No doubt, the Carolina Hurricanes’ playoff hopes took another hit. After an 0-3 record the previous week, the Hurricanes stumbled into the All-Star break with an 0-2 record running their losing streak to 5 games.
Canes fans riding the roller coaster have to feel some combination of nauseous and not very hopeful about making a return to the NHL playoffs in 2017, but if the team can use the All-Star break as a reset and find a higher gear they are still very much in the crowded chase for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot.
The standings
If you adjust for games played, the hunt for the last Eastern Conference playoff spot right now looks like this (measured in games above .500):
Flyers +6
Bruins +4
Islanders +4
Panthers +2
Hurricanes +1
Sabres +1
Lightning +0
Red Wings +0
Devils -1
So basically, the Hurricanes are 5 points out of a playoff spot with through 48 out of 82 games. The gap has grown obviously, but it is not yet insurmountable.
The competition
Because things are so tightly bunched, the rankings can change pretty dramatically in a week or even less. The Hurricanes were atop that list only 2 weeks ago, and the Islanders were a bottom dweller until a recent run of wins. The Flyers have long been in or near the #8 spot but had been falling precipitously until bouncing back last week.
Right now for the Hurricanes, it is not so much focusing on 1 team and trying to catch it. Right now for the Hurricanes, it is about righting the ship quickly and finding a winning streak. With so many teams in the hunt, I think the ultimate winner will be the team that can put together a big 8-10-game winning streak to rise above the pack of teams constantly bouncing back and forth from the win and loss columns.
The week ahead
‘Must win’ is an overstatement for any individual game in January, but the degree of urgency to get back in the win column before it is too late has definitely ratcheted up for the Hurricanes. Tuesday’s home game against the Flyers who currently sit in the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference is obviously huge. With a win, the Hurricanes would quickly pull back to within 3 points of the last wild card slot and would in the process put the 5-game losing streak to bed with a strong start after the All-Star break. With a loss, the gap increases to a big 7 points, and the team stretches its losing streak to 6 games.
Simpler version: Tuesday night’s big home game against the Flyers is a chance to go from 5 points out to 3 points out and start things on a positive note after the break. Let’s do that and then reassess!
Go Canes!
I would disagree, in that, if the Hurricanes are going to make the playoffs this year, Tuesday’s game is absolutely a ‘must win’. First, the Hurricanes cannot get in without catching fire and actually stringing together another winning/points streak. Secondly, I think it harms the team, long-term, to keep getting slightly further out and still play hockey with the notion of getting to the playoffs, instead of giving young guys from Charlotte a shot to see what they can do.
I’m with fogger794 in that I think we can only go two or three more games and if we haven’t strung together 5-6 points in those games we should start playing younger players looking forward to next year. I say this assuming a callup of young players to get NHL experience now would benefit their development more than continuing to play in the AHL. I will defer to RF on this point since he knows (or at least should know) more about that than I do.
Gotta get two points, can’t settle for the single point outcomes. Basically all or nothing from here on out. Probably a minimum of five, maybe as many as ten, of the remaining games will go into OT and the Canes need to get the extra point in at least 75% of them to have a shot. I doubt any help is coming at the trade deadline so we’re watching the gang that will make it or be responsible for breaking it.
Can’t argue with tenininumee. He (or she) is right on IMO.
Yep, there is a chance. But given who we haven proven ourselves to be well into the season, the team needs to hit a gear for two months they have yet to maintain with any consistency. While “hope springs eternal” I’m comfortable with the decision to spend the money I’ve put aside for playoff tickets on an early March ski trip. Let’s face the music, we are 2 1/2 years into a rebuild that sure looks like it lasts a couple more years. Especially when you look at how many players are currently contracted beyond the next 2 seasons. RF still has nearly unlimited capability to reshape this team. We should expect him to do just that.