One
The Hurricanes have been playing for their playoff lives since Dec. 31. It was a three-month grind, but the Canes surged their way up the Eastern Conference standings and put themselves square in the playoff mix.
It culminated on Thursday night with a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils, and, coupled with a Montreal loss in Washington, the Canes got to celebrate their first playoff berth in 10 years in front of their fans at a euphoric PNC Arena.
It was an emotional night, to say the least.
"We're in! We're in! Yes! Yes! Woo!" Petr Mrazek shouted on the bench to the delight of an elated crowd.
"It's a special time," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said before tonight's regular-season finale. "Making the playoffs is not the goal, but it was a huge step. We're not done. That's the whole thing. We're trying to be the best."
So, after such a cathartic release, how was the team going to discover the emotional energy to play in game 82, the awkward gap-filler in between clinching and the playoffs beginning?
"We pushed so hard for so long to get to the point where you could say, 'OK, we're in the for the next phase.' Now you have this game that's sitting there that does mean something for sure. It could impact who we play, and that could be something pretty important. It's going to be tough. I know it," Brind'Amour said. "We know the one way we have to play, so that's how we hope we come out and give it our best."
Two
So, that's what the Hurricanes did: They came out, played their game and gave it their best.
It wasn't their best game by any stretch, but it was the best of what they could manage. And, they still captured two points in their 22nd road win of the season, a new franchise record.
"Good times find ways to win," Jordan Staal said. "It's about staying focused on what we had to accomplish."
"That was probably the toughest one all year. You could just feel it. The guys had pretty much given everything they had all year, and they knew we were in the playoffs. It was a tough game, even though there was stuff riding on it," Brind'Amour said. "I still give them credit. We came out and won a game. It certainly wasn't our best, but this group, they find ways right now."
Three
Perhaps playing a little looser with the knowledge they had already clinched a berth in the playoffs, the Hurricanes came out and earned a 2-0 lead.
Warren Foegele opened the scoring at the 9:20 mark of the first period with his second goal in as many games. After a centering feed bounced off Lucas Wallmark in between the circles, Foegele jumped on the loos puck to snap it blocker side past Carter Hart.
