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Carolina Hurricanes: Three keys to beating the Devils

By Omar Abdelgawad

RALEIGH, NC - NOVEMBER 18: Carolina Hurricanes Center Lucas Wallmark (71) shoots the puck between New Jersey Devils Defenceman Ben Lovejoy (12) and New Jersey Devils Center Travis Zajac (19) during a game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New Jersey Devils at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on November 18, 2018. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - NOVEMBER 18: Carolina Hurricanes Center Lucas Wallmark (71) shoots the puck between New Jersey Devils Defenceman Ben Lovejoy (12) and New Jersey Devils Center Travis Zajac (19) during a game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New Jersey Devils at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on November 18, 2018. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – NOVEMBER 19: Pheonix Copley #1 of the Washington Capitals makes a save in front of Brendan Gallagher #11 of the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on November 19, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – NOVEMBER 19: Pheonix Copley #1 of the Washington Capitals makes a save in front of Brendan Gallagher #11 of the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on November 19, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) /

3.Forget the out of town scoreboard until after the game

Yes, a win and a Canadiens loss to the Capitals will send the Carolina Hurricanes to the post-season for the first time since 2009. Yes, PNC Arena will be absolutely out of control if that happens tonight. Yes, there will be tears and laughter. But to get there, they have to win first.

Before the Carolina Hurricanes can start worrying about what is happening in Washington DC, they need to take care of the team on the ice in front of them first. While the Devils have been eliminated form playoff contention for a while now, they are not an easily pushed over team. They still have dangerous pieces on the board and can flip the scrip on Carolina.

The best way to avoid that is to keep the eyes off the out of town scoreboard until after the game. If that games ends before the game in PNC, than by all means, let it be announced to give the players an extra rush of adrenaline. But until then, let the fans constantly look at their phones as their hearts thump out of their chests.

This team needs to play as if it were just another February game and they are still looking for some positioning. They cannot allow themselves to get hyped about the game and its results until the snow on the ice has settled and fans scream themselves horse. They do that and they just might skate away tonight with some history:

5. 109. 2. 85. Final

Had you told me that this game was going to be the biggest game in Carolina Hurricanes regular season history in the last decade at the beginning of the year, I might have been skeptical of you. Had you told this to me around Christmas, I may have questioned your sanity. Had you told me this a couple of weeks ago, I might have gotten spooked. Tonight, I am telling all of you to TAKE WARNING.

Did Waddell make the right decision at the deadline?. light. Must Read

Question for CC Readers: If they do clinch *AGGRESSIVELY KNOCKS ON WOOD* how should the Carolina Hurricanes Celebrate?

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