RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- For a seventh straight year, the Carolina Hurricanes are in the National Hockey League playoffs. The Canes clinched a spot on Wednesday, April 3, after beating the Washington Capitals in Raleigh.
The Hurricanes will head to New Jersey with a 2-0 series lead against the New Jersey Devils.
The loudest home arenas in the NHL was packed and the Canes didn't disappoint the Caniacs. New Jersey scored first and it was their only goal.
Jordan Martinook scored a go-ahead shorthanded goal in the second period and Frederik Andersen came up big in net all night to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Tuesday for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Shayne Gostisbehere also scored in the second for Carolina, while Seth Jarvis added a clinching empty-net breakaway goal in the final minute. That was enough for the Hurricanes, who had a much tougher fight on their hands against the shorthanded Devils than in a Game 1 romp.
Andersen stood up for 25 saves and didn't allow the Devils to find the back of the net for the final 56 minutes, including a big stop on a shot by Nathan Bastian with about 6 minutes left.
Jesper Bratt scored the Devils' lone goal while Jacob Markstrom finished with 25 saves for New Jersey.
The next game is Friday, April 25, at the Devils' home arena.
Logan Stankoven scored two second-period goals in his first playoff game with Carolina as the Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Sunday to open their first-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Jalen Chatfield scored a first-period goal for the Hurricanes, who carried a 3-0 lead late into the second period and kept consistent pressure on Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net clincher late in the third.
Frederik Andersen finished with 23 saves for Carolina, including a key stop on Timo Meier near the crease midway through the third. The Hurricanes also turned away a Devils power play with about eight minutes left to stay in firm control.
Nico Hischier got New Jersey on the board by taking Jesper Bratt's cross-ice pass and blasting the puck past Andersen during a 4-on-4 chance.
Markstrom finished with 41 saves on what turned out to be a rough afternoon physically for the Devils, who saw defenseman Brenden Dillon skating to the tunnel in the second period, then fellow blue-liner Luke Hughes and forward Cody Glass skating off after a single chaotic sequence in the third.
It was a quality start for Carolina, which had lost seven of its last eight regular-season games since clinching its seventh straight playoff trip on April 3. In that sense, it had been a long wait to get to the playoffs - and be healthy, at that - for the Hurricanes.
Carolina finished with a 45-24 shot advantage.
Chatfield got the Hurricanes off to a quick start with a goal just 2:24 into the game. Then it was a big day for Stankoven, who was the primary return in a trade-deadline deal that allowed Carolina to pivot out of its big-swing January addition of scoring winger Mikko Rantanen.
Stankoven first zipped the puck past Markstrom off a feed from Jordan Martinook, who had forced Hischier into a turnover along the boards, at 6:37 of the second. He struck again on the power play, with Stankoven blasting a shot past Markstrom and off the inside of the left post for the 3-0 edge.
Tickets for round one games of the NHL playoffs went on sale on Thursday, Apr. 10. The Hurricanes said in a news release that there are tickets still available for game 1.
Click on Raise Up for more information about Hurricanes playoff tickets or call 1-866-NHL-CANES (1-866-645-2263).
Carolina owns a 45-26 all-time postseason record at Lenovo Center and has won 12 of its last 15 playoff series starting on home ice dating back to 2002. The Hurricanes finished second in the Metropolitan Division and are making their seventh consecutive playoff appearance for the first time in the franchise's history in North Carolina.
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