PHILADELPHIA (WTVD) — The Carolina Hurricanes remain undefeated in the 2026 NHL Playoffs and take a 2-0 second-round series lead into Philadelphia on Thursday night.
The Canes won both games at home, the last one in a 3-2 overtime thriller on Monday night.
“We don’t quit. I think we’ve shown that all year,” said Carolina winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who had a goal and assisted on the tying score in the third period. “If we keep playing the right way and keep putting a lot of pressure on their players, every single shift, we will get back to playing some pretty good hockey and creating a lot of turnovers, a lot of good chances. You want adversity. We had that in the Ottawa series as well, because it’s going to happen again. And now we know what we need to do for the next time it happens.”
Logan Stankoven has scored eight goals with four assists in the past 10 games and has been a revelation in the postseason.
The Hurricanes had at least one clear area to clean up: penalties. Carolina committed eight in Game 2 – two for delay of game for putting pucks over the glass, one for too many men on the ice – and had a steady line of players heading to the penalty box.
The penalty kill was good enough to hold Philadelphia to a 1-for-7 showing Monday, pushing Carolina to 30 for 32 (.938) this postseason. Coach Rod Brind’Amour, however, said the rash of penalties “kills your team, kills your momentum, kills everything.”
“We’re taking too many,” the coach said. “The ones that are self-inflicted for me – the over the glass, little tic-tac ones – you’ve got to avoid these. Too many men. We’ve had too many of those here. We’ve gotten away with it, because we’ve been able to kill it. But it’s not how you draw it up.”
The Hurricanes come into the game fully healthy, with no players listed on the injury report.
This story will be updated.
– The Associated Press contributed.
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