Hurricanes storm back into playoff picture

Batten down the hatches. Here come the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Raleigh hockey club has climbed its way back into the postseason picture in hockey's toughest division. As of Sunday, the Hurricanes are just one point back of a playoff position. No easy feat, considering both wild-card slots are occupied by Metropolitan Division foes.

But this wasn't the case not long ago. As the calendar turned to December, the Hurricanes owned a 9-9-5 record through their first 23 games, outpacing only the New York Islanders in the East, as the team looked poised to extend its postseason drought to eight years.

The Hurricanes have not qualified for the playoffs since 2009, their lone appearance since winning it all in 2006.

But on Saturday, the Hurricanes pasted those same Islanders, sinking New York 7-4 before the Carolina faithful, as the Hurricanes pushed their record at PNC Arena to 15-4-1. Five forwards had multi-point nights, including winger Lee Stempniak, one of many key players for Carolina this season.

After scoring 51 points a year ago, a season split between Boston and New Jersey, Stempniak is on pace for another 40-plus point campaign. Not a bad free-agency bargain, coming in at $2.5 million.

There are several Hurricanes forwards to speak of, including winger Jeff Skinner. The 2011 rookie of the year is having a bounce-back season after a few so-so years in the Tar Heel State. With 35 points in 42 games, Skinner is on pace to top his career-best production set in his freshman campaign.

Related: It's time to appreciate what Jeff Skinner is doing for the Hurricanes

Indeed, things have turned around in Carolina in the past two months, with just six regulation losses through December and January. Collectively, the Hurricanes are 21-15-7, good for 49 points.

Skinner isn't the only Hurricane playing like his old self. After a slow start to the season, in which he captured just a single victory in his first six outings, netminder Cam Ward has found his game and has appeared in all but one game since the start of December. With an 18-12-6 mark on the season, alongside a .915 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average, Ward is seeing his best numbers in five seasons.

The Hurricanes are the NHL's fifth-youngest team, a fact no more apparent than on the Carolina blueline, which features four regulars under 24 years old. Veteran defender Ron Hainsey, 35, is the lone elder statesman on the back end.

Given that overall adolescence, it makes the Hurricanes' impact on the penalty kill even more impressive. If you're facing Carolina, you best score 5-on-5, as the Hurricanes are the NHL's best when down a man, allowing a goal against just 11.3 percent of the time when shorthanded. That ranks more than a full two points above the next best club, with the Bruins holding a 86.2 percent success rating.

While the play of Carolina is a surprise to many, don't count Hurricanes bench boss Bill Peters among those blown away.

"Our team has gotten better as we've gone along," Peters told reporters. "We're a better team now, whether we're on the road or at home. As the calendar clicks off, we're getting better as we go."