When the Carolina Hurricanes took to the ice, on Jan. 25 against the Montreal Canadiens, they needed a good string of victories to end out January. Finishing with a record of 5-6-1 in January, the Canes could have used a better run to start the new calendar year.
However, if not for the two straight victories, over the Habs and Ottawa Senators to round things out, Carolina would be pretty far out of playoff contention. Since the Canes kept their record close to .500 this month, they’re only two points back of the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils in the wildcard race.