Hurricanes Have Chance to Clinch Playoff Berth

The Carolina Hurricanes have a chance to seal their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Mar 25, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (20) looks on against the Nashville Predators during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / James Guillory-Imagn Images

The Carolina Hurricanes have been hot picks for Stanley Cup champions for the past few seasons, but they’ve never been able to get over the playoff hump. They’ll likely get another crack at the Cup in 2025 and are on the cusp of clinching their spot in the postseason.

Heading into their meeting with the New York Islanders, the Hurricanes may have a chance to clinch a playoff berth. If the Montreal Canadiens lose to the Florida Panthers in their afternoon game, the Hurricanes will just need to seal a win over the Islanders to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The outcome of today's @NHLNetwork Showcase game between the Canadiens and Panthers will impact whether the @Canes and @MapleLeafs will have a shot at securing spots in the #StanleyCup Playoffs when they play later Sunday. #NHLStats: https://t.co/e6pHqYeyqp pic.twitter.com/wciRrDM8me

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) March 30, 2025

The Hurricanes could be the fourth team to seal their spot in the playoffs after the Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets, and most recently the Dallas Stars.

With a 44-24-4 record for 92 standings points, the Hurricanes once again look like a strong candidate for a deep playoff run. They may have fumbled their time with Mikko Rantanen, but they’ve put that in the past and are looking forward to contention in the playoffs.

Sebastian Aho leads the way for the Hurricanes on offense with 27 goals and 39 assists for a team-leading 66 points. The Hurricanes have been producing by committee, though with 10 players notching 30 or more points on the year.

The goaltending has been rocky for most of the Hurricanes’ season, but with Frederik Andersen healthy again, he’s back on track as one of the league’s top veteran netminders. In 17 games played, Andersen has a 12-5-0 record with a .919 save percentage and 2.01 goals against average.

Pyotr Kochetkov has backstopped the Hurricanes for most of the season with 42 games played and a 25-13-3 record.

The Hurricanes may not have been pleased with the Rantanen situation, but that first blockbuster deal did also land them Taylor Hall, who has been a solid face in their lineup. In 22 games with the Hurricanes, Hall has notched eight goals and five assists for 13 total points.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are right around the corner and the Hurricanes are looking to finally break through and show they can be a fearsome playoff team for years to come.

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