Two more points were on the line for the Carolina Hurricanes and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night, but something else was there for the taking for the home team. With a win, the Canes could officially secure their spot in the playoffs. They hit 100 points for the fourth time in five years with a 5-2 win in Columbus on Tuesday as the sides convened to complete the set tonight.
The Hurricanes' lineup remained the same for tonight's battle, putting the same 18 skaters on the ice. The lone change was in the crease, where Frederik Andersen would reside after dropping his second straight start last weekend in Montreal. For the first time this season, Columbus sent Elvis Merzlikins out to face the Canes after Jet Greaves started the three previous battles.
The first period was all Carolina. Just about 2:30 into the game, Logan Stankoven put a beautiful tip on K'Andre Miller's shot to get the Canes rolling. Stankoven doubled down by following Taylor Hall's chance for an easy tap-in. Even when Columbus got a chance on the power play, Alexander Nikishin scored short-handed to take the momentum away. After 20, it was a dominant 3-0 lead for the Canes.
The Blue Jackets came out with way more life in the second, and the Canes did a good job of suppressing it, to a point. Eventually, Columbus got one through. Denton Mateychuk jumped into the play to break the shutout. However, the Canes got it back 13 seconds later. Jordan Martinook's shot from the line hit a Columbus stick and deflected home, restoring the Canes' three-goal lead after two.
The only ingredient missing was a goal from the power play. Early in the third, they rectified that. Shayne Gostisbehere came out of the box and set up Andrei Svechnikov for a goal in his third consecutive contest. It's fitting that the power play scored for the eighth straight game because, once the horn sounded, the Canes earned their eighth straight postseason berth with a 5-1 win.
No matter the strength on the ice, the Canes completely dominated
After the Canes played a great road game on Tuesday in Columbus, I half expected the Blue Jackets to come into Raleigh with that same intensity tonight. The Hurricanes never let them get to that point. The Stankoven line bent the Blue Jackets' defense to their will, led by a pair of goals from Logan Stankoven, giving him three against Columbus over the last two contests.
It wasn't just their work at 5-on-5. The power play scored again, making quick use of their abbreviated chance in the third. When Columbus was up a man, the Canes were the more dangerous team on all three chances. On the first one, they scored a goal, courtesy of Alexander Nikishin. They outhit, outblocked, won more draws, and were simply better in every facet. Columbus had no answer.
Milestone moments were all around tonight for the Hurricanes
To begin the night, we knew that we were getting a big moment with the captain, Jordan Staal, skating in his 1,400th game in the NHL. He put forth a solid effort tonight, laying three hits and blocking two shots while recording an assist on Jordan Martinook's goal in the second period. Add a postseason berth clinched, and it was a good night for the man wearing the "C".
Throughout the night, we saw two more big moments. With his short-handed goal in the first period, Nikishin tied Jamie McBain for the most points by a rookie defenseman in Hurricanes history, notching his 30th point of the season. Sebastian Aho picked up an assist on that goal, and he added another on Svechnikov's goal in the third, helping him record his 400th NHL assist.
Additional Thoughts
Along with the individual accomplishments, the team tied franchise history with tonight's effort defensively. Columbus only managed ten shots in the game, tied for the fewest the team has ever allowed. It makes it hard to gauge Frederik Andersen's night. The one goal against wasn't great, but he kept the other nine out of the net, so that's a .900 night for him.
All of this means that the Carolina Hurricanes are going to the playoffs for the eighth season in a row. It's the first of many boxes that the team is looking to check. However, we know that the success of this group is determined by what they do when the season starts over in April and beyond. This is a great accomplishment. It's not the end goal.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes play their penultimate back-to-back of the season over the coming weekend. It starts with a visit from the New York Islanders on Saturday night at the Lenovo Center. The Canes will finish up and fly to Ottawa for a Sunday evening battle in Canada's capital against the Senators. Their final home game of the regular season comes next Tuesday night against the Bruins.