The Carolina Hurricanes Look to cap the Four-Game Series versus Washington
The Carolina Hurricanes currently have a leg up in the four-game series against Washington this year, winning two and losing their third matchup. Tonight is the final of four meetings between the teams to be held in Washington. Carolina comes into tonight’s matchup without having allowed a goal in 124:11; the last was scored by Philadelphia’s Travis Sanheim back on Tuesday, January 7th.
The Hurricanes are also riding a three-game winning streak, as opposed to the Capital’s two-game slide. The Canes have outscored their opponents ten-to-four during their current run, while Washington has given up nine in the same number of games. Nine points still separate the Metropolitan Division rivals, with the Hurricanes in the first Wild Card spot, two points behind the third-place New York Islanders.
With the season more than half over and a playoff berth in the Metropolitan Division requiring an estimated one-hundred points, the Carolina Hurricanes cannot afford to go into this match half-cocked. The Hurricanes lead the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets by four points and the Florida Panthers by five. It doesn’t make for a very secure buffer with only thirty-seven games remaining.
The Hurricanes need to cap the series with a win, whether in regulation or overtime. Of the Canes’ remaining games, seventeen of those are teams within the Metropolitan Division, making this game all but a must-win. As such, the Hurricanes need to stack up well against my three keys tonight, prevent a series tie, and fly out to Ohio with a win.
With that out of the way, here are tonight’s CardiacCane three keys to victory!