I have been a doubter of both the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes all season. I did think that either had enough to bring their teams to the promised land. The trade deadline may have cured both teams. The Sabres signed Tim Connolly to a multi-year contract, which I spoke of in the previous post and the Carolina Hurricanes brought back Eric Cole for his second stint with the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes handed it to a very good Calgary Flames team. This team is now thought of in the ranks of the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks. Granted, Mikka Kiprusoff did not play, but that is not a reason to discredit the fact that Calgary was only able to score one goal.
Erik Cole may be the piece to the offensive puzzle for the Carolina Hurricanes. He was the key to Eric Staal’s domination back in 2006 during their Stanley Cup run. Eric Staal is by far their best player and Erik Cole is exactly the type of chemistry that is needed for Staal and the Hurricanes to thrive.
The Canes also have Ray Whitney, who apparently is like a fine wine. His play only improves as his age increases. The only question mark I have for the Hurricanes is Cam Ward‘s abiltiy to be consistent. If he can stay strong in net, I see the Hurricanes sneaking into the playoffs.
