Bouncing Back
It had been a stretch of 28 games since the Hurricanes had last lost consecutive games in regulation before it happened against the defending Stanley Cup champions this week.
Now, the Canes will close out the 2018-19 regular season with five games in a span of eight days, beginning with the team's final back-to-back of the season, a weekend set against divisional opponents.
"I think we just want to make sure we're focused in, a shift at a time," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said after practice on Friday. "We can't get worrying about what's gone on or what's ahead. Just stay in the moment."
PROJECTED LINEUP
The Hurricanes and Flyers will square off twice in this last week of the season.
"Everyone has to be on board," Brind'Amour said. "You don't have to have great games by everybody, but everybody has to be noticeable in a positive way, especially at this time of year. It's too crucial, and all the teams are playing tight. There are no easy shifts."
The Grind
The Hurricanes have been playing playoff-style hockey for the better part of this season.
They had no choice; in order to work their way into the playoff picture, they had to rise from the bottom portion of the standings, a near-league best stretch that began with a win over Philadelphia on New Year's Eve.
The Hurricanes currently sit in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but Columbus and Montreal are pressing.
"[The grind] is catching up to everybody, but it's the same for all the guys on every team. It's a little tougher for us, I think, because of the way we've had to push so hard on the guys," Brind'Amour said. "We knew we were going to hit a wall. You can see it, and I can feel it, but we don't have a choice. We have to keep pushing and see what happens.
"It's all or nothing."
The Last Meeting
Ending a tough month of December, the Hurricanes were 15-17-5 when they met the Flyers on the final night of 2018. Desperate for two points, the Canes rang in the new year with a 3-1 victory.
Three nights later in Philadelphia, the Hurricanes fended off a Flyers comeback to win 5-3, their second victory in what would become a streak of five in a row, jump-starting this 27-11-1 record they've assembled in their last 40 games.
The Opposition
The Flyers made a second-half push as well, but unlike the Canes, they've fallen off and are on the verge of being officially eliminated from playoff contention. With that said, Philadelphia is coming off a 5-4 shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
"They have high talent up front. That lineup is pretty solid. Their back-end, too, has some young talent back there," Brind'Amour said. "They've been one of the better teams in the second half. A lot of it is goaltending has stabilized there."
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