The playoff races are beginning to heat up in the CHL and the good news for Hurricanes fans is that many of the team's prospects should be in the post-season this spring, which will give everyone a chance to get a closer look at their performance. One team that has already clinched a playoff spot in Keegan Lowe's Edmonton Oil Kings and Lowe himself has played a pretty big role in that. Not only is he the team captain, but he was also forced to play some bigger minutes during late-December and early-January when the Oil Kings lost a couple of their defensemen to the World Junior Championships. Lowe played some very good hockey during that stretch and he continued to do so this week, adding a goal and three assists to his totals. As a third round pick, Lowe's ceiling isn't projected to be very high but he should be an invite to Carolina's training camp at the start of next season.

After the jump, we'll take a closer look at Lowe's performance and the rest of Carolina's prospect pool. 

Heading into this season, the Hurricanes had the making of being a team that could roll all four lines effectively. Even after they traded for enforcer Kevin Westgarth, they could have probably gotten away with rolling four lines because the forwards before him each have a defined role and aren't liabilities at even strength. You had the top-six handle most of the scoring and take on tough minutes in addition to that while the bottom-six would be relied on to play soft assignments and pitch in with some secondary scoring. On paper, this seems like a good plan but it hasn't exactly worked out so far as the third line has struggled out of the gate. That issue has been covered already, but something that isn't getting talked about is what the fourth line has done, or hasn't done in this case. 

Last season, the Hurricanes fourth liners provided them with a combined 24 goals, which was great but not likely to continue because of how often they were getting hemmed into their own zone. The Hurricanes must have realized this over the off-season because they opted to trade Anthony Stewart and buyout Derek Joslin, making the fourth line a completely new unit heading into this season. Between Kevin Westgarth, Tim Wallace, Andreas Nodl, Tim Brent, Jeremy Welsh, Zach Boychuk, Drayson Bowman and many others, the Hurricanes had plenty of options as to who they can use on their fourth line and what kind of role they want to play.

On opening night, the fourth line was used in more of an offensive role with Drayson Bowman, Tim Brent and Patrick Dwyer. Bowman and Dwyer have been promoted to top-nine roles since then and the fourth line wing spots have been jumbled around for the most part. Even with Welsh in Charlotte and Boychuk waived, the Hurricanes fourth line can still be useful if they were to use Nodl, Brent and Wallace either in a defensive role or soft-minute situations. Nodl and Brent are good enough to play 8-10 minutes a game while Wallace has proven himself as a capable fourth liner with other teams and can establish a physical presence.

This hasn't been the route the Canes have gone the last few games, though as Westgarth has been in the lineup more times than not and Nodl has found himself in the press box for all but two games since being called up. Westgarth obviously has a defined role and he hasn't been bad so far, as the Hurricanes are not leaking shots and chances against whenever he is on the ice. The problem is that Muller is rarely using Westgarth. He has played only a little over 20 minutes in seven games and plays maybe 4-5 shifts per game on top of that. 

Again, I know Westgarth has a role but if Muller isn't going to use him then what is the point of even having him in the lineup? The Hurricanes are essentially forced to play with 11 forwards whenever Westgarth is in the lineup and they are even more strained if another player has to leave the game early like Wallace did on Saturday. Considering that the Hurricanes top forwards are already being forced to play 20+ minutes a night and their third line has produced only two goals, one has to think that they would be better served with someone useful like Nodl in the lineup who the coach actually trusts to play more than four shifts a game.

Carolina's scoring depth hasn't showing up this year, so getting the most out of this forward corps is going to be very important. Dressing Westgarth and playing him for three minutes a game isn't doing that and it's a double whammy when you have guys in the press box and in the minors who can play a more effective role. Westgarth has a place on this team, but if Muller is going to keep using him in an incredibly limited role it's probably better that he sits in the press box.

After yesterday's overtime loss to the Flyers, I did a quick Twitter poll to see what the general feeling was about Carolina's first ten games. There were a lot of mixed responses but the most common answers I got from fans were were "improving," "fun to watch" and "inconsistent." So the general consensus among fans seems to be that this team is heading in the right direction but they still have issues that they need to sort out before they get to where they want to be. Overall, there were more optimistic/hopeful responses than negative, so fans are a little more optimistic about this team.

Fans spirits appear to be higher than they were a year ago, which is why it might surprise some people that the Hurricanes also had 11 points after their first 10 games last season. Their records were very different as the Canes have won at least half of their games whereas last season they were only 4-3-3 and gained a few points from overtime/shootout losses. Their goal differential of -2 is also the same as it was after 10 games last year, which is pretty interesting because of how badly things unraveled after that point. 

The good news is that this team appears to be less in danger of falling off a cliff and out of the playoff race early like last year's squad was. Their goal differential might be the same as it was after ten games last year, but the Canes have done a much better job at controlling the shot battle, which should lead to more positive things if they can keep it up. More importantly, they are also a much stronger team when it comes to even strength play.

