Carolina Hurricanes Game Day Thoughts: It’s Almost Time to Believe in Miracles

Carolina Hurricanes face the Dallas Stars tonight and look to extend their historic point streak to fourteen games

Wow, what a finish last Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t play perfect but when it counted the team was able to score.  Even Noah Hanifin did something good if that tells you how well the team is playing.

The Hurricanes needed those two points just to maintain against Tampa Bay and Boston as both teams won their games on Thursday as well.  The Bruins play earlier today so Canes fans will know that outcome before the game starts.  The Lightning play tonight so there will be plenty of scoreboard watching as the Canes look to defeat the Dallas Stars.

With Dallas officially eliminated from the playoffs, they are playing for nothing more than pride.  Doesn’t mean Carolina should take it easy on them because the Detroit Red Wings were in the same boat and we all saw how well that worked out for the Canes.

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Still, this is a completely winnable game for the Hurricanes, and one they need to win.  Especially since Boston and Tampa are playing tougher competition tonight and could very well lose.  Florida may not make the playoffs, but I’m sure they’d love to do their part to keep Boston out.

While Montreal is locked into the playoffs, it’s always better to enter the postseason playing well than not.  Montreal also knows that with a healthy Johnson and Stamkos on the way back, the Lightning would be formidable foes.  If a team can do its best to keep better teams out of the postseason they will.

Those attitudes should bode well for the Hurricanes.  It won’t matter though if Carolina can’t take two points tonight.  Bill Peters also views this game as a trap and is focused on bringing the team out sharp:

Game Day Thoughts

• I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, Jeff Skinner continues to carry this team on his back to the playoffs.  In March, Skinner scored 12 goals and 17 points in 16 games.  Nine of those goals came in the last 8 games and against Columbus he scored the game tieing goal and his skating created the chance for Hanifin to score the game-winning goal.  If the Hurricanes make the playoffs and they pick a captain next year it would be crazy not to choose Skinner. He’s more than earned the honor this season
• The Dallas Stars are perhaps the only team in the NHL that comes close to getting the level of goaltending the Hurricanes have this season.  That’s not a good thing.  This is a major weakness the Hurricanes need to exploit.  Niemi and Lehtonen are bad.  Let’s not make them look like world beaters tonight as the Hurricanes are prone to do.
• The Hurricanes need to play a little bit better defense than they did in their last OT loss.  Like Detroit, Dallas has skilled players that will make the team pay if they are sloppy in the neutral zone.  If Mantha on the breakaway was a scary thought, just imagine players like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Canes need to tighten things up and not take the game for granted
• Benn and Seguin are the leading scorers on the Stars with 70 and 67 points respectively. They’ve been on a cold streak recently, though, and each one only has a single goal in their last five games.  Both are too good to be kept off the scoresheet for long.  Expect to see Slavin and Pesce on the ice every time those two take a shift

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• If both Boston and Tampa lose in regulation tonight, the Hurricanes will move within two points of Boston with a game in hand, and one point above Tampa Bay with a win.  If they lose in OT, the Canes will be three back of Boston and be tied with Tampa.  Don’t even want to think about if the Canes lose.
• Eddie Lack was seen participating on the ice in the morning practice.  According to the Canes’ website, Cam Ward will get the start tonight with Eddie on the bench.  The Carolina Hurricanes take on the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow so if Lack is ready to go expect him to earn the start there.  The good news most likely means Alex Nedeljkovic will be returned to the Everblades soon.