What's On the Line in the Canes' Last Three Regular-Season Games

There were eight games left in the 2020-21 regular season when the Carolina Hurricanes clinched their third consecutive playoff berth.
That's almost 15% of this year's 56-game slate, a luxury of which the Canes really haven't experienced since 2005-06, when they secured a playoff spot atop the Southeast Division with 11 games left in the regular season.
Since the Canes punched their return ticket to the playoffs
in Dallas on Monday, April 26
- the first time they've done so for three straight years in North Carolina - they've rattled off five straight victories to improve to a league-best 36-10-7.

"We've got eight games left, and we're in the playoffs? Let's go. That's pretty impressive. Enough of the negative stuff. This group has worked their ass off all year," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said
after clinching in Dallas
. "We dug in, got a point and got in. We're not done."
Qualifying for the playoffs was the first meaningful step in a larger journey that begins when the puck drops in Game 1 of the First Round. Until then, the Canes have three games left in the regular season - a home finale against Chicago followed by a two-game set in Nashville - and here's what's still on the line.
First Place in the Central Division
The Canes' magic number to clinch first place in the Central Division is three. That is to say that any combination of Carolina earning three points or the Tampa Bay Lightning losing three points means the Canes will win their first divisional title since 2005-06.
If Tampa Bay fails to earn two points against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night, the Canes could clinch the division as early as Thursday night against Chicago.
Presidents' Trophy
With 79 points in 53 games, the Canes sit atop the league standings and are in control of their own destiny to finish in that same spot and capture the first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history.
"It's probably the most irrelevant trophy out there, right? You're not playing for that," Brind'Amour downplayed on Saturday. "That's not what we're trying to get. If it falls in our laps because we play well in the last five games, great. We want to get first in the division. That's the thing that's most important."
Whether it's "cursed" - the last Presidents' Trophy winner to capture the Stanley Cup was Chicago in 2012-13, while every winner since has failed to advance beyond the second round, save the New York Rangers' run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2015 - is a fruitless, perennial debate, but guaranteeing home ice throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs is certainly worth something. And, even if it's not THE trophy the Canes are after, it's still tangible validation for the success the team has had this season.
Award Consideration
You could make a legitimate argument for a handful of Canes to at the very least be considered for NHL awards this season.
Brind'Amour for Jack Adams. Enough said. That should practically be a lock. Just look at what he's accomplished in his third year as the Canes's bench boss.
Jordan Staal for Selke. He's got the offensive numbers this season to complement his stellar defensive play.
"Yeah, obviously. I've been saying it for a long time," Brind'Amour stumped recently. "You do have to have the numbers. I get it. Clearly he does. Hopefully he'll get his due."
Dougie Hamilton for Norris. At least from a goal-scoring standpoint (remember, this is a defenseman we're talking about), he might have had a slower start to his season with one goal in his first 25 games, but let's not ignore the 17 assists he accumulated in the same stretch. In his last 28 games? Nine goals and 15 assists, nearly a point-per-game player. He's certainly worked himself into the conversation.
Alex Nedeljkovic for Calder. With the seasons Jason Robertson and Kirill Kaprizov have had, Nedeljkovic isn't going to win the Calder Trophy. But, that's not to say he shouldn't at least be considered as one of the three finalists. Nedeljkovic owns a 15-4-3 record and three shutouts. His 1.89 goals-against average and .932 save percentage are both tops in the NHL amongst goaltenders who have played at least 15 games. That's pretty good!
Last but certainly not least: Jaccob Slavin for Lady Byng. He's taken a grand total of one penalty this season - and it was for delay of game! This is a defenseman who averages more than 23 minutes of ice time per game, and he's facing the best the Central Division has to offer. He's a defensive wizard, and yet he's been whistled for zero stick or obstruction infractions this entire season. That's gentlemanly conduct, indeed.