Canes Corner

The Canes started fast -- a Seth Jarvis goal just 33 seconds into Game 1 -- but unraveled from there in a disastrous 1st period that saw the Canadiens score 4 times in route to a 6-2 win.  Carolina has lost their first game of the postseason and have yielded more than 2 goals for the first time.  After Jarvis put the Hurricanes in front.  Cole Caufield scored 27 seconds later.  He was followed by Phil Danault's breakaway goal, Alexandre Texier's one-timer from the slot and an Ivan Demidov breakaway goal all in an 11 minute span as the Canes turned a great start into a mountain of mistakes that all led to goals.  Eric Robinson scored in the 2nd period to draw Carolina within 2, but that was it.  Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice in the 3rd to provide the final margin.  Game 2 is Saturday in Raleigh.

The Canes became the first modern NHL team to sweep each of their first two playoff series as Jackson Blake sent his team into the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight season with a 3-2 win over the Flyers in overtime.  Carolina trailed 1-0 entering the second period, but Blake's first of the night got them even.  Logan Stankoven's 7th of the playoffs gave the Hurricanes the lead, but they would need overtime to seal the deal.  At 5:31, Blake took a pass from Taylor Hall (3 assists) and his shot carried off of Dan Vladar's glove and into the bottom of the net for the win.  It was the 6th time the Hurricanes have ended a series in overtime in Rod Brind'Amour's coaching career.  They are 6-0 in overtime close out situations.

The Canes are one win away from the Eastern Conference finals after a 4-1 win over the Flyers in Philadelphia.  Jordan Staal had a power play goal and set up Jalen Chatfield's 2nd period shorthanded marker as the Canes used their special teams prowess and rod the continued play of Frederik Andersen to a 3-0 series lead.  Andersen's best work was done early as Philadelphia had chances to take the lead in the first 5 minutes.  But, saves on Travis Konecny and Alex Bump plus some help from the post kept the game scoreless until late in the opening period when Staal shoveled in a rebound off the end boards on the power play.  The Canes never trailed in the game -- the 6th time in 7 games that's happened -- and extended the lead in the 3rd period through Andrei Svechnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers.  Andersen made 18 saves and is now 7-0 with a 1.02 GAA/.957 SV%

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For the first time this playoff season the Canes found themselves trailing.  Phildelphia scored twice in a 39 span early in the 1st period to jump out to a 2-0 lead.  But, Nikolaj Ehlers and Seth Jarvis each scored their first goals of the postseason and Taylor Hall continued his torrid stretch with a goal at 18:54 of overtime to give the Hurricanes the win and a 2-0 series lead heading to Game 3 on Thursday in Philadelphia.  Ehlers' goal came on the power play in the first period and cut the Philly lead in half.  Jarvis' came in the middle of the 3rd and got Carolina even at 2-2.  Frederik Andersen made 34 saves including the last 33 after the Flyers scored on 2 of their first 3 shots.  Andersen has won all 6 of his playoff starts with a 1.02 goals against average and a .958 save percentage.  Hall's 3rd goal gives him 9 points this playoff year the most he's had in a single postseason in his career.  Jackson Blake had a couple of helpers to up his total to 8 points so far.  

Logan Stankoven scored twice and Frederik Andersen made 19 saves as the Canes took Game 1 of their second round series with the Flyers, 3-0.  It was Andersen's second straight series-opening shutout, having blanked the Senators to start the playoffs exactly two weeks ago.  And for the 4th time in 5 postseason games Logan Stankoven opened the scoring.  It was the first of two goals on the night giving him 6 for the playoffs.  Jackson Blake added a goal and an assist, while Taylor Hall picked up an assist as well.  Hall now has 8 points in this playoff season tying his career high for a single playoff year in just 5 games.   Andersen's 19 save shutout raised his save percentage to .961 and lowered his goal against average to 0.90. The Hurricanes are 5-0 in the postseason and have yet to trail in any of the games.

 Game 2 is Monday night in Raleigh.

