Hurricanes aim to change fortunes in Eastern Final after sweep of Flyers

PHILADELPHIA -- There was plenty to celebrate in the joyous Carolina Hurricanes locker room following their 3-2 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday.

That’s what comes with being the first team to sweep its first two series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the NHL adopted the best-of-7 format in all four rounds in 1987.

Of course, there was Jackson Blake’s winning goal 5:31 into overtime, which capped another tour de force game for his line with Taylor Hall and Logan Stankoven. There was Frederik Andersen’s continued brilliance in net and defenseman Sean Walker returning from a whirlwind trip home for the birth of his daughter, Quinn, on Friday in time to help the Hurricanes close out another series.

There was even a yell from the players after they learned they’d have the next “Two days off!” from practice.

Above all of that, though, was earning a spot in the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive season and third time in four seasons. 

The Hurricanes weren’t taking it for granted as they began what could be a long wait to see who they play next -- the Montreal Canadiens or the Buffalo Sabres.

“It's a huge accomplishment, and, right now, you need to soak that part of it in because it is (huge),” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “The season is so long. There's that 82-game season we talk about that no one really gives as much credit for, and yet this team has played well for eight months. It didn't just get hot at the end. It's been night in and night out like this, and to me that's probably the thing I am most proud of with this group. 

“And now, here we are. We’ve got to find a way to get that next step. And that's obviously easier said than done.”

The Hurricanes know that well. This will be the fourth time they will play in the conference final in their eight seasons under Brind’Amour. They won a total of one game in the round during their previous three (1-12), though. 

That was a 3-0 victory in Game 4 against the Florida Panthers last season after losing the first three games of that series and being swept by the Panthers in the 2023 conference final and by the Boston Bruins in the 2019 conference final.

The Panthers, who went to the Stanley Cup Final three straight seasons and won the past two, are no longer standing in the Hurricanes’ way after not qualifying for the playoffs this season. Carolina still needs to prove this team is different from its predecessors, though, by getting past whoever it plays next to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since winning the Cup in 2006.

“You’ve got to take it one step at a time, and this is just another step in the process,” defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “We’ve got a good group in here who's all been there before now, and everyone knows what to expect and knows what is expected of us. 

“So, we’ve got to make sure we go in with the right mindset and continue to just chip away and work hard like we do.”

What the Hurricanes have done so far is beyond impressive. The only team in NHL history to open a playoff year with more consecutive wins is the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers, who won their first nine games on the way to winning the Stanley Cup.

Carolina’s advantage in experience showed throughout its first-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators and, again, against Philadelphia, a young team making its first playoff appearance since 2020. As in the Hurricanes’ 3-2 overtime victory in Game 2, the Flyers took an early lead, with Tyson Foerster scoring 7:50 into the first period, and pushed hard.

The Hurricanes took control after the first intermission, outshooting the Flyers 32-12 over the remainder of the game. After being held without a point for the first time in the playoffs in Carolina’s 4-1 win in Game 3, the line of Hall (three assists), Stankoven (goal) and Blake (two goals, one assist) led the way offensively again. 

And Andersen was steady as usual, stopping 15 of 17 shots, to improve to 8-0 in the playoffs without allowing more than two goals in any of the eight games.

After Blake tied the score 1-1 at 12:35 of the second period and Stankoven gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead 4:13 into the third, the Flyers responded to retie it with a goal from Alex Bump in front at 5:52. The relentless Hurricanes kept coming at the Flyers, though, and it paid off in overtime.

Slavin forced a turnover in the neutral zone that led to a 3-on-2 counter rush and Hall feeding Blake for a shot from the high slot that went off goalie Dan Vladar’s catching glove and left shoulder before dropping into the net to end the series, again, in the minimum number of games.

“Every series is just a race to four,” Andersen said. “I think that's our mindset. We want to win the next one and, however way we've got to do it, I think that's really the focus.”

The Hurricanes will get a break now to rest and prepare to face either the Canadiens or Sabres, who play Game 3 of their series in Montreal on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN) with the series tied 1-1. While they wait, they have reasons to feel good about how far they’ve gotten already.

But, because they’ve been this far before, they also know their season will be judged by what happens next.

“I know one thing: They're going to give that same effort,” Brind’Amour said of his players. “And that's what we have to have.”