The Carolina Hurricanes punched their ticket to the postseason, defeating the Washington Capitals in a hot-blooded 5-1 blowout Wednesday night at Lenovo Center.
Sean Walker, Jackson Blake (x2), Seth Jarvis and Logan Stankoven all scored for the Canes while Frederik Andersen stopped 20 shots in the win.
After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour along with Jarvis, Blake and Stankoven spoke with the media. Here’s what they had to say:
Rod Brind’Amour
On the game: Yeah, we were missing some guys, but it was just a good team effort. I thought everybody was contributing, doing their job and we capitalized. We were able to score some goals on some good chances that we had, especially early. Getting ahead, against that team, that’s the way you have to do it because it’s tough to come back when you get behind.
On if games like this can bring teams together: I don’t know. That’s what you always say when you win the game and there’s a couple scraps. We’re pretty tight already. I don’t know if that made it any better, but I think like we said, we know now that we’re in. That was official and I like that we went and took it. We didn’t just get it handed to us. So it was a good game, good effort. Listen, they played last night. I don’t know what they’re really playing for anymore. Maybe first overall, but everybody knows. That’s probably why we caught them at the start.
On Logan Stankoven getting physical with Tom Wilson: That’s about as much of a mismatch as there can be in the league probably. Give him credit, I guess. I don’t know. He hung in there, did his best.
On Alex Ovechkin inching closer to the goal record: Kind of forgot about that whole aspect of the game. Didn’t love the calls on that to begin the 5v3, to be honest, but it’s just the classic way he scores, right? I mean, we see 100 of those every year basically in that exact same spot. You have to give him credit, he’s the best at it. Of those that have ever played, to score in that spot. He’s gonna get it, just a matter of time.
On special teams: That was the difference in the game, right? At the start for sure. Got a couple quick ones on the power play and then I thought we did a good job on the kill and then 5v3 is a tough ask. But that was probably the difference in the game.
On if all the Ovechkin attention motivated the locker room to send a message: Not really. We didn’t really talk about it much. Like, we know it’s coming. We know we still have a job to do. I think every night you don’t want them to score, so you’re always trying to give your best effort. I don’t think that really had anything to do with it. I think just where we are in the standings and what was at stake for us tonight to kind of take that next step was the motivator.
On Frederik Andersen: He was good. I thought he was really good. There was a couple times where they got in alone and he made a good save at the right time. Like, to me, that’s what it’s all about. If they get the first one or they get one to tie it up, it’s just a different feel and he was solid early. That’s what you have to have.
On Jackson Blake heating up: I mean, you watched it. He was one of the better players in [his scoreless] 20-game stretch, so it was very strange that he hadn’t scored. When you brought it up, I was kind of shocked that it had been that long because it feels, when you watch his game, that he would have had a lot more. So maybe it’s just starting to even out a little more. We know he’s always around it and has played really well.
On Andrei Svechnikov’s status: I don’t think it’s too serious. It was just, again, we’re in that situation where it didn’t feel right so we just took him out. We’ll know more tomorrow hopefully. Hopefully it’s not serious.
On if the physicality was maybe due to both teams looking ahead to a potential playoff matchup: Maybe if that’s what they think, but not for us at this point. They’re at a different point. They have been for a month. We knew that we had been too technically, but not technically. Tonight, our focus was on getting the win, getting it done and taking care of the job, getting in the playoffs. So now we know that that part’s done and that was the focus tonight.
On how the Jesperi Kotkaniemi line matched up against Washington’s top line: They had a tough matchup. That’s obviously elite players there that they were going against. I think everyone though, all our lines matched up well tonight even if they might have looked on paper like a mismatch. I thought we did okay, clearly.
Seth Jarvis
On clinching a playoff berth: [Clinching] the playoffs is awesome. It’s something we’ve played for all year and to clinch tonight was huge and the way we did it was awesome.
On the extra curriculars in the game: That’s hockey. It’s fun, it’s competitive. At some point, you just kind of want to go home, but yeah. Everyone was sticking up for each other and I’m really, really proud of the guys in here and how we handled that. Not taking any stuff from the other team.
On Alex Ovechkin getting closer to the record: There you go. I mean, it’s only a matter of time. He was in his spot 5v3 and I feel like you can almost count that before it happens, but yeah. Thankfully we’re not the final goal. You don’t like getting scored on, but that was a little bit of a cool one.
On the power play: I told you before, the power play is kind of hot right now. We’re starting to figure it out a little bit more. I think we’ve all been kind of in the same spots now for a little while so we’re all getting comfortable with each other. It’s nice to see we’re scoring different ways on the power play.
