Hurricanes clinch Stanley Cup playoff berth, beat Buffalo, 5-3 in comeback effort
There was a time when it seemed the Carolina Hurricanes were caught in some kind of hockey purgatory, unable to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs.
After a 5-3 comeback win Thursday over the Buffalo Sabres, the Canes now have qualified for a fourth straight season. They also have reached 100 points in a season for only the second time in franchise history.
“It’s a huge accomplishment,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We grinded all year. Obviously there are bigger and better things we want to accomplish but you have to get there first.
“Four years ago when we got in, it felt awesome. Now, we’re just expected to do this. That’s a huge shift in how we all perceive (ourselves) and that’s something to be proud of.”
The other Canes team to hit 100: the 2005-2006 team. That one won the Stanley Cup.
“Thank you for mentioning that,” Brind’Amour said, smiling.
Brind’Amour, the team captain in 2006, has been the coach for all four playoff teams to “get there.” This season, he has taken a lineup with nine new players, added forward Max Domi at the trade deadline and made the Canes one of the NHL’s best teams and the Metropolitan Division leaders.
“The goal four years ago wasn’t to just have a good team here and there,” Brind’Amour said. “It was to be good for a long time and give this area a team to be proud of.”
Jordan Staal was a part of the nine lean regular seasons when the Canes had no postseason. Now the captain, the center has grown into his leadership role and it was evident again Thursday.
The Canes (46-17-8) trailed 3-2 entering the third period. It would be Staal that tied the score with a shot from the slot, his first goal in 16 games, and Staal whose empty-net score in the final minute of regulation sealed it.
Sebastian Aho also scored twice and Teuvo Teravainen, in his 400th game with the Canes, had a goal. Aho’s second score, off a quick backhander at 11:39 of the third period, gave Carolina the go-ahead goal.
.JPG "SabresHurricanesHockey (3).JPG")
Goalie Antti Raanta, after some shaky moments in the first half of the game, earned his 12th win with 18 saves. Raanta was beaten for goals on the Sabres’ first two shots, by Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch in the first period, then a goal by Victor Olofsson at 5:29 of the second, but shut it down after that.
The Sabres (26-35-11), after a 4-2 win over Carolina on Tuesday in Buffalo, took a 3-1 lead Thursday on Olofsson’s score. But Teravainen forced a turnover and scored unassisted on a shot from the slot to beat goalie Craig Anderson and make it a one-goal Sabres lead after two.
“I think the will to grind the full 60 minutes was the key for us tonight,” said Aho, who has 33 goals this season.
Svechnikov, called a “big boy out there” by Aho, and rookie Seth Jarvis each finished with two assists for the Canes. Svechnikov twice set up Aho for scores and his 62 points this season set a new career high.
“We weren’t at our best and the guys just kind of said, ‘OK, enough’ and just played their butts off, really,” Brind’Amour said. “It was a good third period and got us a win.”
The Canes have 11 games remaining in the regular season and two in the next three days -- against the New York Islanders on Friday and Anaheim on Sunday, both at PNC Arena.
But the Canes are in, again.
In 2019, when their playoff drought ended, the Canes staged a joyous Storm Surge celebration after the clinching game at PNC Arena. On Thursday, it was more clap and raise their sticks.
“It’s great,” Staal said. “We worked hard to get here. We have a long road ahead but this was the first step.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 10:00 PM.
