The Carolina Hurricanes entered Wednesday night’s home matchup against the Metro Division-leading Washington Capitals with two goals in mind: win and, in the process, clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
When the final horn sounded after the third period, your Canes skated off the ice with a dominating, 5-1 victory and a playoff berth.
Let’s take a deeper dive into Carolina’s massive victory. A playoff spot is only half the battle, with the Canes’ eyes on a much greater prize.
Hot start the deciding factors in Carolina’s clinching win over Division Rivals
All the focus entering Wednesday’s game was on Alex Ovechkin, who has a very strong chance to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record.
When Wednesday ended, it was the Canes skating off the ice with a dominant, 5-1 victory.
Carolina started its scoring party early, when defenseman Sean Walker scored 6:14 into the first period. Jackson Blake added the Canes’ second goal four minutes later, followed by Seth Jarvis scoring his 30th on the season.
Carolina trade deadline acquisition Logan Stankoven extended his team’s lead to 4-0 halfway through the second period, before Ovechkin stopped the bleeding with his 39th goal on the season. Blake scored on a powerplay just seven minutes into the third period, which was the game’s final goal.
Canes beat Canadiens, Islanders to end March
Carolina didn’t let its homestand-opening loss to the Nashville Predators linger too long, as a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens followed on March 28.
The Canes trailed 1-0 early, but goals from Blake, Taylor Hall, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov gave them a big win.
On Sunday, March 30, Carolina won a high-scoring, 6-4 contest against the struggling New York Islanders. Jarvis scored twice, while Aho, Stankoven, Dmitry Orlov and Mark Jankowski added tallies.
Who do the Canes play next?
Carolina hits the road for a week-and-a-half, starting with the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, April 4. The Canes face the Boston Bruins on Saturday, head up to play the Buffalo Sabres on April 8, followed by a rematch with Washington on April 10.
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