The Carolina Hurricanes are in a serious need of a win to keep up with the Eastern Conference playoff race. Here are three keys to earning a win tonight in Arizona.
The Carolina Hurricanes should be in panic mode. Sure a loss to the Stanley Cup champions shouldn’t set off alarm bells, but it isn’t the loss that should cause Carolina to freak out, it’s the lack of winning.
Let me explain. In the last three games Carolina has only two points to show for its efforts. In that time period, from last friday to last night, the teams competing for the wild card and final spot in the Metro (Blue Jackets, Flyers, and Islanders) have collectively earned 13 points. That is over 4 points per team. A critical difference of two points that Canes needed to be in a playoff spot.
Simply put there is no outside help. The Metro Division is so well stacked that there can be no expectation of outside help. In fact, since January 22nd Metro Division teams no named the Carolina Hurricanes have lost only three games in regulation. The Washington Capitals twice and the Rangers once.
While the Capitals losing is nice to hear, it really isn’t doing much for our playoff chances and the Rangers are not a threat, well not yet anyway. In that time frame Carolina has lost two of three games. What I am trying to say is that the Carolina Hurricanes can no longer afford to give away games.
So going into tonight’s game against an equally unlucky Arizona Coyotes team, one that has only earned four points in its last six games, seven in the last ten, they need to understand that they are already starting to play playoff hockey.
So how do they get the win in the Grand Canyon State tonight?