Notebook: Canes Ready To Get Back To Game Action

RALEIGH, N.C. - Following four days of practices, the Carolina Hurricanes are finally set to resume their regular season schedule on Saturday, traveling to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs.

This weekend's contest will be the first of 26 games in 52 days as all 32 teams sprint toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Sitting 33-19-4, the team currently holds down the second spot in the Metropolitan Division, but the two teams tied for last in the Metro - currently Philadelphia and Pittsburgh - are just six points out of a Wild Card berth, providing the impression is that there's little room for error the rest of the way.

If you ask the Canes about it though, they'll tell you they're not focused on what the other teams are doing, but rather just controlling what they can control as they seek a seventh consecutive playoff berth.

"It's about eliminating some of the highs and lows," Jackson Blake said, referencing the team's search for more consistency. "We obviously had a great start to the year and we've had hot streaks since then, but we've also had some stretches where it hasn't been so good."

A common theme throughout the locker room, Sean Walker had similar thoughts.

"I think overall we've put ourselves in a good spot. Obviously, we've had some ups and downs. Coming back from break we're definitely going to try and eliminate some of those highs and lows and be as consistent as possible," the first-year Hurricane answered. "There are definitely things that we can improve on and dial in as we're going forward."

Ask about some of the finite things that they want to improve on and some have a concrete answer. Some don't. But the overarching message from Rod Brind'Amour is that, whatever it looks like, the team simply needs to put itself in more positions to come out of games with two points.

"You want to always give yourself a chance to win. I think that's been our calling card over the years and I'd like to maintain that. Obviously, there are areas of our game that we've got to get better at. I don't know that there's one part of it where I'm like, 'Oh, that's right on.' That kind of gives you good and bad vibes. It's good that we have room to grow, but you've got to find it, right? That's what the challenge is going to be."

One statistical anomaly is the team's home/road splits. The Canes have been dynamite at Lenovo Center, winning 21 out of their 28 games within the friendly confines of 1400 Edwards Mill Rd., but just 12 of their 28 victories have come on the road. Sure, the matchup game can play a role in that, but historically, they've been a good team away from Raleigh under Brind'Amour, going 143-87-25 over six-plus seasons.

The biggest difference among the numbers is that the roster is averaging 2.71 goals per game on the road, 21st among all teams. At home, they've produced 3.86, second in the NHL.

Exactly half of their 26 remaining contests will come outside of North Carolina, so they'll have to find a way to pack some offense with them when they hit the road.

One area that will aid in providing more offense is the power play, which has been on the 'inconsistent' side of the team's descriptions in 2025.

When the unit got off to their sparkling 16-5-1 start before American Thanksgiving, they were 27.8% on the power play - seventh-best in the league. In the 34 games since, in which they're 17-14-3, the man advantage has been just 14.0%, including a current league-low 3-for-48 run.

Over the last month, personnel has changed amongst the groups, including Taylor Hall and Mikko Rantanen taking the spots of the outgoing Jack Drury and Martin Necas. The hope is that as those two continue to settle into their new home, their additions will help ramp up production.

"It doesn't have to score every night, but it's got to look right," said Brind'Amour of his team's power play ahead of its last game against Utah. "We haven't had a ton of opportunities, you look at one the other night (in Winnipeg), one and a half last night (in Minnesota)...but when we get it, we've got to start making it count."

The Canes did make it count in that clash, with Seth Jarvis wiring a one-timer to put his team ahead in the second period. Sometimes all it takes is one to get things going in the right direction, and that's exactly what the Canes will be counting on as they look to build off of where they left off.

As the calendar inches closer to March, Carolina's time to dial in the details is now. There's plenty to keep an eye on during the remainder of the regular season, but before you know it, the towels will be waving in Lenovo Center as the chase for the Cup kicks off.

With the exception of rookie Jackson Blake, every player on Carolina's roster has appeared in at least one playoff game, and 13 of the 22 have done so in Raleigh. Such an experienced group knows exactly what needs to happen to hit the ground running as winter turns to spring.

"This is a big part of the year, there are only [26] games left and you've just got to find your groove," said Shayne Gostisbehere. "We've put ourselves in a great spot to finish the season and go into playoffs with a lot of confidence."