Canes Lock Up Playoff Spot By Blanking Detroit

RALEIGH, NC. - The Carolina Hurricanes secured their place in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday, after taking a 4-0 win from the Detroit Red Wings.

Shuffled To Start...

Getting back to game action after a tough night in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, the Canes shuffled a few of their forward lines ahead of the affair.

Notably flip-flopping Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jordan Staal, each had a new set of linemates to work with as the group hoped to top their one-goal outing against the Penguins.

Although the new combinations were unable to score in the opening 20 minutes, they were completely controlling in their efforts, outshooting Detroit by a dozen.

Four-Goal Second...

Despite the fact that the Canes had nothing to show for their dominant first, that would not be the case at the end of 40 minutes.

Carolina blew the contest open in the middle stanza, striking four times in just 11:41 to take complete control.

Two connections including Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis 57 seconds apart put the group in the driver's seat, with the second coming on the power play.

Aho's helper on Jarvis' 28th of the season was the 300th of his career, moving past Rod Brind'Amour for the third-most in franchise history.

Next up, on his bobblehead giveaway night, Martin Necas put home a third goal for the unit, depositing a one-time feed from Kuznetsov.

Then, to round out the scoring, Brady Skjei showcased an outstanding individual effort, earning his defense-leading 13th goal after collecting his own rebound.

Through The Finish Line...

Comfortably in front after their flurry of goals, all Carolina had to do was keep it simple until the final horn.

It wound up being the busiest stretch of the night for Andersen, who faced as many shots in the final 20 minutes (12) as he had through the first 40 (12), but none got by him.

The netminder picked up his 26th career shutout in victory, backstopping the Canes to a sixth consecutive playoff berth.

They Said It

Rod Brind'Amour giving his thoughts on the contest...

"Our first period was great.  We didn't get anything out of it.  We didn't get rewarded, but I thought it set the tone for the game.  It was a positive period.  I think we were able to carry it over a little bit, and then we got rewarded in the second.  It wasn't even as good of a period (as the first), but I thought we got rewarded there for what we did in the first."

Seth Jarvis after his line combined for eight points tonight...

"That's what we want to do every night.  We want to control the game and we want to spark energy for our team.  We want to shut down the other team as well.  I think we did a good job in the second, we really turned it up.  I think that's what jumpstarted the team and made a big difference."

Frederik Andersen on where he feels his game and his confidence is at amid this amazing run...

"I'm just trying to play each moment and try to focus on that.  That's all I can really talk about.  I just try to have a good foundation to the game and have the intensity when you need it, and that calmness when you need it."

What's Next?

The Canes are scheduled to practice on Friday before flying to Montreal. They'll return to game action on Saturday against the Canadiens.

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