With a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game, Carolina returns home to PNC Arena to take on the Philadelphia Flyers with a chance to move to the top of the NHL standings. After seeing both the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers struggled recently, the Canes need a win tonight to move into first place in the league with multiple games in hand on their rivals.
This doesn’t mean that being the best team in the league should be the end-all and be-all. It very seldomly matters. Win enough games to get into the playoffs, and from there anything is possible.