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The 73 hour season

By Randy Yale

VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 16: Head coach Bill Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes looks on from the bench during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena October 16, 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - OCTOBER 16: Head coach Bill Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes looks on from the bench during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena October 16, 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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To insure a successful season, the Hurricanes need to win at least two games agains Toronto, St. Louis, and Anaheim. Without two wins doubts will build.

The puck drops for the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. Thursday.  By 8 p.m. Sunday evening the team may be well-positioned for a  playoff push the remainder of the season or they could find themselves battling uphill.

The next three games will likely set the tone for the 72 games that follow.  If the team earns 5 or 6 points, they will prove to the league, and more importantly themselves, that they have the talent and chemistry to take on the best throughout the season.

After the past two games,  fans are questioning whether the team has the composure and offensive firepower to compete with the league’s best.  If the team is .500 after ten games, those questions will only get louder.

The keys to the next three games will be:

  • Sebastian Aho finding the back of the net.  This is obvious, but the team needs another every-game scoring threat to complement Jeff Skinner.  Aho has actually been playing some good hockey early this season.  Each of his three assists this season has demonstrated that he is a quality playmaker.  Yet his shot has been not quite good enough.  Two or three goals in the next three games would help both player and team.
  • All four top defensemen being active in the offensive zone.  The lone goal against Tampa Bay was due to the aggressive play of Brett Peace and solid shooting of his partner Jaccob Slavin.  Both need to be part of the attack when they are on the ice.  Noah Hannifin and Justin Faulk need to unleash hard and accurate shots on the power play to keep defenders from clogging passing lanes.
  • Both goalies need to excel.  With back-to-back games, both goalies will be playing.  Keeping three talented teams in check will require a few outstanding saves in each game.  Whichever goalie gets two starts (and maybe it should be Ward) must allow no more than 5 goals in both games combined.  The goalie with a single start really needs to keep the opposition off the scoreboard–at least the first two periods so the Canes can play with a lead.

    • The centers need to produce.

    Thus far Jordan Staal, Victor Rask, and Derek Ryan have each had one game where they stood out.  With Toronto, St. Louis, and Anaheim as opposition, two of the three need to be on the score sheet every game.

    Next: Carolina Hurricanes preview, predictions vs. Maple Leafs

    Of course, those four things are easy to write.  Bill Peters and his staff will need to find how to make each of them happen.  Because if Aho finds his goal-scoring touch, the D adds another level of threat in the offensive zone, Darling and Ward are solid, and the centers are successful in driving the attack, then the Carolina Hurricanes will prove that they are going to be in the playoff hunt for 82 games.

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