Carolina Hurricanes: 5 reasons playoff drought will be broken

The Carolina Hurricanes need to make the NHL playoffs this season to bring some of the fans back into PNC Arena on a nightly basis.

The Carolina Hurricanes need a good run through the rest of the November slate to start building some momentum in the right direction to make a good playoff push. Fans have heard enough about the eight season playoff drought the Canes are in the midst of.

It’s time to start looking forward at why this could be the season that breaks the longest active playoff drought in the NHL. The Metropolitan Division is going to be a tough division to crack at the top, but the Canes do have the tools necessary to make it happen.

A Nov. 10 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets moved the Canes to six wins on the season and helped build the current winning streak to two games. The Canes face a tough opponent in the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 11, at PNC Arena, with a chance to extend the winning streak even further.

Head coach Bill Peters might not be able to keep his job past the 2017-18 season if he does not lead this Carolina team to the playoffs. Former head coach Kirk Muller did not have long until Peters replaced him a few years back.

Many expected an improved Canes squad this year that had the legitimate capability of making the playoffs. For that to become a reality, the wins have to start racking up against Metro opponents. That’s why the win over the Jackets is so huge.

Here’s 5 reasons why the Carolina Hurricanes playoff drought will be broken after eight seasons.

5. Bill Peters is steadily improving this team

The Canes are not a team used to getting off to fast starts. In fact, this is one of the best starts for Carolina in the past decade. Whether that ultimately means good things is yet to be seen. We’re only 14 games into an 82 game season.

Moreover, the Canes have played the least games of anyone in the NHL. That is a big reason why Carolina finds itself in last place in the division. Rattling off four or five straight wins at least would bring the Canes back into the playoff picture early in the season.

After taking over for Muller, Peters switched a lot of things around with the culture of this team. With the help of general manager Ron Francis, the Canes added a lot of young talent to build around and everything was in place for a good run deep into the playoffs.

The progression is hard to see on a nightly basis and Peters does need to continue to have his squad prepared for every game. Sometime the Canes come out lackadaisical in road contests. Most would say that is normal, though.

4. Jeff Skinner is ready to score 40 goals

The 2011 Calder Trophy winner has not made it to the playoffs yet. Jeff Skinner is so talented and has a very unique gift for putting the puck in the net considering his size. Despite hitting a rough patch recently, he still leads the team in goals.

Skinner’s seven goals are just ahead of co-captain Jordan Staal with six. Staal had a big night against the Jackets with two goals, including the game-winner. Yet, Skinner is sure to heat up again soon.

Setting a career mark last season with 37 goals should not be where Skinner peaks in his career. He should just now be entering his prime and has a great shot to achieve the 40 goal mark for the first time.

Skinner possesses the skill necessary to be the first 40 goal scorer for the Canes since Eric Staal. The players around him do need to step up. But, Peters did recently promote Skinner from the third to second line which could help as well.

3. Pesce/Slavin is a defensive pairing unlike any other

Brett Pesce just returned from concussion protocol after getting injured in a practice. He missed three games and it really cost the Canes on defense. Pesce and Jaccob Slavin have chemistry that is hard to find among two players.

Both players knows the tendencies of the other and can cover when a mistake is made. That is something that other defenders like Justin Faulk and Trevor van Riemsdyk were not able to do in Pesce’s place on the top defensive unit alongside Slavin.

While Pesce and Slavin do not possess the best offensive prowess, that is not what the Canes need them to do. They shut down the opposition’s top line and keep players like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid held in check.

With the Canes having some trouble producing consistent numbers on the scoreboard, they need the blue line to step up more than ever. Pesce and Slavin did that again in the win over the Jackets, holding Artemi Panarin and Cam Atkinson off the score sheet completely.

2. Darling and Ward are a great one-two punch

Having a goalie as experienced and talented as Cam Ward as a backup is a luxury to have. He was a huge reason why the Canes won the Stanley Cup in the first place in 2006. Now, he can pass on some of that valuable experience to Scott Darling.

Francis did a great job in acquiring and signing Darling to a contract extension during the off-season. Not only has Darling taken advantage of the opportunity to become a starting goalie in the NHL, he’s getting visibly more comfortable between the pipes.

Darling now has his save percentage above .910 and should only get better from here. Ward also had another big effort in net with 25 saves on 26 shots in the win over the Jackets. Only one of four starts for Ward has really been a letdown. The other three have been very solid.

Darling also brings some very valuable experience over from a championship winning squad in the Blackhawks. Him and Marcus Kruger should boost the mood in the locker room and get a playoff mindset instilled with the rest of the Canes.