Hurricanes center Jordan Staal is going to need to be huge if Carolina wants to climb the playoff mountain.
The Hurricanes 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday kept them alive in the playoff race. They sit only 4 points back of the Boston Bruins with seven games left to play, holding a game in hand on Boston. However, with four tough games on the horizon, the Canes won’t be going anywhere without big help from Jordan Staal.
In the next week, Carolina has to find a way to get wins against four tough teams. First they play the Blue Jackets at home this Thursday, followed by a Saturday date with the Dallas Stars. It is then an immediate turn around up to Pittsburgh. The week finally ends with a journey up to Minnesota to visit the Wild.
Those four games present a serious challenge for Carolina as they look to keep pace with and surpass the teams ahead of them in the standings. Wins in at least three of those four contests will be vital if the Hurricanes want to be playing in mid-April.
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In order to do that though, its hard to image the Canes success not stemming from the stick of Jordan Staal. Sure, the great play of Elias Lindholm and Jeff Skinner have given the Hurricanes this opportunity. However, the inclusion of a going Jordan Staal will give Carolina a real chance.
In Tuesday game against Detroit, Staal’s presence was evident in each shift. When he was slotted in between Sebastian Aho and Lindholm, Staal gave Carolina a great second scoring punch behind the Skinner line. And in doing so, Staal was able to score, cementing a Carolina win.
The task ahead will be much more daunting however. Staal is going to have to play with that same offensive impact, while also keeping tabs on significantly better scoring lines than the ones on Detroit. Columbus comes at you in waves. Seguin and Benn are superstar scorers. The Penguins are, well, the Penguins. Lastly, the best player to know Jordan’s weaknesses would be his brother on the Wild.
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Staal is starting to feel it though. His goal against Detroit was a bit lucky, but he was a dominating force on the night. He boasted 3 shots and 3 hits to add to his goal. Staal needs to maintain that all around game and let his streaking wingers, Lindholm and Aho, create some space for him. If that line can do that, Carolina stands a better chance of finding their way into the promised land.