Carolina Hurricanes: Assessing the chances in the Metropolitan Division
When it comes down to it, the Carolina Hurricanes are in a solid position in the Metropolitan Division to actually make the playoffs in 2018.
As things start to heat up in the Metropolitan Division down the stretch of the regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes are right in the thick of the competition. The Canes took down the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks in back-to-back home games at PNC Arena, on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10.
Considering the Canes already lost to the Avs and Canucks on the road earlier this season, it’s nice to see that they split the season series with both squads. If Carolina continues this hot play through the final months of the regular season, they’ll find themselves in the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.
Carolina does currently sit outside the top three teams in the division, with the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers occupying those spots. And, the New Jersey Devils sit one point ahead of the Canes in the wildcard race.
However, the Canes finally jumped the Columbus Blue Jackets, a top team in the league for the past two seasons, in the division standings. The New York Rangers and New York Islanders are also below the Canes in the Metro.
There’s really no threat coming from the other division in the Eastern Conference, the Atlantic Division. Outside of the top three teams in the Atlantic which are the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs, the rest of the division’s members are out of the playoff picture.
The Canes do need to take care of business in their next game, which comes at home against the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 13. Los Angeles is a tougher opponent than the Canucks and Avs. But, the way the Canes are holding strong on defense at this moment, they should be up to the task.
Here’s an assessment of the Carolina Hurricanes’ chances in the Metropolitan Division for the rest of the 2017-18 NHL campaign.
Goaltending Situation
Carolina’s goaltending is coming through at the right time. We all were hoping for Scott Darling to find his way with starting goalie Cam Ward playing great for a good portion of the last three months. Darling led the Canes to the Feb. 9 win over Vancouver.
Ward then follow Darling’s solid outing with a good performance of his own, also allowing just a single goal in the 3-1 win over Colorado. If both Ward and Darling continue to play this way, the Canes are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs also.
Up to this point, Ward is still the goaltender with the best stat line with his 16-7-3 record, .913 save percentage, and 2.59 goals against average. Darling is improving his stat line though with a 10-14-6 record, .899 save percentage, and 2.99 goals against average.
Ward is on pace for his best save percentage since the 2011-12 season. He’s also the Canes only goalie with any shutouts this year. In his last five starts, Ward has allowed just seven goals, and only lost one of those starts in regulation. He’s the goalie the Canes need right now.
How is the offense playing?
The last two contests saw the Canes post seven goals combined. Now, if that was just the level of production seen from Carolina consistently over the course of the February schedule. Carolina managed just five goals through the first four games of the month.
Of those first four games of the month, three were losses. It took a Ward shutout for the Canes to even get a win in those contests. The key to victory seems pretty clear for head coach Bill Peters now. Spark the offense, and the wins will follow.
Another thing that helped the Canes’ offense out of late is a few key players returning from injury. Mainly, since Sebastian Aho returned from his concussion suffered in January he’s caught fire. Aho has five points in his last five games, including three in the past two victories.
Derek Ryan is also contributing significantly since his return from injury. He’s gone under the radar with his 11 goals and 26 points on the year. Most of this offense is going to fall on Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, and Jeff Skinner down the stretch.
Improvement from the blue line
The defense is playing better over the past three games. Even in a 2-1 overtime loss against the Flyers last week, the Canes defense was much better. And, it took an overtime goal, that squeaked between the legs of Ward, to outdo the Canes who were the better team in that contest.
It’s not just the defensive reliability of Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce that is huge for the entire team at this moment. Pesce scored a goal in the win over Vancouver. Slavin also posted a point in each of the last two games.
A key defenseman that the Canes need to come up big right now is co-captain Justin Faulk. Peters has tooled around with the defensive pairings outside of Slavin and Pesce. Faulk is getting looks with Klas Dahlbeck of late. But, Haydn Fleury has stayed in the mix too.
The pairing of Trevor van Riemsdyk and Noah Hanifin has been inconsistent but producing mostly positive results, especially for a third defensive pairing. Hopefully, Hanifin’s offensive production picks back up after a dip since the turn of the calendar year.
Conclusions
Like has been the story for much of the season, the Canes need their leaders to step up. The co-captains, Jordan Staal and Faulk, have to be better and more consistent in the final 26 games of the year than in the first 56.
Skinner notched a goal in the Avs game, but his plus/minus is a worrying sign. Peters has not given Skinner the same offensive spotlight that he’s used to in his career in Raleigh. But, if Skinner can find his right groove, he’ll be a serious contributor in the upcoming contests.
While the defense does have to lock down in front of both Darling and Ward, consistent offensive production and seeing both goaltenders come through now are the key factors. Carolina has a stronger Metro schedule coming up to end February, and to begin March.
A huge matchup awaits the Canes on Feb. 15, against the Devils. It’s one of the few games that they have to face on the road in February, which will test where the team is at mentally. But, the Canes sit one point ahead in a wildcard spot right now.
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The teams below the Canes in the Metro have some significant issues they’re facing. It seems like the Rangers are ready to be sellers at the Trade Deadline. Meanwhile, the Jackets and Isles have not been able to find their way for any decent stretch of time since December.