Facing two teams that are either in the playoff race directly, or already at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, the Carolina Hurricanes really do have a season defining back-to-back stretch of games upcoming. It starts with a road contest against the New York Rangers on March 12, at Madison Square Garden. Then, the Canes have a matchup at home at PNC Arena against the Boston Bruins on March 13.
Carolina has a rather heavy slate of back-to-back contests in the second half of the 2017-18 campaign. This one is not easy either. The Rangers have been a surprisingly tough out since the passing of the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline.