Another One
The Hurricanes, who occupy the first wild card spot in the East, have 89 points with eight games left to play. The Canadiens, who have climbed into the second wild card spot, have 87 points with seven games left to play.
Easy math to assess the magnitude of this Eastern Conference tilt.
PROJECTED LINEUP
"We've got to play the way we're playing and take care of business," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said.
"Every game is huge," Teuvo Teravainen said. "We have to make sure we're ready every night."
Taking Care of Business
The Hurricanes felt they let two points slip away from them on Thursday when a one-goal lead morphed into a 6-3 loss to Tampa Bay in the span of 20 minutes.
"We expect to win every night, and we also expect a certain level of play," Brind'Amour said. "When it's not there, everyone wasn't too happy."
So, when the Canes brought a one-goal lead into the third period against Minnesota on Saturday, they got the next goal and the next one and the next one.
Andrei Svechnikov, Lucas Wallmark and Teravainen, who also recorded tow assists, each tallied for the Hurricanes in the third period, leading the team to a 5-1 win over the Wild.
"We came out confident. We didn't stop, which I think was key," Brett Pesce said. "We kept on the gas, and the results came out."
The Last Meeting
Andrei Svechnikov scored twice, but the Hurricanes couldn't keep pace with the Canadiens in a 6-4 loss in Montreal on Dec. 13. The two teams combined for seven goals in a back-and-forth third period, the Canadiens answering each Hurricanes goal within just minutes. The loss was the fourth in what was a 1-4-0 slump that began a disappointing month of December for the Canes.
The Opposition
The Canadiens were also in action on Saturday night, and they defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 7-4, to maintain pace in the wild-card race. The win was the Canadiens' third in a row, and they now hold a three-point lead on Columbus in the standings.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS KEYS TO THE GAME