On Frederik Andersen’s play: Freddie was amazing again, especially early on. They had a few really good chances in the second when they kind of made their push and I thought he stood on his head and was a big reason why we won.
On Logan Stankoven standing up to Tom Wilson: They’ve been playing great. Since Stanky got here and Blaker’s been playing great all year. I love that for Stanky. He’s putting on for us little guys. He did a great job of standing in there. That’s just no fear and that’s a big part of being a smaller player in the NHL. I think there’s no bigger showcase than probably going against Tom Wilson in a scenario like that.
On if the team wanted to send a message with all the focus being on Ovechkin as of late: I mean, everyone knows what’s going on. He’s got camera crews following him everywhere. Gary Bettman is following him everywhere. It’s fun to watch, but our focus was on clinching the playoffs tonight and we’re really happy that that is what we did.
On if he was itching to get into any fights: I’m just out there to protect Fishy. I’m not letting anyone touch Fishy.
Jackson Blake
On the physicality: That was definitely a chaotic third period, but the boys ended up sticking up for themselves. That’s really cool to watch and it kind of motivates you, especially for me being a young guy. Seeing that stuff and seeing these guys and how much they care for this team. I don’t know if I’ve played in a game like that before, but it was cool to see what we did and how we stood up for ourselves.
On starting to find more of a scoring touch: I obviously just try to play my game and do the things that I can to help provide for this team and thankfully that one went in. It was a great faceoff play by Jarvy there just getting it to me and I just had one guy to beat and then the goalie. That one felt good obviously. Like you said, I was definitely snake bitten for a while there and so to get these are nice, but hopefully I’ll just keep on going.
On the game: That team is just so good. One of the best in the league. The score was 5-1 or whatever, but it was still a pretty back-and-forth game. We just capitalized on our chances and stuff. Ovechkin, I mean, I grew up watching him and that one-timer he had tonight, I don’t know how you defend that honestly. That was obviously a huge win for us, clinched a spot in the playoffs and hopefully will just keep going and build momentum down the stretch.
On the game being a lot different than games in college: College, we wear the masks, so that kind of prevents [fighting] a little bit. Obviously we still have a lot of competitive games like this and stuff like that, but I definitely haven’t been in something like this yet this year. Obviously there’s been some fights and stuff, but I couldn’t even keep track. I knew every five seconds it felt like someone else was going out. It was a cool, fun experience to play. Kind of feels like playoff hockey a little bit. Obviously I haven’t played, but I’ve watched and I’m sure that’s what it’s like.
On if the team wanted to send a message with all the focus being on Ovechkin as of late: I think we were just focused on our team tonight. Obviously we knew it was going to be a hard fought game. Like I said, they’re one of the best teams in the league for a reason and we played our game tonight. We played a full 60 tonight, didn’t make a lot of mistakes tonight and we capitalized on our chances. So it was a really fun game and hopefully we can keep that going.
Logan Stankoven
On scuffling with Tom Wilson: I just think it doesn’t matter who it is. If guys are going to push our guys around, then I’m going to be there to step in. Obviously I’m a smaller guy and I’m not looking to stir anything up, but I think I’m going to stand my ground and stand up for my teammates.
On what a game like this says about the team: I think we just stuck together. It’s a really tight group in here and they’ve been really welcoming to me since I was traded here. I think just the situation, where if I need to stand up for guys, then I’ll go in there and stand my ground.
On the team culture: It’s really exciting. It’s so hard to win in this league and to get into the playoffs. Any night, anyone can beat any team so I think that when you do clinch the playoffs, it’s a great feeling. It’s exciting to be a part of this group and hopefully we can have a good finish down the stretch here and then into the playoffs.
On Jack Roslovic’s setup for his goal: Really nice pass. I was just trying to get onside and then I saw I kind of had a step on my guy and Rosey made a great play through to me. Great play by him.
On putting together a bit of a goal scoring streak: It’s nice to get rewarded. I just try to go out there and play the same way each game and be competitive and win my battles. It’s nice to see the puck go in.
On Alex Ovechkin: He’s chasing down an incredible record and as much as everyone wants to see him get it, we don’t want him to get it against us. So I think, especially when he’s on the power play, we had to stay on him and make sure he doesn’t get the one-timers off. He’s got an amazing shot.
On his line getting top defensive assignments: It’s nice to be relied upon like that. I think when you can be responsible in your own zone, the rest can kind of take care of itself and I think our line has some good chemistry going and hopefully we can keep building on that.
