Hurricanes
leave Lightning in their wake
by Mark Rothstein
Back in the
2003/04 season (the last before the lockout),
the Tampa Bay Lightning were the only team in
the Southeast Division to make it to the playoffs.
The Atlanta Thrashers finished 13 points back
of eighth place in the Eastern Conference that
year, while the Carolina Hurricanes ended up
15 points back of the last postseason berth.
Could history repeat
itself this season? The Hurricanes have a huge
lead atop the Southeast Division, and are battling
the Ottawa Senators for the top overall spot
in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, second-place
Tampa Bay is fighting for their playoff lives,
while third-place Atlanta are currently below
the postseason cutoff line.
It’s not out
of the question that both Tampa Bay and Atlanta
could miss the playoffs this season. For both
of those teams to be eliminated, however, either
the New York Islanders or the Toronto Maple
Leafs would need to force their way into the
postseason picture, and the Montreal Canadiens
would need to continue steadily picking up points.
The Lightning didn’t
only make the playoffs during the last National
Hockey League season, they finished in first
place in the entire conference and were eventually
crowned Stanley Cup champions. Most preseason
predictions had Tampa Bay being a strong contender
again this year, and at the least an easy winner
of the Southeast Division.
That division title
obviously won’t happen this year; the
Hurricanes should be able to wrap up the Southeast
by the end of March. A run-of-the-mill playoff
spot should still be in the cards for the Bolts,
but they’re doing their best to ruin their
chances there as well. Tampa Bay won only twice
in their first seven games during the month
of March, and both of those victories were by
slim, one-goal margins.
Could Atlanta be the
team that causes Tampa Bay’s season to
wrap up early? The Thrashers, of course, have
never advanced to the postseason in franchise
history, but after winning five of their first
seven games in the month of March they’re
within shouting distance of the eighth and final
playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, Tampa Bay
or Atlanta could slip into the postseason only
to find themselves matched up with the Hurricanes
in the first round. Led by an incredible performance
from Eric Staal, the Canes have showed no signs
of slowing down, and have picked up points in
seven of their first eight games in March. And
that’s with limited contributions from
Doug Weight, who is just now starting to find
his place in Carolina’s offense.
How have the Hurricanes
turned it around this year? In 2003/04, their
top scorer was Josef Vasicek, who picked up
45 points in 82 games, and no Canes skater potted
20 goals in that final season before the lockout.
This year, six Carolina players have already
passed the 45-point mark, and five players have
at least 22 goals. Yes, scoring is up around
the league, but that’s still a significant
year-to-year increase in production.
Also factoring into
the Canes’ resurgence has been their play
in the friendly confines of the RBC Center.
In 2003/04, Carolina finished 13-18-8-2 on their
own ice, a killer stat that destroyed their
playoff chances. This year, the Canes are 27-5-1
at home, which is tops in the conference. And
that could make Carolina a deadly draw in the
postseason, especially if they hold off the
Senators and earn the Eastern Conference’s
No. 1 seed.
The Canes made it
to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002, and followed
that result with two straight seasons out of
the playoffs; hockey fans down in Carolina have
therefore been waiting awhile for a return to
contender status. The Lightning took home the
Cup in 2004; hockey fans down in Tampa Bay are
hopeful that winning result won’t be followed
by a crash and burn in this followup season.
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