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The Carolina Hurricanes are coming off a busy week, which saw them win just two of their four games, though they did also clinch a playoff spot.
The Hurricanes split their home and home against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday and Thursday, before falling to the New York Islanders on Friday and defeating the Anaheim Ducks yesterday.
Considering the quality of competition (four non-playoff teams) and the fact that Carolina played three of the four games at home, it wasn’t quite the result the Hurricanes were likely looking for.
The Hurricanes held the Sabres to just 43 shots between the two games, at just 22 shots against in the first game and 21 shots against in the second game. Despite giving up too many goals for the number of shots they allowed, Carolina also struggled to bury their own chances once again in their first matchup against Buffalo.
Then against the Islanders, while the Hurricanes once again didn’t give up a ton of chances, it was a fairly low-offense game, which benefitted New York. The Hurricanes were held to a single shot in the second period, then a late goal from Kyle Palmieri sunk them just after the Hurricanes finally tied the game.
While the Hurricanes did really take the play to the Ducks on route to a 5-2 win, it was still two more games out of four where the Hurricanes struggled to convert, despite their high-end offense.
The Hurricanes have now won just six of their last 15 games. As a result of the struggles, Carolina’s lead in the Metropolitan Division has almost evaporated, with the New York Rangers now right behind them. Carolina’s up just two points, having played the same number of games as New York.
The Hurricanes will play five of their nine games on the road, though it’s a favourable schedule, with six of them coming against teams currently outside the playoffs. The Rangers, on the other hand, will play six of their nine games at home, with five of them against non-playoff teams.
The Hurricanes and Rangers will also face each other twice more, which both take place in New York. They’ll be extremely important games in determining who takes top spot in the Metropolitan Division and while Carolina may certainly still end up at the top of the division, there’s now much less certainty.
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QuizMaker
OTHER ARTICLES FROM APRIL
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Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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