Rachel Barkley
For the first time in franchise history, the Carolina Hurricanes cemented themselves as the best Eastern Conference team throughout the regular season. It didn’t come with some dramatic effect, nor did it come with a sparkling win – but it came nonetheless.
Beginning the night with some of their six best players off the starting lineup, they faced a hungry Philadelphia Flyers team fighting for their chance to appear in the postseason.
The first period was all Carolina, who took a two-goal lead by the end of the frame. The first goal came from the stick of Bradly Nadeau, assisted by Nikolaj Ehlers, who sent a no-look pass to the rookie who had positioned himself in the slot.
A few minutes later, the Hurricanes gained the man advantage due to a holding penalty, which Ehlers managed to capitalize on. In doing so, he notched the first 70-point season of his 11-season career.
However, the second period was the Flyers’ – scoring two to tie the game. The first goal came from Matvei Michkov, with the play starting due to a giveaway from the Hurricanes. Meanwhile, their second goal was during the power play – a snapshot from the man that drew the penalty, Trevor Zegras, who had been left completely alone by Brandon Bussi’s net.
During the intermission, Ehlers spoke on the two goals they had allowed, identifying that they were a result of puck mismanagement and it was something that they would need to tighten up on in the following frame.
In fact, they did pull together defensively in the final period, allowing only four giveaways compared to the second period’s nine. But ultimately, Philadelphia wasn’t giving up all that much, either. The game remained at a stalemate through regulation, and then just as it has been every time they’ve faced each other this season, they went into overtime.
As the extra frame opened, the Hurricanes secured the point they needed to clinch the Eastern Conference. Additionally, the Flyers’ overtime point eliminated the Columbus Blue Jackets from the playoffs.
However, five minutes of three-on-three yielded absolutely nothing, and for the third time in their four games played together, they engaged in the shootout.
The decider came in the fourth round of the shootout, as Tyson Foerster managed to beat Brandon Bussi, becoming just the third skater to do so in the 14 rounds the goalie has played this season. As such, the game ended 3-2 in favor of the Flyers.
With their win, the Flyers clinched the third spot in the Metropolitan Division – the only remaining playoff spot in the Eastern Conference – and locked their place in the postseason for the first time since 2020. Interestingly, the only Eastern playoff matchup confirmed for the postseason is now the Flyers against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who sit second in the Metro Division.
(Psst, Philly Hockey Now’s William James had a real nice write-up on the Flyers’ playoff clinch – be sure to check it out if you want to see the Flyers’ perspective!)
Hurricanes Notes
Nicolas Deslaurier’s return to Philadelphia, where he had played since the 2022-23 season, hit harder than usual. Literally. He landed 11 hits on his former teammates (especially Rasmus Ristolainen and Emil Andrae, who sustained three each). It tied his career-high for most hits in a single game, which he established in the March 13th, 2018, game against the Dallas Stars when he was a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
During the second period, Jalen Chatfield took a heavy hit from Owen Tippett. He was slow to get up and proceeded to go down the tunnel, but returned to the game shortly after. It was his first game back after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Boston Bruins last Tuesday.
The Hurricanes’ loss was the first they have had in Philadelphia since March 5th, 2020.
Carolina clinched the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history.
