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Carolina Hurricanes: 3 reasons Aho injury kills playoff hopes

By Andrew Miller

RALEIGH, NC - JANUARY 14: Carolina Hurricanes Center Marcus Kruger (16) helps Carolina Hurricanes Left Wing Sebastian Aho (20) off the ice after getting struck in the head during a game between the Calgary Flames and the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on January 14, 2017. Calgary defeated Carolina 4-1. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - JANUARY 14: Carolina Hurricanes Center Marcus Kruger (16) helps Carolina Hurricanes Left Wing Sebastian Aho (20) off the ice after getting struck in the head during a game between the Calgary Flames and the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on January 14, 2017. Calgary defeated Carolina 4-1. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 10: Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray (30) gives up a third period goal against the Washington Capitals on November 10, 2017, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-1. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 10: Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray (30) gives up a third period goal against the Washington Capitals on November 10, 2017, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-1. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3. Caps and Pens are heating up at an opportune time

It was really just a matter of time before Alex Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals and Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins started their ascent to the top spot in both the Metro and the East. Washington got hot before the Pens did, but even Pittsburgh is putting it all together.

Last season, the Metro was the toughest and best division in the NHL. The New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pens, and Caps all racked at least 102 points. No other division in the league had more than two teams with more than 100 points.

To hammer home the toughness of the Metro to an even greater degree, the Caps and Pens were the top two regular season teams in the league. And, the Jackets were only one point behind the Chicago Blackhawks (top seed in the Western Conference last year) in fourth place in the NHL.

As most NHL fans know, once the Caps and Pens start rolling, they’re nearly impossible to stop unless they meet each other in the later rounds of the playoffs. While the Canes, Rangers, and New Jersey Devils hold the longest losing streaks in the Metro right now, the Pens and Caps continue to climb.

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