It’s been a decade since Carolina Hurricanes made their last Stanley Cup playoffs appearance, but that will soon change. Following a 3-1 win over New Jersey Devils on Thursday, the Hurricanes climbed to a 45-29-7 record which meant they have secured themselves a spot in the postseason.
Carolina also benefited from Washington Capitals’ 2-1 over Montreal Canadiens, who were Hurricanes’ main competition for a place in the playoffs. Canadiens still haven’t lost the chance to get there, however, as they can clinch the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot in their last game of the 2018/19 NHL season against Toronto Maple Leafs.
Carolina Hurricanes faced with many challenges prior to the start of the season, including a change of ownership and having a rookie head coach. They also boosted the NHL’s longest playoff drought and were coming off a year in which they had the lowest attendance in the league. Still, the team managed to turn things around and improve 14 points compared to the last season thanks to their outstanding defense.
“The goal was to get relevant. That’s the first thing,” – said Hurricanes’ coach Rod Brind’Amour. “I felt like we’d kind of fallen off the map, and obviously, we’re not done. This isn’t the final thing. We want to be the best team. But there’s a step that has to be taken, and it’s a huge step to make the playoffs. Can’t say enough about the group — just can’t.”
“It’s exciting, everyone can see all the emotion out of the group and in here right now, there’s still a bit of a vibe,” – added defenseman Justin Faulk. “It’s great, and we’re not happy yet, right? We’re excited, we’re obviously happy, but we’re not done, and that’s not enough just to get into the playoffs, and we know that, and that’s been our mindset the whole year.”
