The Carolina Hurricanes will soon be facing another long offseason, again watching others compete for the Stanley Cup, again assessing why they were left out of the playoffs.
The Canes were officially eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday for the eighth straight season. Jeff Skinner scored his 34th and 35th goals of the season, setting a new career high, and added an assist against the Minnesota Wild but the Canes were beaten 5-3 in the road game at Xcel Energy Center
Canes forward Bryan Bickell, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, returned to the NHL on Tuesday. Adding to the emotion of the night was the Wild honoring former Carolina captain Eric Staal for playing his 1,000th career game in a moving pregame ceremony as the Canes watched from the bench.