Carolina Hurricanes will have to Overcome Huge Losses to Make Playoffs

The Carolina Hurricanes were dealt a huge blow Tuesday when Justin Faulk went down in the second period. Faulk took a hit to his leg behind the net and limped off the rink in what looked to be severe pain. Today, the news came out that he would miss between two and four weeks. With Hurricanes star goalie Cam Ward also out, they will have to dig in deep to battle for a playoff spot.

Yesterday, Faulk celebrated his 21^st birthday and at such a young age is still one of the Hurricanes most crucial players. The young defenseman is dominant in both ends of the ice and often leads the team in time on ice per game. With defenseman Joe Corvo also injured, the Canes are without some of their top defensemen out of their defense corps that is already among the bottom of the league.

Right when he was hitting his stride, Ward was taken out by a troubling lower body injury. The horrible news came that he would be out for six to eight weeks. Although Dan Ellis has played far beyond expectations, the loss of Ward has hit the team hard.

The Hurricanes are quickly falling out of the playoffs after losing four games in a row. It will be interesting to see if the Canes GM Jim Rutherford will pull out a trade for another defenseman. He mentioned earlier that he wanted to look for one before the injuries to the defense. These problems should only increase the odds of the team picking up a defenseman who is capable of getting some minutes. If the Canes want to make the playoffs, their players are going to have to fight for every win and sacrifice everything they have.