The Carolina Hurricanes last five games were against the top of the league but it doesn’t get much easier after the All-Star Break
The Carolina Hurricanes five-game losing streak was definitely not pretty. Outscored 23 to 5, the Hurricanes watched their Goal Differential drop from +1 to -14. While not very pretty, Carolina did play against the top teams in the league during that span. Washington is on pace for another presidents trophy and Columbus is only four points behind them with a game in hand. Although Pittsburgh hasn’t racked up as many points as Washington and Columbus, they still can score goals at will and not just against Carolina. They scored 8 against Washington, five against the Bruins, and 4 against the Canadiens and Carey Price. The Kings aren’t quite as good as these three teams but they are top two in the league in terms of shot generation and suppression.
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So basically any schedule not against the top of the league will be easier for the than the last five games. The teams coming up, though, present their own set of problems and challenges that don’t make them any less difficult games. The road is ahead is just as treacherous as the one behind for the Carolina Hurricanes, and the team is now in the territory where any loss could be enough to extinguish all hopes for the playoffs. All records as of January 29th.
Philadelphia Flyers 25-19-6
This is as big as they come for keeping the Carolina Hurricanes playoff hopes alive. A regulation win against the Flyers represents a four-point swing in the standings for the Hurricanes against a team they are chasing for the final wildcard. The thing is that the Hurricanes have yet to win a game against the Flyers this year in the two previous games against them. The first was a 6-3
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loss in Philadelphia and then a 4-3 defeat at home. Both games came early in the season before Carolina found their groove and with little on the line. Hopefully, the Hurricanes can figure things out at some against an uneven and very beatable Flyers team. Maybe Dave Hakstol will do us some favors and mysteriously scratch his best players.
Edmonton Oilers 28-15-8
This will be the final time the Hurricanes face the Oilers this season. The first meeting was a 3-2 loss in Edmonton where Cam Talbot stole the show. Connor McDavid has single-handedly pulled this team from the bottom of the Pacific to second place. The Hurricanes defense is good but I’m sure trying to keep McDavid off the scoresheet may be an impossible task even for them. Let’s hope the Oilers feel safe with their spot in the standings and bring a sub-par game against an out of conference opponent.
@ New York Islanders 21-17-9
Since the 7-4 game against the Carolina Hurricanes that saw Jack Capuano get fired, the Islanders have impressed. In their last six games, the Islanders posted a 5-0-1 record and headed into the All-Star break 6-2-2 in their last ten. With three games in hands against the Flyers and 51 points, the Islanders sit in a better position than the Hurricanes to try and claim the last playoff spot. Wanting revenge and a chance to knock down another possible wild card contender, the Islanders will make this game harder than the last one. And let’s not forget the Islanders still scored four goals against Carolina and led most of the game before the Hurricanes pulled away. This is not a team that will be an easy win.
@ Washington Capitals 33-10-6
Yeah, remember everything I said above. I’m sure it will all still apply down here as I don’t expect the Capitals to slow down anytime soon. The whole Metropolitan division is a beast this year and of course it has to since this is the first time in years that the Carolina Hurricanes have an actually decent team.
@ Dallas Stars 20-20-10
The Stars sit at perfect .500 hockey after a disastrous start to the season. This will probably be the easiest of the next five games for the Hurricanes, but if they can’t win a majority of the first four than a win here most likely won’t make a huge difference. And even a win here isn’t guaranteed as the Stars sit 3 points out of a playoff spot with two games in hand. They probably aren’t a true playoff contender and could fall further back by the time the Hurricanes play them. But with talents like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, it will be a difficult win no matter how far back the Stars are from a playoff spot.