only a couple minutes left in the game. Montreal’s hopes for post-season play are fading by the game.

Chicago Blackhawks @ New York Rangers – 5-3 Final

  • New York couldn’t handle the very talented Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday night at Madison Square Gardens. The Rangers were able to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the second period, and actually hold a 3-2 lead early in the third. As many teams have learned, though, The Blackhawks super-star rookie Artemi Panarin is unstoppable, and his hat-trick last night finished off the Rangers.

Today in the Eastern Conference: Thursday, February 18
Detroit Red Wings @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 7:00

  • The Penguins are hoping to gain the two points they need to leapfrog the idle Devils into a wild card spot in the East. The Red Wings, with a win and a Bruins loss, would move into 2nd in the Atlantic Division.

Washington Capitals @ New York Islanders – 7:00

  • The Islanders are hoping to have a good night against the league-leading Capitals, and tighten their grip on the Metro Division’s 3rd place spot.

Carolina Hurricanes @ Ottawa Senators – 7:30

  • The Hurricanes are hoping this quick trip to the Great White North adds a couple more points to their season tally, and they can keep pace with the other four or five teams jockeying nightly for the last few playoff spots. They have played very well over the last few games, and are hoping to keep the intensity and momentum going.
  • Justin Faulk will be out of the lineup for at least a few games, so the young defense corps will need to step up, like they did against the Jets, until the blueline gets back to full-strength. The good news for Caniacs is that Cam Ward is travelling with the team, and if the morning skate goes well, he could see the pipes tonight.
  • The Senators (26-26-6) have been slipping recently, and unless they can right the ship and put together a winning streak soon, they will be out of any serious discussion of playoff-bound teams. They could very well be a team, though, that steals wins against teams battling for the playoffs, like the Hurricanes.

Winnipeg Jets @ Tampa Bay Lightning – 7:30

  • Tampa Bay is hoping to gain a couple points while their Atlantic Division rival Devils are idle. Their position in the standings at the end of the night will depend on the results of a couple other games.

New York Rangers @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7:30

  • The Rangers have little hope of catching the Metro leading Capitals, but they would like to earn two points against the Maple Leafs, and get closer to securing the runner-up position in the division.

Boston Bruins @ Nashville Predators – 8:00

  • The Bruins, who are trying to close in on the division leading Panthers, face the Predators, who are fighting to hold onto a wild card spot in the Western Conference.

Upcoming in the Eastern Conference: Friday, February 19
New York Islanders @ New Jersey Devils – 7:00

San Jose Sharks @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7:00

Philadelphia Flyers @ Montreal Canadiens – 7:30

Next: Eric Staal and Cam Ward are not Thelma and Louise

The Hurricanes have a very quick turnaround in games as the week ends. As soon as they finish the game in Ottawa tonight they are on a flight back to Raleigh for a home game against the San Jose Sharks tomorrow night. Coach Peters has commented numerous times about wanting to keep up the teams intensity and focus, and there’s no better way to do that than with back-to-back games with travel in between.

Stay Tuned.

Go Canes!

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