Thought on the Canes through 24 games

[Goosfraba21]

I just wanted to see what the few posters on here thought so far.

With the Canes only having 6 games in the next 17 days I would fully expect to see them get better with all the rest and practice time. If they don't start stringing some wins together or get a little point streak going they may find themselves a ways back from that 8th spot.

We all know from the past few seasons just how damn hard it is to climb back into that spot. Before we know it the season will be half gone and the Canes will once again be trying to claw its way into the playoffs.

I for one am not calling for Mo's head just yet but I don't think his system utilizes the speed and youth of this team.

Cam seems to play well but the d in front of him has not been very solid. He is visibly frustrated at times and I have seen him slam his stick on the goal a few times.

I just hope they can stay close to that 8th spot and not let it get out of sight.

[DirtyMagic97]

The Canes have pretty consistently been a late-season team. They almost always make a big push near the end of the year. That being said, I'm not sure if they are capable of that this year. The inconsistency that plagues this team is precisely what you expect from a young team. The guys are still learning to play together, and are starting to get a little more settled in their roles. We've taken some good teams to the wire, and it's hard to beat them because their rosters are so packed with experience.

As the season progresses further, I expect us to become far more competitive. We have the talent, but they must play as a unit if they want to succeed. I know that Skinner is just a rookie, but he can't disappear for games at a time if we want to compete.

We can certainly go 4-2 or 5-1 in the next 6 games if Mo coaches this team, and challenges them to play together. Our defensive talent is not high enough for everyone to be playing for themselves.

[Goosfraba21]

Cole talks about the upcoming schedule and how he feels the team will go on a run this month. Let's hope so cause the Canes need a nice little run.

The Carolina Hurricanes have enjoyed a few days off this week in between home games, but were left to simmer on a two-game losing streak after Monday's 4-1 loss to the Stars.

Carolina (10-11-3, 22 pts) will look to turn things around as it welcomes the Colorado Avalanche (13-9-2, 28 pts) to the RBC Center tonight for a 7 p.m. face-off.

The Canes youthful club came out of the first seven games of the season with a 4-3 record in stretch that included two games in Europe, a west coast trip and no home games. But since then team has struggled with consistency as their record has often dipped slightly below .500.

Winger Erik Cole, who will play his 500th career game with Hurricanes tonight, isn't overly worried about it.

"I don't feel like we're at .500 now and this is where we're gonna stay," Cole told Adam Gold on 99.9 The Fan ESPN this week. "I don't feel like that at all. I feel like we're on the cusp of stringing together some wins and a good streak or a good month."

A streak would be a nice change of pace for the Canes, who haven't had one all season. Their longest win streak of the season is two, done twice.

And usually a five game road trip isn't the perfect remedy for a team that is struggling to keep its head above water. But Cole actually likes how the games set up in the near future.

"We've got six games here in the next....what may feel like an eternity to some of us compared to the schedule that we've been playing. Yeah they're on back-to-back sets but the only tough part about that will be the travel."

The next six games for Carolina are all in the form of back-to-back sets. But there is significant time to rest in between those sets. After Saturday's game in Nashville the Canes don't play again until the following Friday.

"So this is a really good opportunity for us in my point of view that we can make a good push here and really play some good hockey, with days off in between to rest the body and make a real strong push after Christmas."

The Canes can begin that push by bringing the record back to .500 by beating the Avalanche on home ice.