What the Carolina Hurricanes Need to do to Make the Playoffs – Cardiac Cane

RALEIGH, NC - JANUARY 21: Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour talks to players on the bench during a game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Winnipeg Jets on January 21, 2020 at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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If the Carolina Hurricanes fall back to missing the playoffs after a promising season and being the statistical sweethearts of the league once again, the fanbase just might implode. Luckily for the team, they are in full control of their playoff destiny. All they have to do have a few tough and gritty traits that will help them conquer the second half of the season.

So what exactly will this team need to do in order to guarantee themselves a playoff spot in this ruthless division? After all, they are only a single point from being outside a playoff spot but also only two points from sitting third in the division.

What will it take for disaster to avoid the team named after a natural disaster?

At times the Carolina Hurricanes play like they are the best team in the league. For the first two weeks of the season, they were. Since then we have had streaks of excellent play matched with streaks of disappointment.

Meanwhile the statistics all indicate that this is perhaps one of the best teams in the leagues offensively with a stacked defense and above average goaltending. Nothing more you can ask for. That means that when they lose disappointing games to teams they should absolutely beat, there isnt anyone or anything else they can blame. Not on untimely injuries and not on the officials.

In order for this team to step away from the missing the playoffs edge and get back into the mix they need to play as well we all know they are. They need to go back to the mentality they had at the beginning of the season.

This one is critical in the current playoff race. It is possibly the only real reason they are in this predicament to begin with. They have played 16 games in their own division so far with one game played against everyone but the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here is how they fared:

That puts them at 5-10-1 against division rivals. That is atrocious and not the way you get into the playoffs. Every single one of the lost 21 points in those games was critical. Not to mention that of the five games they did win they allowed three to go into overtime. For those of us doing the math at home that is 11 points gained and 25 points given away.

Lucky for them there are still another 12 games to play including four against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nine of them (including all four penguins games) will be played in March. Making it the most important month this season for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Each one of the final 28 points up for grabs is critical to be attained by the Hurricanes. It is even more critical to attain them in regulation. They need to focus one game at a time and apply the previous trait to ensure they skate away with the victory.

I mentioned earlier that injuries cannot be blamed for the disappointing losses. This is true only because of how deep this team is and how good they can be. Currently a 100% healthy roster includes an extra forward and extra defender. With Dougie Hamilton currently nursing a broken leg for the foreseeable future, both sides of the puck will need to step up.

That means the offense finding ways to score Dougies goals while the defense each stepping up to help fill the defensive void he left behind as well. So far it has been an incredible response as the team is sitting on a three game point steak and two game win streak. This needs to continue after the break especially with everyone well rested.

That is simply it. The three traits they need to ensure they make the playoffs. Belief in self, to the point they go out and just be as good as we know them to be, aggression against the Metro rivals, each of those points are as precious as gold, and the good discipline to step up when they need to to fill in the roles left behind. They do this and they will Storm Surge their way to the playoffs come summer.

Question For CC readers:Where do you think the Carolina Hurricanes will finish the Season?

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What the Carolina Hurricanes Need to do to Make the Playoffs - Cardiac Cane