
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.