The Fall of the Carolina Hurricanes
Last season the Carolina Hurricanes were the surprise team in the NHL. They rode a hot streak into the playoffs, but only ended up with a six seed. However, they then proceeded to beat the third seed New Jersey Devils and the first seed the Boston Bruins.
They were then beat by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it was still a great run. They came into this season with almost exactly the same team.
Now, about one fourth of the way through the season, the Hurricanes are once again looking like the surprise team this season… but for all the wrong reasons.
The Hurricanes are the only team not in double digit points. After 17 games, they are 2-12-3. They don’t have a single road win yet. To make matters worse, injuries have robbed them of their three best players.
Their top two forwards, Eric Staal and Ray Whitney, have both missed time. Before he got injured, Staal was already struggling, scoring a mere five points in the 13 games he played. The worst injury, however, was to star goaltender Cam Ward.
Ward was the main reason they made the playoffs last season thanks to his stellar play down the stretch. Unfortunately, he suffered a horrific injury when his leg was cut by a skate, and all in all he’s expected to miss at least four weeks.
By then, the season could be over for the Hurricanes. Without their top net minder, they aren’t likely to turn things around. Not only will Carolina likely not make the playoffs, they could be in the running for the worst record in the league.
From the Eastern Conference Finals to the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft? Now that would be a tremendous fall, and they are well on their way there.
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