The penultimate game of the regular season brought the Carolina Hurricanes back to the East Coast after a pair of wins against Western Conference foes. The Canes took it to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday, getting big goals from several rested players to earn a 4-1 victory on the road. Tonight, they concluded their season series against the playoff-hopeful Philadelphia Flyers.
Jordan Staal (undisclosed), Sebastian Aho (undisclosed), Andrei Svechnikov (undisclosed), Seth Jarvis (undisclosed), Jaccob Slavin (undisclosed) and Shayne Gostisbehere (undisclosed) will miss tonight’s game against the Flyers.
— Hurricanes PR (@CanesPR) April 13, 2026
Once again, the Hurricanes rested a big group, including their top line. Shayne Gostisbehere also got his first chance to sit. Jalen Chatfield returned to the lineup after missing the last two games, and Brandon Bussi was between the pipes. Dan Vladar stood on the other side, hoping to guide the Flyers to the postseason with a win tonight.
The Canes were on their heels to start, but their netminder was calm throughout to keep the Flyers quiet. Eventually, the offense joined the fun. Nikolaj Ehlers made a sharp no-look pass to Bradly Nadeau at the top of the crease to get the Canes on the board first. Ehlers added a goal to his opening frame, scoring from a sharp angle on the power play. After 20, the Canes led 2-0.
The script was flipped during the second period. The Flyers finally got on the board when Matvei Michkov snapped a shot from the far dot past Bussi. Less than three minutes later, Trevor Zegras struck on the power play, sending the home fans into a frenzy. The score stood tied after two periods, setting in motion the potential for an incredible final frame.
Neither team could find the winning goal in the third, which was perfectly fine for the Hurricanes. With no resolution after 60 minutes, the Canes and the Flyers went to overtime for the fourth time this season. In doing so, the Canes got the point they needed to lock up the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history.
Unfortunately, the occasion wouldn't come with a win. Overtime didn't resolve anything, with the Canes hitting the post twice, and Nadeau nearly scoring at the buzzer. Instead, a third shootout game in the season series saw Tyson Foerster score in the fourth round, and Vladar stop all four Canes to win and secure the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference in a 4-3 victory.
The Eastern Conference runs through Raleigh
Obviously, you'd like to earn two points to celebrate the moment, but I don't think the Carolina Hurricanes should get too down on themselves after their performance tonight. They did all of their damage in the first period, and Nikolaj Ehlers was in the middle of it. He set up the first goal before scoring the second, reaching 70 points in the process.
With their work during the opening 20 minutes, a season's worth of effort and battling got them to the top of the mountain for the regular season. As we know, that's not the end goal for this team, and it never has been, but they've put themselves in the best position they can for the postseason. I'll never overreact to a shootout loss, especially since there aren't any in the playoffs.
Bussi made his case, and it was a very strong one
After wins in Chicago and Utah for Frederik Andersen, it felt like the debate for which goalie would get the start in Game 1 was pretty much over, but Brandon Bussi would get his chance to make his case to create some doubt. I thought he played a stellar game tonight. I can't point fingers at him for either goal, and he prevented many more from materializing.
Bussi was forced to withstand some early pressure, and he stood tall on a few Grade-A chances over the final 25 minutes. The game came down to the skills competition, and he was one save worse than Dan Vladar. That's just how it goes sometimes. I don't think it was enough for him to usurp Andersen for the opener, but that doesn't mean we won't see him in the net in the first round.
Additional Thoughts
There were so many good performances tonight that both did and didn't show up on the scoresheet. Bradly Nadeau scored a goal and was given every chance to showcase why he's ready for the NHL full-time. K'Andre Miller was a madman with his stick, breaking up a ton of chances. Jackson Blake was electric as well, even without finding the back of the net, though he picked up a helper.
We had one scary moment with Jalen Chatfield in the third period after he was hammered by Owen Tippett. He'd missed the last two games, and he briefly went down the tunnel before returning to the game a little later. I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if he's not on the ice tomorrow night against the Islanders as a precaution.
Up Next: Speaking of which, tomorrow's game has now been rendered pretty much meaningless. Game #82 comes from Long Island, where the Islanders had already been eliminated before tonight's game solidified the Eastern Conference. We'll likely see the NHL debut of Felix Unger Sorum after his call-up today, and Pyotr Kochetkov could get some NHL action for the first time since December.
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