Score effects (i.e. playing from behind due to giving up the first goal) have obviously played a role in the Hurricanes high shot totals, but they are still producing a lot of offense and are controlling possession more often than not. The only time they struggled to do so for an entire game was against Ottawa this Thursday. It's also worth noting that the Canes are outscoring their opponents at even strength (granted, it's only by one goal) so their goal differential is beginning to match their play in that area of the game.

Last season, the Canes were getting plowed in the shot battle at even strength even during close games and the percentages eventually caught up to them, which resulted in a poor month of November. Will winning the shot battle lead to a stronger next ten games this season? That remains to be seen, but history suggests that it will. That being said, I'm expecting their shot percentage to decrease a bit over the next few weeks because it's unsustainably high right now at over 60%. Scoring chances also paint a positive picture with the Canes outchancing their opponents 147-132 at even strength through the first ten games. It's much stronger than where they were at this point last year and should hopefully lead to some more wins.

Aside from special teams, the big concern with this team is their defense. They have been able to produce enough offense to be a net positive overall, but they are still giving up over 30 shots per game and 18-19 chances...at even strength. It was kind of expected with the defense corps being over-populated with puck-moving defensemen and not enough shutdown-type players. This style of run-and-gun hockey is very fun to watch and probably more suited for this roster, but it puts a lot of strain on the goaltending and I'm not sure how successful it will be in the long-run.

I mentioned in a recap that the Hurricanes aren't going to be able to outscore their problems every night and they haven't been able to so far this year. Their team shooting percentage at 5v5 is only 6.6% so they are probably due for some regression there but overall point remains. That being said, the Canes first 10 games this season have me feeling somewhat confident about this team but there obviously some concerns and holes to fill. They're still playing well territorially and are due for some bounces to go their way, so I think Carolina finishes these next 10 games with a record above .500.

Let's face it, the Hurricanes do not have a history of playing well against the Flyers, and this goes back to when the franchise was relocated to Raleigh. Since 1997, the Hurricanes have won only 30 of their 115 games against the Flyers and have earned points in a little over 36% of those games. Given that bit of information, some might be thankful that the Canes were able to escape Philadelphia with at least a point after losing a 4-3 overtime decision. Some might be happy with the point but this loss is frustrating because the Hurricanes had a great opportunity to steal two points from the Flyers.

Much like they did in Ottawa, the Hurricanes did not play their best game today but were able to stay in the game and force overtime thanks to good goaltending and a couple of lucky bounces. They took control of the third period and had a good chance to build on that in overtime. One odd-man rush by the Flyers and a bit of a lucky goal by Danny Briere ended that opportunity. Every point matters, obviously and the Hurricanes are probably content with earning five out of a possible eight on this road trip so far but it's always tough to not take advantage of chances like they had today, especially with the team having some problems on this road trip. 

Scoring chance breakdown after the jump

Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers
Wells Fargo Center, 1 p.m.
TV: FS-Carolinas, CSN-Philadelphia

The early part of the NHL season always comes with a lot of twists and turns. A good first-ten games can lift the spirits of fans while a bad start can make fans want to start building for the next season. This being shortened season makes these feelings even more extreme because there is less time to make up for lost ground. For the Hurricanes, their start of 5-4-0 falls right in the middle of the pack and things could go either way after that. However, a win over the Flyers today would put them two games above .500 for the first time this year and put them tied for first in the Southeast Division if Tampa Bay loses.

A win today would also give Carolina six out of a possible 12 points on the road trip and that's definitely not a bad thing since this is easily the toughest part of their schedule. Getting the win is going to be easier said than done, though considering they were beaten by Philadelphia 5-3 only a week ago and haven't exactly played their best hockey the last couple of game. They managed to pick up victories over Toronto and Ottawa but they were also outplayed for various stretches and gave up over 40 shots in both games. It's sort of the opposite of what was happening to them earlier in the season where they weren't getting any puck-luck despite heavily outshooting their opponents. 

It's obviously still too early in the season to make any conclusions but the Hurricanes will need to find some more balance and they will certainly need to play better than they have the last two games if they want to leave Philadelphia with two points. 

Lines & Preview after the jump

Even though the Hurricanes won last night's game in overtime, their performance reminded me a lot of how they played last year. Not only were they heavily outshot, but the Senators had control for most of the game and the Hurricanes were forced to play in their own end more often than they would have liked. They were able to stay in the game and force overtime thanks to great goaltending along with some solid special teams play. Like I said last night, it's always nice to edge out a win when you don't play your best hockey but let's hope the Hurricanes don't make a habit out of it. This is the first time the Hurricanes have resembled last year's squad and they were facing an Ottawa team that has been a powerhouse at even strength, so I will hold off on the worrying for now and just enjoy the win.

