Carolina Hurricanes: Three Keys to a Metro Division Win Over Devils

After a four game western road trip, the Carolina Hurricanes are back at PNC Arena tonight. What will it take to ensure the Canes walk away with two critical Metropolitan Division points against the New Jersey Devils?

The Carolina Hurricanes return home to take on the New Jersey Devils tonight at PNC Arena. After a quick four game Western Conference road swing, where the Canes went 2-2-0, there’s a lot room for improvement.

The Hurricanes and Devils met for the first time this season back on November 2nd. In what was a very even matchup from the start, the Canes dropped a back and forth contest 5-3 at home. A Devils team, then featuring former league MVP Taylor Hall, has since went on to fall out of the playoff picture while the Hurricanes are in the thick of a tight playoff race.

Tonight’s contest is as close to a must win you can get at this point in the season. When you look at where these two teams are in the league’s standings, with the Devils among the bottom five teams, it’s safe to say the Canes SHOULD win this game. But when you look deeper, Carolina’s struggle in their own division  closes the gap between these two teams a bit.

With Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour unhappy with their play during most of the road swing, fans should expect to see a determined team from the drop of the puck. Their effort wasn’t good in enough in Dallas and needs to be rectified if they want to gain any ground in the playoff picture. With that being said,  just what will it take for Carolina to walk away with two elusive Metro Division points?