“X” marks the spot! The Carolina Hurricanes have officially clinched and are heading to the Stanley Cup playoffs this upcoming May. Whether you are a huge caniac or you just started watching hockey, check out this blog to read about the Carolina Hurricanes regular season performance and their road to playoffs!
With just five regular season games left in the season, the Carolina Hurricanes currently are holding a record of 49-20-8, 106 points, a goal differential (difference between goals scored and goals allowed) of +66, and are sitting at the top of the Metropolitan Division and at 4th in the league under the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Another notable stat is that the Hurricanes have the top penalty kill in the league, killing off 88.2% of their penalties this season.
Resiliency has been the theme of the season for the Carolina Hurricanes. With mid-season COVID diagnosis, injuries to some key players such as Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and frustrating losing streaks, the Carolina Hurricanes have battled and continue to fight to hold that top spot. Some changes have been made throughout the Cane’s roster to help improve the Hurricanes performance. The biggest change being the acquisition of forward Max Domi, the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft. The Carolina Hurricanes received Max in a three-way trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers. Domi was a key player to add to the roster. Not only is he a big name, but he adds depth to the lines and a little more grit to the team.
Speaking of standout players. The two that should come to mind when thinking about this team are NHL All-Stars forward Sebastian Aho and goaltender Frederick Anderson. Aho has been with the team for the past six seasons. Not only is he a fantastic leader on the ice, but he also leads the team with 36 goals, 41 assists, totaling a whopping 77 points. Frederick Anderson, who we acquired over the summer in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, has a season record of 35-14-3, allowing an average of 2 goals per game, and a .922 save percentage…in other words Freddie is a rockstar. These two were selected to represent the Carolina Hurricanes at the NHL All-Star games in Las Vegas where Sebastian Aho won the accuracy shooting contest. Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour was also recognized as an All-Star and was selected by the NHL to coach the Metropolitan Division for the all-star games, to which no surprise the Metropolitan Division won.
The Hurricanes regular season schedule is as follows:
Thursday, April 21 vs Winnipeg Jets at Home
Saturday, April 23 vs New Jersey Devils Away
Sunday, April 24th vs New York Islanders Away
Tuesday, April 25th vs New York Rangers Away
Thursday, April 26th vs New Jersey Devils Home
The race to hold the top spot of the Metropolitan is tight. The New York Rangers are tied with us in points with 104 points, but we still maintain the lead. The race is on to see who can finish at the top of the division as the Canes continue to gear up for the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.