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Games #67 & #68: Annnnd...it's basketball time for most

March 16, 2014, 11:43 PM ET [5 Comments]
Matt Karash
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
With 2 weekend losses and the Canes now 9 points out of a playoff spot, I cannot imagine that TV ratings will be real good going up against NC State's play-in game on Tuesday and then the middle of the March madness frenzy with Friday and Saturday night games possibly going up against some combination of Duke, UNC, NC State and local Cinderella NCCU. As a die-hard Canes fan, I will still watch the games, but have to admit it might be via DVR after watching basketball 1st.

The real ending was much more gradual with damage done at various points along the way dating all the way back to October, but it sure felt like the official ending this weekend. Whoever puts the nails in the coffin probably put the hammer down for good in time to watch the NCAA tournament pairings at dinner time Sunday.

I think the results of the 2 games summarize the Canes 2013-14 season fairly well. Boston is arguably the best team in hockey right now and easily 1 of the most physical. That game featured the Canes mostly surviving fairly deep into the game. But pretty consistently, the Hurricanes were losing the individual battles and the vast majority of the pucks in the hard places on the walls and in the corners. Looking for an undeserved minor miracle, the ultimately met a fair fate when a couple more Bruins’ wins behind the Canes net quickly resulted in goals and a lopsided 5-1 loss for the Canes when it was all said and done. Just as has been the case all season, when a power play goal might have been a difference-maker, 1 was nowhere to be found. But at this point in the season, I do not think any realistic Canes fans had ambitions of being in the tier of teams that includes Boston…

…which leads right into Sunday’s game. Sunday featured a matchup against 29th-ranked Edmonton. All season, the Canes inability to collect points in games that they should win has been a major cause of the now inevitable playoff miss. This is the part that hurts. As much as Canes fans can debate whether or not the potential was greater, I think we are at the point where it is hard to make a sound argument that the actual 2013-14 Canes are really much, if at all, better than these teams. Against the bottom 5 teams in the NHL, the Canes record is 0-2 (1 OTL) vs. Edmonton, 0-2 (1 OTL) vs. Calgary, 2-1 vs. Buffalo, 3-0 vs. New York Islanders and 2-0 vs. Florida for mediocre grand total of 7-5.

The shorter version is that the Carolina Hurricanes 2013-14 season has been a disappointment.

The positives are:

1) I really do not think this team is that far away. We have the 2005-06 team that came completely out of nowhere which proves it is possible. Rutherford did manage to fill a couple holes this past summer on the cheap with the addition of Sekera, Khudobin and Gerbe. If he can pull this off again next summer, hopefully that is the difference.

2) There are stories to watch for the remaining month of the season. Ryan Murphy continues to be fun to watch. Elias Lindholm gradually becoming more comfortable with the NHL game and playing a top 6 role and top 6 minutes provides future hope. And I really really hope that Zach Boychuk gets another look after showing a great attitude in training camp and backing it up in the AHL.

Next up is a Tuesday tilt in Columbus.

Twitter=@CarolinaMatt63

Go Canes!
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