Carolina Hurricanes surging towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now and they’re showing no signs of slowing down. Are they the real deal?

After a mediocre first half of the season, the Carolina Hurricanes have bounced back considerably. Since January 1st, they have gone 18-6-1, which has propelled them to third in the Metropolitan Division with 76 points. How did they turn it around so drastically?

The two biggest problems the Hurricanes had were the lack of consistent goaltending and goalscoring. Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney did not have good Octobers, as they had a combined .895 save percentage. The inconsistent play carried on all the way through December and no one knew what kind of goalie they would see on a game to game basis.

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However, after the calendar changed, both goalies have found their groove. McElhinney had a dominant February where he played 6 games, had two shutouts and a 5-1 record. In seven games, had two shutouts as well and has a 5-2 record. With this kind of goaltending, it’s practically impossible for the Canes to lose.

On top of their rolling goaltenders, this team is starting to find the back of the net with consistency. Scoring has been a problem for this team for the past two seasons but lately, their top line of Nino Niederreiter, Sebastian Aho, and Justin Williams has been incredible. In 2019 alone, Aho already has 31 points and leads the team with 72 on the season.

Not only can he produce offensively, but he has been a key part in the Hurricanes’ league eighth-best penalty kill. Aho adds an offensive threat with his speed and finish which keeps opposing teams honest and he already has 4 shorthanded goals on the season, including one against the red-hot St. Louis Blues.

This team has two solid centermen in Aho and Jordan Staal, and Jordan Martinook is having a career year with 14 goals and counting on the season. Martinook does, however, need to work on his boxing.

At 21 years old, Aho has already cemented himself as the undisputed first-line center and every season he’s getting better. He has already eclipsed his previous career-high in points and the season is not over yet. This team has a good mixture of young talent and veteran leadership which will only become more important as we reach the final stretch of the NHL season and potentially the playoffs.

The 5-2 win against the Blues signaled exactly what makes this Hurricanes team so dangerous. They are able to play very different kinds of hockey. They can play a tight, defensive game but they can also keep up in track meets and shooting galleries. The team has one of the best young defensive cores in the league with their dynamic play, mobility, and ability to keep teams to the outside.

As long as this team continues to play the way they are, the Hurricanes will make their first playoff appearance in over 10 years. And if they manage to pull this off, I can only imagine what kind of celebrations they will come up with.