Edmonton Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock says the Carolina Hurricanes could be a tough out in the playoffs. But can the Canes get to the playoffs?
Edmonton Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock, who has seen a few NHL teams in his time, recently was discussing the difficulty and stress of playing the Carolina Hurricanes.
He talked about the Canes’ size and mobility. He talked about their ability to hem and hammer — that is, hem a team into its zone and hammer it on the forecheck.
”Mentally and emotionally it can be discouraging playing against them because you just don’t have any space any time,” Hitchcock said. “If they get into the playoffs they would be a very hard team to play against because they’re going to overwhelm you.”
Ah, the rub — “if.”
With 19 games left in the regular season, it’s all sitting there for the Hurricanes (34-23-6). They’re coming off a 10-3-0 February, playing their best hockey. They’re in playoff position in the Eastern Conference. They can see the finish line but can they get there?
“We’re doing what we need to do right now, banking wins and then see what happens,” Canes captain Justin Williams said.
Williams was a big part of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup championship. He won two more Stanley Cup rings with the Los Angeles Kings and has been a part of 10 playoff teams and 140 career playoff games.
How does a team get there? After all, the Canes have had no postseason games since 2009, when center Sebastian Aho was 11 years old.
”There are 82 games and you’re going to win some that you feel you shouldn’t and you’re going to lose some you feel you really needed,” Williams said. “The most important thing is playoff teams get it and win the majority of both of those.
”We’re doing what’s necessary. We know where we are.
