Follow @TomGidlow The Carolina Hurricanes moved out three of their key players at the Trade Deadline less than two weeks ago. Eric Staal, Kris Versteeg, and John-Michael Liles were all moved for future assets as GM Ron Francis needed to ensure a return for three key pending unrestricted free agents.
That should have signaled the final countdown on the Hurricanes playoff hopes. But someone forgot to tell that to the players.
Carolina is now 3-0-1 since the deadline after defeating the Boston Bruins on the road last night by a 3-2 overtime score. Noah Hanifin made what could be the play of the season during the 3-on-3 period, recoiling from the Bruins end to play catch with Cam Ward to give his team a line change. Hanifin zipped the puck to a fresh off the bench Jeff Skinner, who was stopped on an ensuing breakaway but Phil Di Giuseppe put the rebound home for the win.
The victory puts the Canes three points out of the final wild card spot just 10 days after it seemed like the season was all but over.
Philadelphia, tied with the Hurricanes in points (73) at the top of the non-playoff heap in the East, still have a pesky three games in hand but will face some turbulence in the form of big matchups against teams ahead of them down the stretch. One of those games takes place tonight, as the Flyers head to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning.
Carolina has a similarly difficult path ahead. After taking on Buffalo this Saturday, the Canes continue on the road with tilts in Washington on Tuesday and Pittsburgh on Thursday, before closing it out in Minnesota on March 19th.
What could be a huge sequence will happen from 3/26 to 3/31, as the Hurricanes face the Islanders (twice), New Jersey, and the Rangers to close out the month.
But the fact remains that the Hurricanes aren't out of the picture just yet. An 11-3-0 record to end the season would net the Canes 95 points. The current projected point totals of Detroit and Pittsburgh, who occupy the two wild card spots currently, is 93. If Carolina could manage a 9-2-3 stretch in their final 14 games, that would earn them 94 points.
The point being? It's not far fetched to think this team can contend for a playoff spot.
And what they are doing it with is just as newsworthy. A defense led by the 21-year old rookie Jaccob Slavin, who has assumed the top spot with Justin Faulk out with a lower body injury, and an offense driven by a resurgent Jeff Skinner, who has four goals and three assists in his last five games. After that, it's been an amalgamation of call ups from Charlotte and consistent play from those who didn't see much ice time prior to the deadline.
Nathan Gerbe got on the score sheet last night in Boston and has two tallies in his last four games (after having scored one all season to date). Riley Nash provided two assists last night and has been a steady force on the third line. Jordan Staal continues to be a leader despite having cooled off a bit on the scoring front, and players such as Chris Terry, Ryan Murphy, and Jay McClement have stepped up their play as well.
There was a sense of desperation last night that I haven't seen from this team in a long while. These guys want to make it to the post-season. And whether or not anyone else thinks they can is irrelevant to them. After Di Giuseppe scored the winner last night, you could tell this team is fired up. They want to prove as a collective that anything can happen in this league. And if they can get some timely (if not spectacular) goaltending and continue to ride this wave, there's nothing that says they can't do it.
It will be fun to watch. And how long has it been since you could say that about this team this late in the season?
The Carolina Hurricanes are in the mix. Even if no one else thinks they are.