The Carolina Hurricanes would be miles out of contention at the halfway point of the 2013-14 NHL season if not for the contributions of Jeff Skinner.
At the halfway mark of the season, Skinner ranks 11th in the league with 19 goals—despite having played in only 31 games to date. In goals per game, his 0.613 average spots him fourth.
It's a massive rebound campaign for the 21-year-old, who was the subject of a plethora of offseason trade rumors after suffering through concussion concerns and declining production since his Calder Trophy-winning rookie year.
Skinner led the league in scoring in December, his first fully healthy month in quite a while. He capped it off with two third-period goals in Carolina's rousing 5-4 overtime comeback win against Montreal to conclude 2013, then kicked off 2014 in explosive fashion with a hat trick versus Washington in another crucial overtime victory.
No. 53's incredible streak has lifted the Hurricanes' offense up from the basement of the league to a respectable 23rd. The unit has averaged a very healthy 3.05 goals per game since Nov. 24 and 3.33 over its l ...
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Article written by Mark Jones
Carolina Hurricanes: Can Jeff Skinner Maintain His Goal-Scoring Hot Streak?
January 4th, 2014 by Mark Jones Leave a reply »
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