Carolina Hurricanes' 2021 Season Schedule Breakdown

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TORONTO, ONTARIO – AUGUST 19: Head coach Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes reacts against the Boston Bruins during the second period in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 19, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

The Carolina Hurricanes have quite a bit to look forward to this season.

The schedule for the 2021 NHL Season has been set, and the Carolina Hurricanes are scheduled for what should be more than a few pretty electrifying series.

The 2021 NHL Season scheduled has been released for a few days now, and we all know by now what the Carolina Hurricanes are in store for: a likely third consecutive playoff berth for the first time in franchise history (knock on wood), as well as the chance to establish a geographic rivalry with a team that is normally in a completely different Conference, let alone a completely different Division.

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Before we get into the month-by-month breakdown, I’d like to rehash what we know about the new ‘Central Division’ the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves in, just as a refresher.

The teams in this new Central Division are, in no particular order, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Dallas Stars, the Nashville Predators, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Florida Panthers, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Detroit Red Wings. The top four teams from each division will make the playoffs and will be seeded like normal (1 seed vs. 4 seed, 2 seed vs. 3 seed) for Round 1.

The Carolina Hurricanes should, at the very least, finish in the Top 3 of the teams listed, barring anything ridiculous happening. Let’s take a look at the road for them to get there from January through May.

Feb 18, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) tries to pass the puck as he is pressured by Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas (88) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

January

To kick things off in January, the Carolina Hurricanes play the Detroit Red Wings twice (1/14 and 1/16), the Nashville Predators twice in a back-to-back (1/18 and 1/19), the Florida Panthers twice (1/21 and 1/23), the Tampa Bay Lightning twice (1/26 and 1/28), and the Dallas Stars twice (1/30 and 1/31) in a back-to-back to finish out the month.

There is a real opportunity here for the Carolina Hurricanes to hit the ground running and rack up some points while establishing dominance in the new Central Division early on.

None of the teams in this Division should ever be underestimated, but the Canes have a good chance of finishing this month on top of the Central, if not in the Top 2 next to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Canes also have an opportunity this month to begin what could be a beautiful rivalry between themselves and the Nashville Predators, but that’s another story for another time.

My prediction for the Carolina Hurricanes’ performance in January: 7-2-1, with wins in both games versus the Detroit Red Wings and the Florida Panthers, a ‘series split’ with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Nashville Predators, and the Dallas Stars, with the Lightning winning one of the matchups in OT.

Nov 19, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Andrew Shaw (65) and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton (19) go for the puck during the second period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

February

February is a bit of a doozy if you ask me. The Carolina Hurricanes open up the month playing the Chicago Blackhawks twice (2/2 and 2/4), a back-to-back with Columbus on 2/7 and 2/8, two meetings with Dallas (2/11/ and 2/13), a single matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets on 2/16, another back-to-back, this time against the Blackhawks (2/19 and 2/20), two meetings against the Tampa Bay Lightning (2/22 and 2/25), and then close out the month against the Florida Panthers on 2/27.

I can’t say enough how much the Carolina Hurricanes should not be underestimating any of these opponents, and I’m sure they know that, too. To do so, especially against teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets, or the Chicago Blackhawks could bring a world of hurt to the Canes in short order.

With two back-to-backs this month, as well as more butting heads with the other Top 3 contenders in the new Central Division, the Carolina Hurricanes will really need to dig their heels in and be effective on both ends of the ice.

My prediction for the Carolina Hurricanes’ performance in February: 6-4-2. I think the Carolina Hurricanes will take 3/4 games against Chicago, the lone game against Florida, 1/2 versus Dallas, and 1/3 games against Columbus, and I think the Canes will lose both games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in OT.

Mar 10, 2020; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (20) reacts after scoring a goal against Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jonathan Bernier (45) on a break away during the third period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

March

March is a slightly different story for our heroes in red, white, and black.

The Carolina Hurricanes kick the month off with a single matchup against the Florida Panthers on 3/1, a single game against Detroit on 3/4, two games versus Nashville (3/9, 3/11), two more games against Detroit (3/14, 3/16), four meetings against Columbus (3/18, 3/20, 3/22, 3/25), a back-to-back against Tampa Bay (3/27, 3/28), and finish March with a single game against Chicago (3/30).

If the Carolina Hurricanes haven’t distanced themselves from the bottom half of the pack by this point, March is the month for them to do so. Again, no opponent should be underestimated, but if they can make easy work of Florida, Detroit, and Nashville, the Canes should be sitting pretty going into the last full month of the 2021 Regular Season.

My prediction for the Carolina Hurricanes’ performance in May: 9-4-0. This one might be a bit of a stretch, but I can absolutely see the Canes beating Florida again to start the month, and I can see them taking the entire ‘series’ against Detroit. I could also see the Canes splitting both the Columbus and Tampa Bay series’, and rounding out the month with a win over Chicago.

Dec 21, 2019; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Jonathan Huberdeau (11) and Carolina Hurricanes left wing Jordan Martinook (48) battle over the puck during the second period at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /

April

April is another bit of a doozy for the good guys.

The Carolina Hurricanes jump right into April with a matchup against Chicago (4/1), then head into a back-to-back against Dallas (4/3, 4/4) before taking on the Florida Panthers on 4/6 and 4/8. The Canes then play Detroit twice (4/10, 4/12), Nashville twice (4/15, 4/17), and head into yet another back-to-back, this time against Tampa Bay (4/19, 4/20) before taking on the Florida Panthers yet again on 4/22 and 4/24.

The Carolina Hurricanes then round out April with a back-to-back against Dallas (4/26, 4/27), before finally ending the last full month of the regular season against Detroit on 4/29.

The Carolina Hurricanes have three back-to-backs this month, so the laurels (hopefully) gained from March should provide a bit of a cushion in case the Canes get too worn out or (again, knock on wood) injuries start to show up.

My prediction for the Canes’ performance in April: 8-4-3. I believe the Carolina Hurricanes will win their one meeting with Chicago, 1/3 against Dallas, 2/4 against Florida, 0/2 against Nashville, 2/3 against Detroit, and 2/2 against Tampa Bay, with the Canes losing in OT to Florida, Nashville, and Dallas.

Oct 24, 2019; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo (70) makes a save against Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (20) during the third period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports /

May

Regular season hockey in May? Weird, right?

This final month of the 2021 NHL Regular Season is the final hurdle the Carolina Hurricanes need to overcome to (hopefully) begin their third consecutive playoff berth, the first time in franchise history this has ever been attained. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though.

To start May off, the Carolina Hurricanes face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets on 5/1. The final two ‘series’ in the Canes’ regular season are a back-to-back against the Chicago Blackhawks (5/3, 5/4), and a back-to-back against the Nashville Predators (5/7, 5/8).

By this time in the season, most teams will be separated into the top and bottom halves of the standings. By /most/ projections, the Canes should be somewhere near the top half, and these teams should be somewhere near the bottom half.

If this holds true, May could very well be the month where the Canes can really make a push for the Number 1 seed in the new Central Division unless Tampa Bay has already run off with it or something.

In any case, this upcoming season, while truncated and weird, should have plenty for hockey fans, Caniacs especially, to look forward to.

Question for CC Readers: How many lacrosse goals does Svech score this season?

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