The Carolina Hurricanes made waves when they traded for Mikko Rantanen, hoping that move would be enough to push them towards the front of Stanley Cup contention. Carolina also made waves weeks later, when they traded Rantanen away for Logan Stankoven and four draft picks.
When a team loses starpower like Rantanen, it’s easy to predict struggles. The Canes are doing exactly the opposite.
Carolina’s winning streak now stands at seven games, thanks to Friday’s 4-2 home victory over the Detroit Red Wings and Saturday’s 5-0 road shutout of the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canes are doing exactly what they do so well in years’ past: winning games without A-list starpower. This type of production will be needed as Carolina creeps closer towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which start in April.
Let’s take a deeper dive into each of the Canes’ weekend wins.
Kochetkov, Jankowski highlight Carolina’s big shutout in Philly
The Canes’ big knock in past postseason appearances is their inability to win on the road, a quality that every Stanley Cup-winning team has.
If Saturday, March 15 was an indication of Carolina’s 2025 postseason future, there won’t be an issue winning away from Raleigh.
The Canes beat the Flyers, 5-0, for their seventh-consecutive win. That’s the NHL’s longest active winning streak.
Carolina (41-22-4, 86 points) goalie Pyotr Kochetkov saved all 26 of Philly’s (28-32-8, 64 points) shots, notching his first shutout since December 17 against the New York Islanders.
Canes trade deadline acquisition Mark Jankowski led the scoring attack with two goals. Jankowski netted his first goal of the game with four minutes remaining in the first period, then his second of the game with just under seven minutes left in the second period.
Sebastian Aho and Taylor Hall joined Jankowski on the score sheet for Carolina, while Jackson Morrow recorded his first career NHL goal.
3-goal second period the deciding factor in Canes’ win over Detroit
Carolina extended its home winning streak to five on Friday night, beating the Red Wings 4-2 in a second-period comeback.
Detroit (31-29-6, 68 points) actually opened the scoring on Friday, thanks to star Alex DeBrincat scoring a goal with under two minutes remaining in the opening period.
The Canes quickly responded with three second-period goals, taking the lead for good. Taylor Hall tied the game just 22 seconds into the second period, Jack Roslovic broke a 1-1 tie five minutes later, then Carolina defenseman Jalen Chatfield scored at the 12:18 mark and extended his team’s lead to 3-1.
Michael Rasmussen closed the Red Wings’ gap to one goal early in the third period, then Eric Robinson’s empty-netter sealed the Canes’ victory.
Who do the Canes play next?
Carolina is off for a few days before heading west for a California road trip, starting with a 10 p.m. ET face-off against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, March 20. The Canes then face the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, followed by a matchup with the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
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