Hurricanes
Canes, Leafs meet to avoid playoff elimination
Published: 2012-03-27 12:31:10
Updated: 2012-03-27 12:31:10
Mar 27, 2012
The Carolina Hurricanes travel to Toronto Tuesday for a game against the Maple Leafs with each team trying to stay above the mathematical playoff elimination line.
The Canes and Leafs are each nine points out of a playoff spot with just six games remaining in the regular season. Toronto is headed for a seventh straight season without playoffs, while Carolina will miss out for a third straight year.
After winning four straight from March 15-21, the Hurricanes have lost consecutive games in regulation to begin a three-game road trip. Carolina's most recent setback came Saturday in Detroit, as the Red Wings overcame a 4-1 second-period deficit to post a 5-4 victory.
Jiri Tlusty had two goals for the Hurricanes, while Cam Ward made 45 saves in the loss. Chad LaRose and Jamie McBain also scored for Carolina.
"It's disappointing," LaRose said about the loss. "We didn't take care of our lead when we had the opportunity and it cost us."
Carolina, which will play two straight and three of its next four games on home ice, is just 11-18-9 as the road club this season.
The Maple Leafs have lost three of their last four games, but Toronto went 1-0-1 over the weekend, posting a 4-3 shootout win Friday in New Jersey before losing a 4-3 shootout decision the following night against the visiting New York Rangers. Ryan Callahan scored the winner for the Rangers in the shootout phase on Saturday.
Leafs forward Clark MacArthur is questionable with an upper-body injury after sitting out the last two games. Winger Matt Frattin has also sat out the last two games with a lower-body issue.
Tonight marks the fourth and final encounter between Carolina and Toronto this season. The three previous meetings were all decided by one goal and the Hurricanes claimed two of those matchups. Carolina has taken seven of 10 in this series overall, but Toronto has claimed the last two encounters on its home ice.
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Most Recent Comments
RE: Canes, Leafs meet to avoid playoff elimination
If anyones interested, here's our chances of making the playoffs currently:
Win Division: Record needed 6-0-0, 0.0000245% chance
8th Seed: Record needed 6-0-0 or 5-0-1, 0.00295% chance
- Posted by Yville
I did a simpler calculation and it came out to "A snowballs' chance in hades"
americaneel... at least now you have figured out how to use the "QUOTE" button, and even your wit has gotten a bit better. I am very proud of you. Now maybe you can expound on the underlying problem you have with hockey in the Triangle. We still have not gotten an explanation as to why it bothers you so much. If you do so, maybe we can have an intelligent debate with you about that.
RE: Canes, Leafs meet to avoid playoff elimination
If anyones interested, here's our chances of making the playoffs currently:
Win Division: Record needed 6-0-0, 0.0000245% chance
8th Seed: Record needed 6-0-0 or 5-0-1, 0.00295% chance
- Posted by Yville
I did a simpler calculation and it came out to "A snowballs' chance in hades"
RE: Canes, Leafs meet to avoid playoff elimination
They should pay the fans to come watch these two pitiful teams. Only product worse than this is the NBA and the WNBA.
RE: Canes, Leafs meet to avoid playoff elimination
I would expect to see them open the purse strings some more this summer. Remember they did dip into free agency last year however Kaberle and Boucher did not work out as planned. I think they pick up one forward from the free agent market and another in a trade for some of our surplus D-Men. Should be an interesting draft and summer
Sorry, but this is hockey...we were eliminated in December
Anyone that believes otherwise knows nothing about hockey historically...proof is that we've gained exactly one point in 3 months...there are no miracles here...just does not happen...its not how many points you are behind, its how you are playing on a nightly basis...and we stink...the best thing to do now is win at home, forget the rest and get the best positioning in the draft you can...remember, you pick the same spot in each round assuming you have not traded it away...we don't need any points at all at this juncture, they can only hurt us...
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