Colorado Avalanche v Carolina Hurricanes — Carolina Hurricanes playoff picture: How does 5-4 win over Maple Leafs improve their postseason odds?

Carolina Hurricanes playoff picture: How does a 5-4 win over Maple Leafs improve their postseason odds?

Modified Mar 17, 2024 16:42 GMT

The Carolina Hurricanes rallied from an early 3-0 deficit on Saturday night to edge the Toronto Maple Leafs in a shootout, 5-4.

It was the team's 41st victory of the season and brought them closer to reaching 50 wins for the third consecutive season.

After a New York Rangers win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, the Hurricanes remain four points back of the Metropolitan Division leaders, 92-88, with each team skating in 67 games.

Overall, the Hurricanes' best finish will be first or second since the Philadelphia Flyers are 12 points behind them in the standings. They are followed by the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals, who are not even in the playoffs with 73 points.

Carolina would draw Philadelphia in the opening round if the regular season ended today, while New York would face the Tampa Bay Lightning. Based on statistics and recent play, the Flyers would be an easier opponent, so finishing first in the division does guarantee home-ice advantage but could have some drawbacks.

The Hurricanes can try to recapture their divisional championship or play it safe over the final 15 games

On Sunday, Carolina will visit the lowly Ottawa Senators and look to sweep the season series. Next week, they face three scrappy teams battling for a playoff spot, including the Flyers, Islanders, and Capitals, before a rematch with the Maple Leafs on March 24.

The Hurricanes' next stretch of games includes only three contests against playoff-bound teams, with the Maple Leafs, Red Wings, and Boston Bruins on tap. Interestingly, in the team's final seven games, they face Boston twice, the only team positioned to qualify for the postseason.

Considering how vital every win and every point is, Carolina lucks out by finishing the regular season against two of the worst teams in the NHL: the Chicago Blackhawks (32nd) and Columbus Blue Jackets (29th). This could be all the difference in finishing first or second in the division.

Trade deadline acquisitions Kuznetsov and Guentzel fit in quite nicely

At the trade deadline, the Hurricanes acquired Evgeny Kuznetsov (from Washington) and Jake Guentzel (from Pittsburgh). In five games, Kuznetsov has a goal and an assist, while Guentzel has three helpers in three games.

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Since March 8, Carolina is 4-1-0, with their only blemish being a 1-0 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday night. Since acquiring those two superstars, they have outscored opponents by a wide margin, 20-9, including a 7-2 victory over the Calgary Flames last week.

Their most recent statement game came on Thursday, a 4-0 win over the then-conference-leading Florida Panthers, when Kuznetsov scored his first goal in a Hurricanes uniform.

However, the team's most significant addition came from a star player returning to the lineup after sitting out most of the campaign with a blood clot issue. Netminder Frederik Andersen made his highly anticipated return on March 7 and is now 3-0-0 in his past three starts.

Overall, he's 7-1-1 on the season with a 2.19 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Ultimately, they will go as far as he carries them in the postseason, which many hope will be the Stanley Cup Final.

Given the slate of non-playoff teams on their remaining schedule, the Hurricanes will want to chase the Metropolitan Division title, which they won last season, or remain comfortably locked in as the second seed. Either way, they will be an entertaining team to watch in the final weeks of the regular season.