NHL Archives - WPTF-AM

Reigning Stanley Cup champ Florida Panthers beat Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 in Eastern final opener

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carter Verhaeghe and Aaron Ekblad scored two tone-setting first-period goals while Sergei Bobrovsky remained strong in net as the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 in Tuesday night’s opener of their Eastern Conference final series. A.J. Greer added a goal by finishing off a perfect 2-on-1 transition chance in the second period for Florida. Sam Bennett and Eetu Luostarinen scored in the third period. Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake scored Carolina’s lone goals in the opener of a series that is a rematch of the 2023 Eastern final. Game 2 is Thursday night at Carolina.… Continue Reading

The Carolina Hurricanes keep leaning on their penalty kill in another deep postseason push

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes continue to lean on a reliable penalty kill in their latest playoff run. The Hurricanes have been the No. 1 kill through the past seven regular seasons of coach Rod Brind’Amour’s tenure. That unit has stepped up to deny 28 of 30 power plays in two rounds this postseason. They also have a shorthanded goal. The Hurricanes are back in the Eastern Conference final for the second time in three seasons. They’ll face the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers… Continue Reading

Svechnikov breaks late tie as the Hurricanes beat the Capitals to reach Eastern Conference final

WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov scored the go-ahead goal with just under two minutes left and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 in Game 5 on Thursday night, winning the second-round series and advancing to the Eastern Conference final for a second time in three years. Captain Jordan Staal got his first goal of the playoffs, and Frederik Andersen stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced, including several on Alex Ovechkin. After a give and go with defenseman Sean Walker, Svechnikov’s shot got through Logan Thompson from a bad angle with 1:59 remaining, and that was the difference in a game that was back and forth. Seth Jarvis sealed it with an empty-net goal with 26.1 seconds remaining.… Continue Reading

Hurricanes and Stars ride stellar special teams to the verge of the conference finals

The Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars are each one win away from winning their second-round series and moving on to the conference finals. Carolina is up 3-1 on Washington and Dallas up 3-1 on Winnipeg and have gotten to this point thanks to some of the best special teams play in the NHL playoffs. They have the top two power plays and penalty kills among the teams that made it past the first round. Scoring with the man advantage and preventing goals on the kill is a big reason they’re on the verge of eliminating the Capitals and Jets.… Continue Reading

Walker, Svechnikov score late as Hurricanes push Capitals to brink of elimination in 5-2 win

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sean Walker scored late and Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net clincher to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Monday night for a 3-1 lead in their second-round playoff series. Walker’s score came at the 16:45 mark of the third period after the Capitals had pulled to within 3-2 on Alex Ovechkin’s one-timer on a 5-on-3 power play. Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist, while Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis also scored. Jakob Chychrun also scored for Washington. The series shifts back to Washington for Game 5 on Thursday with the Capitals facing elimination.… Continue Reading

Svechnikov, Andersen lead Hurricanes past Capitals 4-0 in Game 3 of 2nd-round playoff series

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov pounced on a loose faceoff puck for his sixth postseason goal to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 4-0 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series. Frederik Andersen had 21 saves in the shutout. Jack Roslovic scored a power-play goal late in the second for Carolina, while Eric Robinson and Jackson Blake each had third-period goals. Logan Thompson finished with 24 saves for Washington. The Capitals managed just 10 shots through the final 39+ minutes of the game. Game 4 is Monday night in Raleigh.… Continue Reading

Hurricanes return home for Game 3 matchup with Capitals after splitting two road games

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes return home for Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals having split the first two games on the road. The Hurricanes dominated play through the overtime win in Game 1. The Capitals were better in Game 2, though the Hurricanes kept the pressure on with a stream of shots fired at Logan Thompson in net. Coach Rod Brind’Amour says he likes the way Carolina has played through those two games. Saturday’s schedule also includes Edmonton returning home with a 2-0 series lead against Vegas.… Continue Reading

Devils struggle on power play again, penalty-kill gives up 4th goal in Game 4 loss to Hurricanes

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Devils had the top special teams units in the NHL this season. Things haven’t worked out so well in the playoffs, and they are now one loss away from elimination. The Devils were third on the power play at a franchise-record 28.2% during the regular season but went 0 for 2 in their 5-2 loss in Game 4 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday that dropped them to a 3-1 deficit in the first-round series. New Jersey is now 0 for 12 with the man-advantage against Carolina, which had the NHL’s top penalty-kill at 83.6%. New Jersey remained the only playoff team without a power-play goal.… Continue Reading

Martinook, Andersen help Hurricanes push past Devils 3-1 for 2-0 lead in 1st-round playoff series

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Martinook scored a go-ahead shorthanded goal in the second period to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Frederik Andersen had a big night in net with 25 saves and several big stops. Shayne Gostisbehere also scored in the second period for Carolina, while Seth Jarvis added a clinching empty-net breakaway goal. Jesper Bratt had New Jersey’s lone goal in the opening minutes of the game. Jacob Markstrom had 25 saves for the Devils. Game 3 is in Newark on Friday.… Continue Reading

Stankoven strikes twice in playoff debut with Carolina as Hurricanes beat Devils

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Logan Stankoven provided an immediate jolt in his first playoff game with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 22-year-old forward scored twice in the second period Sunday to help the Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 in the opener of their first-round playoff series. It was part of a strong debut that included his work on the Hurricanes’ top defensive forward line with captain Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook. Stankoven’s second goal came on the power play and gave Carolina a 3-0 lead.… Continue Reading