What To Watch For The Rest Of The 2024-25 Regular Season

RALEIGH, N.C. - Just 26 games remain in the Carolina Hurricanes' 2024-25 regular season.

Only seven of those contests stand between the group and the March 7 trade deadline, and exactly two months from today we'll know exactly what Round 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs looks like.

The team is well-positioned for a seventh straight postseason appearance, but there's plenty of hockey to be played before the field is cut in half.

Things can, and will, change, but here are some figures, dates, and upcoming milestones to keep an eye on as we hit the home stretch.

Robinson, Roslovic Knocking On The Door Of Career Bests...

For a team that has long been known for prioritizing their defense first, first-year Hurricanes Eric Robinson and Jack Roslovic have enjoyed their fair share of success in the production department during their inaugural quest with the team.

Robinson admitted during training camp that he was trying to prove he could be a full-time NHLer this season and avoid an American Hockey League reassignment like he experienced last year. He has been a Swiss Army knife-type player for Rod Brind'Amour, showing an ability to play up and down the lineup.

All 12 of his goals this season have come at even strength, ranking fourth on the team - trailing only Roslovic (18) Sebastian Aho (14), and Seth Jarvis (13). He also has more even-strength tallies than Sidney Crosby (11), Mitch Marner (10), and Stefan Noesen (9).

Robinson's 12 goals match his previous best in a single NHL season, meaning his next one will cement a new career high. The left-handed winger is also just two points away from matching his career-best point total (27). That's not bad for a one-year, $950k free-agency signing.

Another one-year contract who has proved to be a contributor is Roslovic.

Pacing the team in goals for most of the first 50 games, his 18 even-strength tallies sit tied for 17th among all NHLers. Of the 16 in front of him, all of them are averaging more than two minutes more ice time per night than Roslovic's 13:47. His 19.0% shooting sits 20th among all NHLers who have played at least 50 games.

Roslovic is chasing down his personal best of 22 goals in a season, which came during the 2021-22 season with his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets.

Burnzie's Climbs Continue...

Defenseman Brent Burns continues his ascension up the NHL's list of players with consecutive games played. So long as he stays healthy, he'll catch a familiar face in 11 games.

Next up is Burns' longtime friend and teammate, and Hurricanes legend, Patrick Marleau, who played 910 consecutive games from Apr. 9, 2009 to May 12, 2021. No. 8 is set to catch Marleau on Saturday, Mar. 15 in Philadelphia, and how about this? Should all go according to plan, he'd then pass him for fifth all-time on Mar. 20 in the place where the two played many years together, San Jose.

Recently reaching the 900-point threshold, Burns is also on the doorstep of entering the top 10 most points by a defenseman all-time as well. In seven points he'll tie Scott Stevens for 12th and 14 from now he'll catch Bobby Orr for 11th.

Wednesday, April 2...

Albeit not a Canes milestone, if there's a singular game to circle the rest of the way, this might be the one.

The Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin, who currently sits just 15 goals away from Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record, come to Lenovo Center for what could be an important contest for a variety of reasons.

Not only are fans of the sport keeping a close eye on what feels like a foregone conclusion of the re-writing of a record that has stood in place since Mar. 23, 1994, when Gretzky passed Gordie Howie for the league's record, but it could also have massive implications on the Metropolitan Division's standings.

The Canes are currently 10 points back of the Caps for first in the division, and a lot could happen between now and then. In Dec. of 2022, we saw Carolina go from trailing the Devils by nine points to leapfrogging them for the top spot in just 11 days.

Additionally, it's the first of two times that the two sides will meet in just eight days, as the two will get together again on Apr. 10 at Capital One Arena. That could add some real spice should the same two teams meet up again in late April or May.

The Quest For 50 Wins Again...

Speaking of the conclusion of the regular season, the Canes will try to match NHL history by earning a fourth consecutive regular season of 50 wins. They're going to have to be good the rest of the way, needing 17 wins in their final 26 games.

Should they accomplish the feat, they'd be just the fourth team ever to do so, joining the Boston Bruins (1970-1974), Montreal Canadiens (1975-1979), and the Detroit Red Wings (2005-09).

Currently sitting at 33 wins, they'd have to pull off a really impressive run to match the team's single-season win record (54) set during the 2021-22 season, but anything is possible, right?

A Seventh Consecutive Quest For Lord Stanley's Cup...

Whether they reach 50 wins or not, the Canes will try to extend their already record six consecutive trips to the postseason to seven come mid-April.

When Rod Brind'Amour signed his new multi-year contract extension he talked about how the team still has "that carrot dangling in front of them." No further explanation is required.

As he likes to say, the team "will need to keep their foot on the gas" through the finish, vying for a spot in a crowded Metropolitan Division. Just five points separate fourth from eighth in the division, meaning that there's a high probability of some shapeshifting the rest of the way.

Carolina has been in a top-three spot for the majority of the season and ultimately it's just about getting in and giving yourself a chance, but with the competition tighter than it has been in recent years, they'll have to make every effort to control what they can.