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NHL on NBCSN: Hurricanes begin mammoth March vs. Flyers

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NBC Sports analyst AJ Mleczko sits down to discuss the growth of women's hockey and the approaching all-women broadcast of Blackhawks vs. Blues on International Women's Day.

NBCSN’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with Thursday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.

For all of the EBUG love the Hurricanes received following David Ayres’ unlikely win, the uncomfortable postscript is that the magic wore off almost immediately for Carolina.

The Hurricanes ended February on a three-game losing streak (0-2-1), and that Ayres-aided win was their only victory in their past five contests. They’re a mediocre 3-4-2 in their last nine. Not exactly the sort of run you hope for when you want to return to the postseason.

If they want to turn things around in March, the Hurricanes must do it the hard way. From the look of the way their Thursday opponent the Flyers have been playing, Carolina won’t be getting many favors.

The Hurricanes need to start making up ground, and fast.

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[Push for the Playoffs: Where the Hurricanes and other teams fit right now]

A difficult March begins for the Hurricanes with this Flyers test

The Hurricanes received a moment to breathe, as they haven’t played since a 4-3 overtime loss to the Habs on Saturday.

A month from now, the Hurricanes might wish that they could have spread this past break out over the full month of March.

[COVERAGE BEGINS AT 6 P.M. ET ON NBCSN]

Consider these facts and figures:

  • The Hurricanes play 16 games over 27 days.
  • Every full weekend of March includes a back-to-back set. Overall, Carolina faces five back-to-back sets. They have the most remaining back-to-backs along with the Flyers and Anaheim Ducks.
  • Thursday’s game in Philly begins a five-game road trip for the Hurricanes.
  • Will it be good or bad luck that Carolina’s clashes with the Penguins are all consolidated in a short span? They play the Penguins four times, so Carolina must hope that Pittsburgh remains relatively rudderless.
  • Looking further, there’s some hope the Hurricanes might get a few contextual bits of luck. It’s possible that the Hurricanes’ two games against the Bruins (home on March 31, at Boston on April 4) won’t mean much to the B’s. If the Bruins exercise “load management” with the Presidents’ Trophy/at least the top spot in the East in the bag, that could mean easier games for Carolina than what appears on paper. Frankly, the Bruins would do this if they’re smart, especially considering the mileage on veterans like Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara, and even Brad Marchand. It’s also possible that the Blue Jackets might be out of the race by April 3. Obviously, those three games would be treacherous if that luck doesn’t go Carolina’s way.

Take a look at this chart to really drive the point home:

marchhurricanes

Brind’Amour, others are aware of the challenge

You likely won’t hear many Hurricanes gripe about their tough haul, at least not publicly.

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour says all the right things, with a touch of terminology that might make you think that he’s trying to catch all of the Pokemon/pogs/commemorative stamps.

“You can group them all into the same category for me - you’ve got to have them,” Brind’Amour said, via the team website. “Whether they’re on the road, whether they’re divisional … it kind of all goes out the window. You’re at a point where you’ve got to have them.”

Unfortunately, the Flyers are also hunting to gather wins for their own aims, so Carolina will need to work to collect them all.

John Forslund and Pierre McGuire will call the contest from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. Thursday’s studio coverage will be hosted by Paul Burmeister alongside analysts Mike Milbury and Scott Hartnell.

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NBC Sports will utilize an all-female crew to broadcast and produce game coverage of Sunday’s Blues-Blackhawks game, coinciding with International Women’s Day and marking the first NHL game broadcast and produced solely by women in the U.S.

Kate Scott (play-by-play) will call the action alongside U.S. Olympic gold medalists Kendall Coyne-Schofield (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) and AJ Mleczko (analyst) from United Center in Chicago, Ill. Game production will be led by producer Rene Hatlelid and director Lisa Seltzer.

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.