The Anatomy of a Moment: The Carolina Hurricanes Return to the Playoffs After Nearly a Decade
By Ben Huffman
The Aftermath
On the ice, there was a delayed reaction from the players. Once they got wind of their guaranteed postseason appearance, the celebration began. The star of the night, Petr Mrazek, summed it up with one of the best bench interview moments in team history. His 36 stops against New Jersey on that night were tied for his second most during the season as he picked up his 23rd win.
The Hurricanes still had one last job to complete before beginning their quest for the Stanley Cup. In their season finale, they went on the road and beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 to clinch the top Wild Card spot in the East. This ensured they'd face the team that had helped them a few nights earlier, the Metropolitan Division winning and defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, in the first round
As for the Canadiens, their loss to the Capitals would prove to be the final straw. The next night, the Columbus Blue Jackets would beat the New York Rangers in a shootout to move two points ahead of Montreal with the tiebreaker in hand to clinch the final Wild Card spot and end Montreal's season. Both teams would go on to win their season finales, too, ending the season with Columbus two points ahead of Montreal in the standings.
For most of the Hurricanes' core that season, it was their first chance to experience playoff hockey. While Justin Williams, Jordan Staal, and Teuvo Teravainen had been there before, guys like Sebastian Aho, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, and Justin Faulk were finally getting their chances after years with the organization. Even though they'd be going into the playoffs as a big underdog against the defending champs, there was tons of fight in this group. Not only would it lead to a memorable run, but it was the first in a long line of postseason appearances for the team.