Logan Stankoven is currently the living, breathing embodiment of the chaos and suffocation that the Carolina Hurricanes are known for.
Their second line was the first line on the board against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night, as it has in every game this postseason. It was Stankoven who scored the first goal just 1:31 into the game – the third-fastest playoff goal in franchise history – as he extended his postseason-opening goal-streak to five, becoming the youngest player in NHL history to do so.
The next goal came off the stick of Jackson Blake at exactly 7:30 in the first period, helping Stankoven earn his second point of the game. Assists came from Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly, who interestingly scored his second point of the game, also assisting on Stankoven's goal.
As for Reilly, who was filling in for Alexander Nikishin after he failed to clear the NHL's concussion protocol, he had only 1:42 of ice time in three shifts when he played a crucial second game to help the Hurricanes advance. It was his first multi-point game since December 23, 2023, when he was with the New York Islanders – ironically, they were playing against the Hurricanes.
The third and final goal of the game was, once again, Stankoven's – the goal came on a wonderful pass from Seth Jarvis, assisted by Andrei Svechnikov. Stankoven had just come off the bench, and fell down while doing so, but that little mishap put him in the right place at the right time to find the back of the net.
When play resumed after the goal, Stankoven wasted no time in trying to get a hat trick – firing the puck over Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar immediately after winning the following faceoff. He didn't get that third goal, but the Snapperjacks certainly tried, tying Sean Couturier on goal for a game-leading five shots.
Frederik Andersen earns second shutout of postseason campaign
However, Stankoven certainly wasn't the only standout in the match.
Throughout his 60 minutes on the ice, Frederik Andersen turned away every shot he faced en route to a 19-save shutout. During an empty-net situation, he also responsibly missed a potential goaltender's chance with clear ice ahead. He may have taken a tripping penalty against Porter Marton, but he produced an incredibly disciplined performance in the Hurricanes' 3–0 win.
Saturday night is fight night'
A melee broke out at the Lenovo Center, slowly moving from silly to downright chaotic. In the first period, Nick Seiler playfully grabbed Jordan Martinook's stick and appeared to hit himself in the face on the Flyers power play...somehow.
Later, the aforementioned Marton trip from Andersen came when Jakob Slavin slid straight into the net.
But then, things turned dangerous.
In the final minute of the second period, Andrei Svechnikov took a hit on rookie Martone in a board battle for the puck, and Tyson Foster took a hard hit to the back of Andrei Svechnikov's right knee – the same knee that required surgery to repair a torn ACL in the 2022–23 season.
Svechnikov remained down due to Hurricanes head athletic trainer Doug Bennett running onto the ice, and the game was called for a five-minute major before review reduced it to a two-minute minor. Thankfully, Svechnikov did not go down the tunnel and was able to finish the game.
However, this was not the end of things. Rough penalties were given throughout the final frame, and an altercation between Jackson Blake and Trevor Zegras resulted in both of them receiving 10-minute misconducts with 8:14 left. It was the first misconduct of Jackson Blake's NHL career, and the second misconduct of Zegras' postseason following a Game 4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round One.
Less than two minutes later, Shayne Gostisbehere and Seiler were both given 10-minute misconducts for their moment of scuffling after an offside whistle.
By the end of the game, both teams had a combined 34 penalty minutes, equaling 68.
storm game notes
The Carolina Hurricanes are the fifth team in NHL history not to trail in their first five playoff games. The Washington Capitals were the last to do so in the 1986 postseason campaign, extending their series to six games.
With his sixth goal of the postseason, Logan Stankoven tied Matt Boldy and Brandon Hagel for the leaguewide lead. Both Boldy and Hagel have played one more game than Stankoven.
Of the 14 goals scored by the Hurricanes this postseason, 10 had at least one second-row player (Stankoven, Blake, Hall) on the scoresheet.
Notching his 24th postseason win with the Hurricanes, Anderson passed Cam Ward for most playoff wins in franchise history. Additionally, with his fourth postseason shutout with the Hurricanes, Anderson tied Ward for the most in franchise history. Rock on, Freddy.
