RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes are ready to get their next stretch of games in their season going as they prepare for a back-to-back set of games at home against the Florida Panthers on Saturday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
A four-day layoff has allowed them to rest, recover, and regroup in preparation to play a grueling stretch of 11 games in 22 days before the National Hockey League (NHL) season will stop as 150 players representing all 30 teams will compete for their home countries at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
“It’s a good segment for us,” captain Eric Staal said after practice on Friday.
“We’ve had a couple days here with practice and now we can focus on the games coming up to the break. We’ve got a lot of hockey comin’ up and we’ve just gotta’ be smart about what we’re doin’ in the off days, and we need to be pushin’ hard to pick up points in our division, and especially at home. We need to be ready to go tomorrow.”
For many Carolina fans, the most recent memory they have of what their team did was suffer back-to-back shutout losses to the Calgary Flames (2-0) and Columbus Blue Jackets (3-0).
However, coach Kirk Muller and his team are looking at their situation from a larger perspective.
They did win five games in a row before hitting a scoring drought which they feel they will end by staying committed to playing their system.
“First of all, everyone’s dwelling on two games,” Muller said.
“Look at the last seven. We won five out of the last seven. We walk into Columbus and I thought we had a great game on the road from a back-to-back and we hit a hot goalie. We had some quality chances against Calgary. We all know that was not our best game but I don’t think anyone’s dwelling on scoring. What we gotta’ do is focus on all the positive things we’ve been workin’ on.“
As they currently sit in seventh place (19-18-9, 47 points) in the Metropolitan Division, they are six points out of a playoff spot with three games in-hand in their division, and five points with two games in-hand from gaining that same spot if earned as part of the wildcard race.
By no means is the season over for Carolina, but they are now in the thick of a race that is becoming increasingly tight with every game played.
Earning points to climb in the standings will come at an even higher premium of energy, effort and goal production.
No longer will pulling out or hanging on for ties be sufficient.
Taking the full two points available in every game is necessary.
“Goals will come,” Staal said.
“We need to play the right way. We have to play a solid, structured-type game. The offense will take care of itself.”
For Muller, playing the right way is a commitment from every player ensuring that he executes in his role – be it as the stopper, the checker, or the scorer.
They all must perform in order for the sum of all parts to come together.
With less time in between games to review success and failure, the players must ensure that their individual preparation, execution and adjustments stay in line with how the team continues to move forward.
“We’ve had this week to work on things because coming up, we’re not gonna’ be able to run these practices,” Muller said.
“There’s gonna’ be a lot of guys that are gonna’ have days off instead of a practice. We’re not gonna’ get the full group out like this probably. So we’ll take advantage of it with these days coming up with a lot more of these teachings which may twist into a lot more video stuff, and get the rest when we can. Every night you play a different opponent you’ve got a different approach in preparation.”
If everyone on the roster prepares properly and effectively and is ‘ready to go’, then the Hurricanes will continue to play their aggressive forechecking style to gain puck possession and take advantage of opportunities to score by effectively putting pucks on the net.
The goals and wins will come as a result of it according to Muller.
“The big thing is that we know the identity of our team and what we do,” Muller said.
“And when we do it well, we have success. That’s what we really, I think, need to concentrate on – what we’re all about and what we bring to the table.”