RALEIGH, NC. - Last season over 81% of NHL teams that were in a playoff position at American Thanksgiving went on to make the postseason.
On the holiday this year, the Canes sat tied for second in the Metropolitan Division.
While making the playoffs isn't the benchmark for the Carolina Hurricanes anymore, surely there is some relief that despite the inconsistent start, the odds are in their favor. I don't sense that there was ever much worry about missing the playoffs, but I think it's fair to say that most were expecting a different start than 12-8.
Rod Brind'Amour was.
"The record's not as good as it should be. I don't like that," the head coach offered on Sunday when asked about being 20 games into the season. "I also know that there are areas that need to be way better. The fact that we are where we're at record-wise, in the middle of the pack, considering what's gone on, I think is pretty good."
The head coach also made a remark earlier in the week about his group not overlooking the regular season.
"The older you get as a group, it becomes a little more challenging. Everybody understands that the end of the year is where you want to be. But, you have to remember, the hardest part of the year is getting to that part," Brind'Amour shared before the team's game against Edmonton. "You can't just fast-forward there, even though you want to. They all know that's the fun time. That's what it's all about, but there's a race that's going on before you can get there. The key is staying with this race before you get to that race."
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the questions you all were kind enough to send in on X.