Carolina Hurricanes: Breaking Down the 2019-20 Schedule
The Carolina Hurricanes fixture schedule was released a few days ago. A tough 82 game grind starts 3rd October, time to take a look at 2019-20 season.
October 2019
So the season gets started against Montreal Canadiens and we’re at home! This season, the Montreal Canadiens missed out on the playoffs, so they’ll like to start the season off on the right foot. There’s no easy games in hockey.
Pick of the Month – Washington Capitals – 5th
It had to be. The Carolina Hurricanes lost every regular season game they played against the Washington Capitals. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or have been frozen like Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness, you’ll be aware that the Washington Capitals were the first opponent to bend the knee in this years playoff run.
The Washington Capitals will be itching to set the records straight, especially considering the controversy that surrounded the Warren Foegele hit on T.J. Oshie that kept him out of the crucial games. This game poses the first real test for the Carolina Hurricanes next season. To make matters just that little bit tougher, it’s followed by a home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
October also sees the first stretch of road games. The Carolina Hurricanes will be soaking in some Californian sun as they face off against the LA Kings, San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, all in the space of four days. A tough run that is bound to catch-up with the boys by the last game.
A nice break before the last game of their road trip against one of the surprise packages to emerge from this season’s playoffs. The Columbus Blue Jackets. Their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning will live long in the memory for both teams, as Tampa look to move on quickly and Columbus look to build.
The return to Raleigh means the start of the first home stand of the season, spread across the end of October and the start of November. It kicks off with the Chicago Blackhawks, a match-up that proved fruitful for the Carolina Hurricanes this year, grabbing the maximum amount of points available.
The final game of October sees the opposite. The Carolina Hurricanes tried and failed twice to beat the Calgary Flames. I highly doubt that it’ll be seen as a game that the Carolina Hurricanes are seeking revenge in, but it would be nice to show them what we can really do. The Carolina Hurricanes got further in the playoffs, so I guess that counts for something.
November 2019
We start November at the end of a nice home stand. Back-to-back games on a Friday and Saturday night round off what we all hope will be a successful run of games. The Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils the opposition.
It’s then a little back and forth. Road game followed by home game for the next four, before some semblance of normality is restored with a set of three very exciting road games if you’re a Carolina Hurricanes fan. These consecutive games are the pick of the month for November.
Pick of the Month – Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild & Chicago Blackhawks – 14th, 16th & 19th
Maybe seen as a little surprising considering the Carolina Hurricanes are away to Tampa Bay Lightning on the last day of November. But in these selections you have three teams that weren’t able to beat Carolina at all this year. This season’s records against these three franchises was played seven, won seven.
With three road games in a row, we’ll see whether they’ll be able to have the same success. All three of these teams had rough years. They all failed to make the playoffs and in Chicago’s case, that’s not acceptable. Not when you have Patrick Kane on your team. Carolina will have already met Chicago once, so a 100% record could already be out the window by this point.
This is also another opportunity for Nino Niederreiter to return back to Minnesota. A trade that was about as one sided as they come. Niederreiter was stolen from Minnesota in exchange for Victor Rask, who hasn’t had the greatest time there so far. There’s still time for the former second round pick to make an impact in Minnesota, but he’s a way off replicating Niederreiter.
These three games are actually followed by two home games against teams that also failed to beat Carolina this season. The Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers were good opposition for Carolina this season. This makes it five straight games against teams that gifted Carolina 28 points this season.
November is chock full of games, 15 in total. As mentioned earlier, Carolina round out the month with a trip to Florida to play Tampa Bay Lightning. This is the first road game of the two toughest road games of the season. The next one, we’ll get to next month.
December 2019
So into December. Christmas is coming and people around the world are starting to feel festive. Sadly, the Carolina boys won’t be spending a huge amount of time with their families as the equal biggest road trip of the season, falls in mid December.
Let’s start with where we finished in November. The boys have (hopefully) just beaten Tampa Bay Lightning in Florida and are now going to make the trip to Massachusetts for their first road game of December. The pick of the month for this month.
Pick of the Month – Boston Bruins – 3rd
The regular season matchups against the Boston Bruins were even. Three points earned from three games isn’t too bad against the second best team in the NHL this season. However, this is the first time that Carolina and Boston will meet since Boston swept Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final.
As we all know, Boston went on to lose the final to the St. Louis Blues and by December, we’ll have a decent idea as to whether Boston are ready for another run at the cup. Surely their minimum goal would be to reach the playoffs, so this was always going to be a tough game, regardless of the season’s playoffs game between Boston and Carolina.
The thing is, it has to be a grudge match. There is no way that revenge isn’t in the minds of the Carolina players before they step onto the ice at TD Garden. They couldn’t solve the Tuuka Rask puzzle in the playoffs and ultimately, that led to their downfall. There will be a serious buzz in the air for Carolina fans and possibly a whiff of over confidence for Boston Fans.
Further into December, the road trip starts. The Carolina Hurricanes will spend a week in Canada, visiting Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg. Before returning back to America and to Colorado. By the time they face Colorado on the 19th, the Carolina Hurricanes players won’t have been at home since the 7th.
