The Hurricanes fell behind 4-0 22 minutes into their game with Colorado. However, behind a pair of second period goals from Jordan Staal, the Canes actually made a game of it before falling, 7-4. Bigger than the loss and the 7 goals allowed, however, were late 3rd period injuries to Andersen (lower body) and the Captain. As good as Freddie has been all year, if Staal has to miss significant time, the offseason will arrive far sooner than anyone wanted. Carolina is off tomorrow before skating in Arizona on Monday against the Coyotes.

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Alex Nedeljkovic made 46 saves as the Red Wings beat the Hurricanes, 3-0, at PNC Arena. Carolina's lead in the Metropolitan Division is trimmed to 2 points over the Rangers who will host Detroit on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Canes will try and get back to winning in Denver against the potent Colorado Avalanche that evening. The Canes beat the Avs, 2-0 last month.

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The Hurricanes yielded the first goal in their showdown with the Rangers. But, they scored the next three and now 4 points separate Carolina and New York atop the Metropolitan Division standings with 8 games to play. Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho each scored. Aho added a pair of assists, including the primary helper on Jarvis' 14th goal of the year as the Canes took round 3 of this 4-round bout with the Rangers. They'll be back at Madison Square Garden for the penultimate game of the regular season hoping that it won't matter to playoff seeding. Freddie Andersen was very good and the Carolina penalty kill was 4 for 4 against the 2nd best power play in the NHL.

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The Carolina Hurricanes needed a bounce-back effort after Friday's loss to the Islanders. And, they could use some confidence heading into Tuesday's Metro showdown with the Rangers in New York. Jordan Staal, saw to it that those goals would be met. The Captain scored three times, ringing up his first hat trick in almost 10 years -- and the first for the Hurricanes this season -- in a 5-2 win over the Ducks. The Canes head to Madison Square Garden with a 2-point lead over the Rangers with 9 games left to play.

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Carolina wasn't good enough to beat the Islanders. But, they were less than 20 seconds from sneaking out at least one point after Vincent Trocheck's 19th goal of the season tied the game at 1-1 with 56.8 seconds to play. But, Kyle Palmieri won a battle behind the net and beat Frederik Andersen up high giving New York a 2-1 win. The Canes host the Ducks on Sunday as they try to maintain a division lead over the Rangers.

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It seemed like it was going to end up as it did Tuesday in Buffalo. The Hurricanes were a bit of a mess, The Sabres were making them pay for their mistakes and it was 3-1 late in the 2nd period. But, Teuvo Teravainen's goal got them within a goal heading to the third. From there, it was the Captain behind the wheel. Jordan Staal tied it 5 minutes into the 3rd, then after Sebastian Aho's second of the night made it 4-3, Staal iced it into the empty net for a 5-3 win. Antti Raanta made 18 saves for the win, which means that he was the goalie of record as the Hurricanes clinched a playoff spot for the 4th straight season.

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Carolina fell to Buffalo, 4-2, missing a chance to clinch a fourth straight playoff spot. Carolina led 1-0 after the first period, but mistakes hurt the Canes the rest of the way. Jesper Fast and Nino Niederreiter each scored for the Hurricanes who return home to play Buffalo again on Thursday. A win clinches a playoff spot.

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Carolina threw a lot of rubber at Marc-Andre Fleury. But, there's a reason he's headed to the Hall of Fame as soon as he's eligible. 37 saves later, the Hurricanes were stuck with a 3-1 loss. Carolina's magic number remains at 4 to clinch a playoff spot.

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Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen each had a goal and an assist. Andrei Svechnikov scored twice, including into an empty net and Freddie Andersen steered aside 32 shots as the Canes beat the Canadiens, 4-0. Carolina is 4 points away from clinching a playoff spot as they raise their record to 45-15-8 with 14 games to play.

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The Hurricanes lost to the Lightning for the first time this year. Tampa scored 3 power play goals in a 4-3, OT win. But, the Canes got something out of it and closed out an arduous 11-game stretch with a 5-3-3 record against almost all Eastern Conference playoff teams. Nino Niederreiter scored his 21st goal of the season. Sebastian Aho hit the 30-goal mark for the 3rd time in his career. And, Seth Jarvis scored a gorgeous goal off the rush. The Canes return home Thursday to meet the Canadiens.

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