After beginning this road trip with three wins from three, including shutout wins over the Penguins and the Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes fans were brought back down to earth with a bump by that troubling loss to the New Jersey Devils. The Canes dominated the second and third periods, but their first period hangover, coupled with some strange refereeing decisions, meant that the task was beyond them.
They face an Ottawa Senators team doing their best not to sell off all of their assets. The team’s leading forwards – Matt Duchene, Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel – are all impending UFAs this summer, and have all been linked with trades ahead of the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline on Feb.