Well, the Carolina Hurricanes had everything set in place for a glorious walk into the playoffs. The New York Rangers dropped one of their final three games, thus giving the Canes complete control over their own future. All they needed to do was win out. The won their first two games with ease. It appeared that the third would be no different. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The Canes had a home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on the final day of the season. The Lightning had absolutely nothing to play for, as they were already locked into the fifth seed of the playoffs. All the Canes needed to do was come out hard early and break Tampa Bay's will. This is the exact opposite of what occurred. Before the 1st period was even over, the Lightning had jumped all over the Canes to get a 3-0 lead. This sad story continued for Carolina and because of the lack of effort in one game, they will not be going to the playoffs.
I hate to say it, but I saw this coming. The Canes have a horrible tendency to seemingly fall apart with about 16 games left. Then, out of nowhere, they make a strong urge in the final 5 games, but then come up just short. It's sad really, but a successful organization cannot always depend on the very last minute runs. It was an excellent rebound season, and I think the Canes have much to build on in the years to come. They should be excited to see what comes next year.
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