Long road trips are part and parcel of the game we love. Players are fully aware that they’ll have long trips away from home at various points throughout the season. That being said, a road trip of this magnitude, at this time of year, will have extra consequences. This season, the Carolina Hurricanes had a fairly nice home stand during Christmas, so I guess it’s just the way things work.
January 2020
We’re officially into the new year. This year, January proved to be the pivotal month that took the Carolina Hurricanes from one of the worst teams in the league, to one of the best. Come 1st January, Carolina were sat on 37 points. Their record from January onwards? 31-11-2.
If they find themselves in a similar position in 2020, their schedule could help. Starting at the end of December and rolling into January is the longest home stand of the season. Seven straight games in Raleigh and an opportunity to build up significant points. Nine out the the eleven games in January are home games.
There are some tough games during this period. The Carolina Hurricanes will face the Washington Capitals twice and Tampa Bay Lightning once, but the other games are very winnable if we’re considering form from this season.
Pick of the Month – Winnipeg Jets – 21st
The Winnipeg Jets’ last trip to Raleigh was one to forget for the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina shipped eight goals in an 8-1 loss. They finished the season with a poor record against Winnipeg, allowing 11 goals over the two games while only scoring twice.
With the road game having already been played, by now we’ll see whether the Carolina Hurricanes have put an end to their Winnipeg losing streak. 11th November 2016 was the last time the Carolina Hurricanes tasted any success.
The Winnipeg Jets will be hoping for a repeat of last year’s scoreline, whoever is in net will need to be on top form. When the Winnipeg Jets get going, they can score for fun. On nine occasions this season, the Winnipeg Jets scored six or more goals. Compared to the Carolina Hurricanes’ five.
The start of another long home stand begins on the 17th, starting with the Anaheim Ducks. It’s the last true home stand of the season. From here on in, home games are split up with the occasional road game.
February 2020
Is it the playoffs yet? Come February, the playoffs picture really is starting to develop. You might start to get a view on who may or may not make it. A mix of home and road games, with a four game road trip. Starting in St. Louis and finishing in Dallas. My pick for this month.
Pick of the Month – Dallas Stars – 11th
This game is the first time that the Carolina Hurricanes meet the Dallas Stars in the 2019-20 season. The two members of the Wildcard Chaos Squad will play both their scheduled games in February. Dallas lost both games against Carolina this season and even failed to score in either of those games.
On a personal note, this game has the largest magnitude in my household. A Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes rivalry and as I’ve just mentioned, it was Carolina who stole the show this season. Dallas have one of the top three most exciting young defensive prospects in hockey in Miro Heiskanen and a Vezina Trophy finalist in Ben Bishop as their goaltender.
You never know, the Carolina Hurricanes might line up with two time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky in net, but it’s still likely to be a tough game. The return fixture is played exactly two weeks later where the Carolina Hurricanes will try to make it two out of two for the second season running.
The final game of February could also be decisive, a trip to Montreal, a team that the Carolina Hurricanes are likely to be battling with for a playoff spot. It’s the last time these two teams will meet and could play a pivotal role in securing a spot in the greatest spectacle in sport, the Stanley Cup Finals.
You’d have to say that after this season’s performances, anything less than a playoff spot for the Carolina Hurricanes is likely to be considered a disappointment to fans, players and staff. The month of March is where it gets really crucial, a gruelling schedule and the busiest of the year.
March 2020
March sees the most games in a month, 16 in total. March does however, start with a five day break. A five game road trip is then kicked off by a trip to Philadelphia on the 5th. From that point on the Carolina Hurricanes play every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for the rest of the month.
Pick of the Month – Pittsburgh Penguins – 8th
This meeting on the 8th March will be the first time the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins do battle next season. All four of these head-to-head matchups are scheduled in for March 2020. A huge sequence of games that will have a massive impact at a crucial time of the season. An eight point swing is possible here against a sure fire playoff competitor.
This season’s games were split at two wins a piece. But the severity of the games next season will be determined by where each team sits in the standings come 8th March. If the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves outside of a playoff spot at this point, they have a real opportunity to catch one of the teams above them.
That is, only, if the Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in a favourable position. There’s a very real chance that these roles could be reversed and it’s Pittsburgh playing catch-up. If that is the case, then the Carolina Hurricanes will be in for a rough ride over the course of these four fixtures. Let’s not forget, they’ve got Sidney Crosby on their roster. At his best, he’s unplayable.
The swing here could be huge and let’s not forget that the Carolina Hurricanes also face off against the New York Islanders twice in March. Another four point swing available here. March will certainly be the toughest month of the season. Lots on offer and some very tough games, including home games against the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs in the mix.
April 2020
Just two games in April and no real break between the last game of March and the first in April. If the Carolina Hurricanes are bringing momentum into April, then no break is perfect. If by the time they face the Columbus Blue Jackets on 3rd April they need a rest, the next two games could prove very tough.
A home game against Columbus is followed by the final game of the season, a trip up to Massachusetts again to face the Boston Bruins. What a way to finish a season. A blockbuster game and I already can’t wait. I hope that by this point, this game isn’t a must win to clinch, but every game against Boston is a must win for pride.
Fingers crossed that the schedule isn’t over at the start of April. We look to be breaking down matchups well into May.
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Canes fans! How excited are you for next season? Let us know your pick of the games. Which fixture are you most excited for?