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The Canes won the type of game you would have never thought they could win.  A penalty-filled, post-whistle scrum-laden, 4-2 affair, as they completed a 4-game sweep of their opening round series with the Ottawa Senators.  Taylor Hall and Logan Stankoven scored for the Hurricanes as they took a 2-1 lead into the latter stages.  Sebastian Aho scored a pair into an empty net.  Frederik Andersen stopped 25 shots as he went 4-0 with a .955 save percentage.  Carolina finished the series 2 for 15 on the power play while Ottawa went 1 for 21.  Taylor Hall led the series in scoring with 7 points (2g, 5a) and Logan Stankoven's 4 goals led in that department.

Freddie Andersen stopped 21 shots, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake each scored a goal, and the Canes beat the Senators, 2-1, to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their opening round sesries.  For the 3rd straight game Stankoven opened the scoring, this time ripping home a one timer from a sharp angle to the left of Linus Ullmark off a Taylor Hall feed just more than 5 minutes into the game.  The Ottawa crowd was raucous to that point, but the Stankoven goal understandably took some of the starch out of them.  Then, late in the second period, 1:23 after Drake Batherson's 2nd of the playoffs tied the game, Jackson Blake took a no-look, cross-ice pass from K'Andre Miller and snapped home his first of the playoffs to put the Canes back in front.  The only downer is that the Canes were 0 for 4 on the power play and are now just 1 for 10 in the series.  The penalty kill chalked off 5 Senators power plays and is a perfect 12 for 12 in the series.  Game 4 is Saturday afternoon.

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Frederik Andersen's 36 saves and Jordan Martinook's overtime heroics help the Canes survive game 2 with a 3-2 win and a 2-0 series lead.  Andersen, after allowing a poor goal to Dylan Cozens in the latter portion of the 2nd period that tied the game at 2, became the man who shut the door on Ottawa on Saturday afternoon.  Twenty two saves later, Freddie is 2-0 in the playoffs and the Canes can sleep a little better with a 2-game lead.  Martinook, who had a penalty shot saved by Linus Ullmark in the 1st overtime, buried his 1st of the playoffs, 13:53 into the 5th period to send the Caniacs home happy.  Mark Jankowski thought he'd won it the previous period, but the goal was wiped out for being offside.  The ruling was that Jordan Staal lost control of the puck as he brought it into the offensive zone which made Martinook offside on the play.  Even though -- on that play -- Warren Foegele hooked his former teammate which led to a penalty shot.  Though, Martinook failed to convert it.  Logan Stankoven scored on the power play and Sebastian Aho scored one second after an Ottawa power play expired for the other two goals.

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The Canes took Game 1 of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Senators, 2-0, as Frederik Andersen made 22 saves for his 3rd postseason shutout with the Hurricanes.  Andersen is 3-0 in playoff opening starts for Carolina with a save percentage of .975.  The game started with the two captains, Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk and Carolina's Jordan Staal, fighting in the center ice circle.  One punch squarely landed -- Staal delivering a right hand to Tkachuk's jaw -- and then it ended and the game would actually begin.  Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall got the goals for the Hurricanes who brought their own physicality to the rink.  A season-high 57 hits were delivered, 8 from Andrei Svechnikov, 7 from Jordan Martinook and a half dozen by Stankoven!  The teams combined to go 0 for 9 on the power play including the Canes failing to convert on a total of about 2 minutes of 5-on-3 chances.  

Brandon Bussi made 28 saves as he carried the Canes to a 2-1 win over the Islanders in the final game of the regular season.  Called into action when the Hurricanes were informed that they could not activate Pyotr Kochetkov before the game, Bussi turned in one of his best performances of the season.  That is came the night after his best game of the post Olympic schedule should give the head coach something to think about as he decides on his Game 1 starting goalie for the series against Ottawa.  Nikolaj Ehlers scored the game's first goal and Mark Jankowski got the game winner late in the 3rd period.  The Canes finish with 53 wins, 113 points and the second best record in the NHL.

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