The past six years have not been kind to the Carolina Hurricanes. Since advancing to the Eastern Conference finals in 2008-09, the team has failed to reach the postseason. In fact, the Canes have really only come close once, when they missed their chance by two points after dropping their last game of the season in 2010-11. However, this year, that could change.

Since another tough start to the season in October and November, the Hurricanes have been playing exceptional hockey. Since the start of December, the team has compiled a record of 17-9-6. That pace of 40 points in 32 games would be good for 102 points over a full 82-game season, and would easily put a team into the playoffs. However, due to their rough start, the Canes do not occupy a playoff spot, but they are close.

The new NHL playoff format that started in the 2013-14 season sees the top three teams in each division, along with two additional wild card teams from each conference qualify for the postseason. Currently, the Canes are four points back of the New York Islanders and six behind Tampa Bay Lightning, each of whom occupy the East’s two wild card spots, though both teams have two games in hand.

The Canes sit four points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are the only team outside the Eastern playoff picture in front of them, though the Pens have two games in hand. Third in the Metropolitan division is also possible, as the Canes are five points back of the New Jersey Devils, who currently occupy that spot, and have a game in hand.

As often as the third seed in the Atlantic Division and wild card team flip-flop this year, it is also important to note the team is six points back of the Atlantic third-seeded Boston Bruins, with the teams even in games played. In terms of teams in the race below the Hurricanes, the team is two points up on the Philadelphia Flyers, who have a game in hand, two up on the Montreal Canadiens, who have played the same number of games and four above the Ottawa Senators, who the Hurricanes have two games in hand on.

That may seem like a lot of teams to catch and ground to make up, and it is. However, the fact that the Hurricanes have maintained such a strong level of play for nearly two and a half months should give hope. Of course, when you start so poorly, in addition to picking it up and playing at a playoff pace, you need at least one extended winning/point streak. Already on a four-game point streak, to use a tired cliché, there is “no time like the present” for the Hurricanes to do this.

The team has eight games remaining in February, six of which are at home (including games against the Flyers, Bruins and Lightning). The Hurricanes own a home record of 13-9-6 on the season, including 7-1-3 in its last 11 home games. To put it plainly, the Canes have played well at home this season, particularly of late, and if they can continue to do so, they should continue to climb in the standings.

Of course, winning themselves will not solve everything for the Canes. In order for them to make up ground, the teams in front of them will also have to lose. However, the team has a golden opportunity to make this happen.

The team has 26 games left, and plenty of those are against the teams it is battling with for playoff position. The Canes play the Bruins three times, the Islanders, Devils, Canadiens, Lightning and Senators twice and the Penguins and Flyers once the rest of the season. That leaves more than half of the team’s remaining games against fellow playoff competitors. If the Canes are able to win the majority of these head-to-head games, making the playoffs starts to look more and more likely.

The Canes currently have 60 points in the standing. In order to make the postseason, the team will likely need a minimum of 95. To do that, Carolina needs to get close to 17-8-1 in its remaining games. That is certainly a tall task, but if the Canes can start by going on a hot streak to end February, and continue by winning most of their head-to-head games, it is definitely attainable.

The Canes definitely face an uphill battle to end their six-year playoff drought, but it is certainly achievable. The team’s recent celebration of the 10th anniversary of its 2005-06 Stanley Cup Championship is a reminder of what the team’s ultimate goal should be. Hopefully, this reminder will serve as a motivation for the Canes to be firing on all cylinders down the stretch and find their way back to the promised land of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.