Spring Break
Comeback Canes clinch postseason spot
Michael Perry
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Sports
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Before meeting the Penguins, Carolina had been on a ruthless winning streak, as it won eight consecutive games and boasted an 11-game home winning streak.
Hosting the Penguins, the Hurricanes knew they had the chance to clinch a playoff berth, but Sidney Crosby and the Pens did not allow that win to come easy.
Both teams play a similar style of hockey: fast paced offensive.
The Eastern Conference showdown pitted Carolina's Eric Staal against brother Jordan who plays for Pittsburgh; both Staals' scored a goal.
The ultimate factor in Saturday's matchup was the stellar performance by Hurricanes' netminder Cam Ward and his supporting cast of rough and tough defensemen.
Ward, who stopped 33 shots on goal, including an Evgeni Malkin penalty shot, has gone 17-6-2 in his last 25 consecutive starts. Malkin, the NHL's scoring leader, galloped in on his free trip, attempted to fire a wrist shot past Ward but was stoned stick side.
In addition to superhuman goaltending, the Canes' blue liners proved that endorsements and publicity do not win hockey games, as they stood impenetrable against the NHL's so-called biggest star, Crosby.
The Hurricanes' physical yet intelligent defense left both Crosby and Malkin pointless through the entire game.
Due to Carolina's outstanding finish, the RBC Center has been a hotbed of premier games as of late and has already taken on the blood-pounding, adrenaline-fueled atmosphere of playoff style hockey.
In one fell swoop, Babchuk loaded the gun and the RBC Center erupted with the deafening roar of 19,000 postseason depraved Caniacs.
The Hurricanes brought Lord Stanley's Cup to the Old North State in the 2005-2006 season. The reigning champs followed their magical season with two disappointing seasons, including a missed play off berth by just one point due to a loss in their final regular season game last year.
The most impressive aspect of the Hurricanes' remarkable finish is how drastically different of a team this has become in the last month of play.
The Hurricanes battled the adversity as head coach Peter Laviolette, who led them to the Cup, was fired in early December. To add to the controversy, management brought in previous head coach Paul Maurice. With both inconsistencies on the ice and in the locker-room, the Hurricanes never seemed to tap into their powder keg of potential.
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