It's also worth noting that while the Hurricanes gave up a lot of shots, they weren't destroyed when it came to how many chances they were producing compared to Ottawa.

Generally speaking, the Hurricanes have done a pretty good job of outplaying their opponents this year or at least keeping things relatively even against them. The wins haven't been coming as often as fans would like but the Canes have had more good games than bad this year by my account. Tonight's game against Ottawa had all the makings of being one of the worst games the Canes have played all year. They gave up 47 shots, were outplayed at even strength and struggled to get the puck out of their zone for most of the game. Despite all of that, they were able to tie the game late in the third period on the back of a goal by Alexander Semin and finish off Ottawa in overtime. 

The Hurricanes have been on the losing end of games likes this before, where they outplay the opposition for the majority of the game but end up taking the loss thanks to either bad luck, poor special teams or running into a hot goalie. Tonight, the Canes were outshot 47-26 but went perfect on the penalty kill, went 1/2 on the powerplay and Cam Ward came up big more than a few times in stopping 45 shots. It was definitely what most people would consider an "ugly win" but it's been awhile since the Hurricanes have won a game like this.

You don't want to make a habit out of winning games like this but the Hurricanes will take the two points regardless and move onwards towards a re-match with the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon. 

Most of the talk surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes right now is centered around how well some of their top forwards are playing right now. Eric Staal is off to his best start in quite some time, Alexander Semin has been producing well and so have both Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner. The fact that these four are providing most of the offense is a good thing because the Hurricanes need them to produce if they are going to have a chance at the playoffs. They can't be the only ones producing, though because they are going to have off-nights and that's where the rest of the team needs to pitch in. So far, that hasn't been happening.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that the Buffalo Sabres were going to run into trouble because they had one line doing basically all the work. The Hurricanes aren't too far off from being in that territory as their top-six has been on-ice for all but one even strength goal and their first line has produced about 36% of their total goals on the season. Again, it's good to see the top-six doing their job but not having much scoring depth is going to hurt the team eventually.

I made a few pie-graphs to show just how skewed Carolina's offense has been this year and it really illustrates how much the top-six is being leaned on, especially the first line.

The Hurricanes have been a pretty decent team at even strength so far this year but their underlying numbers are skewed heavily due to the fact that they have been forced to play from behind in all but two of their games. This is partially the reason why they have outchanced their opponents in every game this year and why most of their players have very positive underlying numbers. The usual solution to these problems is to only include stats from when the game was tied but Carolina's games have been tied for maybe a combined 60 minutes at the most, which is obviously too small of a sample size to make a judgment call on. We should find out just how "good" this team is at even strength in the upcoming weeks when they get more games under their belt.

Unfortunately, last night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs probably did nothing but make their underlying numbers even more strange. The Hurricanes were dominated for the first 20 minutes and outchanced 11-4 by Toronto but they went into the locker room only down 1-0 thanks to the stellar goaltending of Cam Ward. They managed to pull a complete 180 in the second period and held the Leafs to only two scoring chances while producing 10 of their own. They ended up being outchanced 21-20 by the end of the game but that's actually pretty impressive when you consider how bad they played in the first period.

Ward's goaltending was able to bail out the Hurricanes after a bad first period but the team did a nice job of responding and taking over the game after that.

Tonight's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs provided the Hurricanes with a chance to get back to .500 and give the team some positive vibes as they continue this long road trip. It looked like they could be in for another long game as Carolina got off to the worst start imaginable in the first 20 minutes. The Canes were stuck in their own zone for about 60% of the frame, couldn't generate any offense and were constantly surrendering odd-man rushes to the Maple Leafs. Thankfully for them, they went into the first intermission only down 1-0 thanks to the goaltending of Cam Ward, who regained his form tonight and bailed the Canes out of a lot of bad situations.

Ward gave the Hurricanes a chance to win tonight and they took full advantage of it in the next two periods by giving one of their strongest efforts of the season. They were helped a little bit in the start of the second period  when Jordan Staal was left all alone in front of the net and received a gift of a goal to tie the game up at one. They followed this up by simply taking it to the Leafs, hemming them in their own zone and allowing only five total shots on goal after allowing 18 in the first period. They would eventually go onto take the lead after another lucky bounce where Eric Staal's centering pass deflected off Michael Koskta's skate and into the net. After that, Carolina continued to keep their foot on the pedal and scored two more unanswered goals to give the Hurricanes a 4-1 victory. I should also add that they scored twice on the powerplay while blanking Toronto on five opportunities.

It was strange seeing this team take over this game after playing some of their worst hockey of the season, but great goaltending can keep you in games on some nights and allow you to regroup after a bad period. I'm not sure what Muller said to the team after the first intermission but it clearly worked.