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Carolina Hurricanes: 5 things every fan should wish for at Christmas

By Andrew Miller

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 23: Santa Clause shoots the puck before the start of the third period of a game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks on December 23, 2016, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 23: Santa Clause shoots the puck before the start of the third period of a game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks on December 23, 2016, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 15: Jeff Skinner #53 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the pucks against the Buffalo Sabres during an NHL game on December 15, 2017 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 15: Jeff Skinner #53 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the pucks against the Buffalo Sabres during an NHL game on December 15, 2017 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) /

2. Jeff Skinner’s first 40 goal season

Once again, this team’s leading scorer is Skinner. His 12 goals are two ahead of the next best on the team, which is a tie between Staal and Elias Lindholm. While the Canes received streaky production from Teravainen, Lindholm, Aho, and Staal, Skinner has been the most consistent producer.

It would take a lot from Skinner to rack up 28 goals in the remaining 57 games this season. Yet, the hot start that he got off to looked like he would finally reach the 40-goal mark. Skinner finished the 2016-17 campaign with 37 goals, a career-high.

Getting a high-level of production from Teravainen, Faulk, and Skinner would jolt this offense, and make the Canes a tough out for any team in the NHL. The grit is there for Skinner, he just needs to be harder on the puck when he’s close to the net.

Interestingly enough, even though Skinner is the team’s leading scorer, he does not have a single game-winning goal this season. That would be another major step forward for Skinner, to help the Canes come through in the clutch a bit in the remaining part of the regular season.

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