Canes Close Out Regular Season With Dominating Win Over Devils

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes finished their regular season Thursday the same way they started it - with a 6-3 victory over a Metropolitan Division opponent.

Three Things:

1) Finished Strong
Tonight's contest was a relatively meaningless one for both sides, with Carolina already having locked up the top spot in the Metropolitan Division and New Jersey eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago.
Rod Brind'Amour said following morning skate that the primary objective was to keep everyone healthy and the team did just that.
With Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal and Jaccob Slavin all sitting out for rest purposes, the team was still able to pick up their sixth consecutive victory.
From start to finish the Canes were in control, scoring just 4:44 in and never looking back.

2) Welcome Back, KK!
In more health-related news, Jesperi Kotkaniemi returned to the lineup once again for the affair, after missing the last five after aggravating his lower-body injury that he suffered on March 28.
Not only did he get back in the mix, he made his presence felt early, recording three points in the first 12:53 for his club.
It was the first three-point game of Kotkaniemi's career and he said post-game that everything feels just fine physically going into the playoffs.
3) Stay Hot, Jarvy
Rookie Seth Jarvis turned a fantastic individual effort into a primary assist during the third period, setting up Steven Lorentz for a must-see tally.
It was the seventh consecutive game that #24 has published a point, moving his already career-long point streak to a new high.

They Said It:
Jordan Martinookon Jesperi Kotkaniemi returning...
"That's a nice way to get back in - when you get two points] in your first three shifts. He was good. He didn't miss a beat and it was good for him to click with those two. He was great, [Martin Necas] was skating, it was a good night."
**Steven Lorentz***offering his two cents on the team closing the book on their regular season and turning the page to the playoffs...*
"This time of year, going into playoffs, we're taking steps in the right direction and we have another step to take come playoff time. It's only natural that guys have a little extra edge and a little extra juice to take our guys to a new level. We're obviously very excited. It's an exciting time to be a player, a fan or a coach. It's an exciting time of year and we're looking forward to the challenge."
**Rod Brind'Amour***reflecting on the regular season that now was...*
"I wish that you got rewarded more for the 82 games, if you really think about it. That's a grind and to do it the way our group did is pretty special. How much do you really want to enjoy it? We're trying to get to the next phase and that starts next week. It's been a special year. We didn't really have any downtime. We had a couple games where things didn't go our way, but there were no stretches where it was just bad. We just didn't get some wins. The guys have been real special that way this year."
**What's Next?:**
The Canes will now wait to find out who they'll play in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It will either be the Boston Bruins or Tampa Bay Lightning, pending the outcome of their two games tomorrow night.
**Bonus Notes:**
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