82 games. That is what the modern NHL season looks like. This year the Carolina Hurricanes won 46 of them and forced another 7 into overtime to earn themselves 99 points and a ticket to the dance. Each one of those games carried value towards that result.
There were some edge of your seat games and there were some real heart-breakers this year. There were also some games that almost doomed the season, and there were some that saved it from certain doom. While it is easy to simply dismiss each win as being critical to the success of the team (they each were), lets pinpoint the top three games that turned the tide.