As media was leaving the locker rooms, Kochetkov patted Stankoven on the back saying, “You’re the f–king man, huh?”
— Ryan Henkel (@RyanHenkel_) April 3, 2025
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The Carolina Hurricanes punched their ticket to the postseason, defeating the Washington Capitals in a hot-blooded 5-1 blowout Wednesday night at Lenovo Center.
Sean Walker, Jackson Blake (x2), Seth Jarvis and Logan Stankoven all scored for the Canes while Frederik Andersen stopped 20 shots in the win.
After the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour along with Jarvis, Blake and Stankoven spoke with the media. Here’s what they had to say:
Rod Brind’Amour
On the game: Yeah, we were missing some guys, but it was just a good team effort. I thought everybody was contributing, doing their job and we capitalized. We were able to score some goals on some good chances that we had, especially early. Getting ahead, against that team, that’s the way you have to do it because it’s tough to come back when you get behind.
On if games like this can bring teams together: I don’t know. That’s what you always say when you win the game and there’s a couple scraps. We’re pretty tight already. I don’t know if that made it any better, but I think like we said, we know now that we’re in. That was official and I like that we went and took it. We didn’t just get it handed to us. So it was a good game, good effort. Listen, they played last night. I don’t know what they’re really playing for anymore. Maybe first overall, but everybody knows. That’s probably why we caught them at the start.
On Logan Stankoven getting physical with Tom Wilson: That’s about as much of a mismatch as there can be in the league probably. Give him credit, I guess. I don’t know. He hung in there, did his best.
On Alex Ovechkin inching closer to the goal record: Kind of forgot about that whole aspect of the game. Didn’t love the calls on that to begin the 5v3, to be honest, but it’s just the classic way he scores, right? I mean, we see 100 of those every year basically in that exact same spot. You have to give him credit, he’s the best at it. Of those that have ever played, to score in that spot. He’s gonna get it, just a matter of time.
On special teams: That was the difference in the game, right? At the start for sure. Got a couple quick ones on the power play and then I thought we did a good job on the kill and then 5v3 is a tough ask. But that was probably the difference in the game.
On if all the Ovechkin attention motivated the locker room to send a message: Not really. We didn’t really talk about it much. Like, we know it’s coming. We know we still have a job to do. I think every night you don’t want them to score, so you’re always trying to give your best effort. I don’t think that really had anything to do with it. I think just where we are in the standings and what was at stake for us tonight to kind of take that next step was the motivator.
On Frederik Andersen: He was good. I thought he was really good. There was a couple times where they got in alone and he made a good save at the right time. Like, to me, that’s what it’s all about. If they get the first one or they get one to tie it up, it’s just a different feel and he was solid early. That’s what you have to have.
On Jackson Blake heating up: I mean, you watched it. He was one of the better players in [his scoreless] 20-game stretch, so it was very strange that he hadn’t scored. When you brought it up, I was kind of shocked that it had been that long because it feels, when you watch his game, that he would have had a lot more. So maybe it’s just starting to even out a little more. We know he’s always around it and has played really well.
On Andrei Svechnikov’s status: I don’t think it’s too serious. It was just, again, we’re in that situation where it didn’t feel right so we just took him out. We’ll know more tomorrow hopefully. Hopefully it’s not serious.
On if the physicality was maybe due to both teams looking ahead to a potential playoff matchup: Maybe if that’s what they think, but not for us at this point. They’re at a different point. They have been for a month. We knew that we had been too technically, but not technically. Tonight, our focus was on getting the win, getting it done and taking care of the job, getting in the playoffs. So now we know that that part’s done and that was the focus tonight.
On how the Jesperi Kotkaniemi line matched up against Washington’s top line: They had a tough matchup. That’s obviously elite players there that they were going against. I think everyone though, all our lines matched up well tonight even if they might have looked on paper like a mismatch. I thought we did okay, clearly.
Seth Jarvis
On clinching a playoff berth: [Clinching] the playoffs is awesome. It’s something we’ve played for all year and to clinch tonight was huge and the way we did it was awesome.
On the extra curriculars in the game: That’s hockey. It’s fun, it’s competitive. At some point, you just kind of want to go home, but yeah. Everyone was sticking up for each other and I’m really, really proud of the guys in here and how we handled that. Not taking any stuff from the other team.
On Alex Ovechkin getting closer to the record: There you go. I mean, it’s only a matter of time. He was in his spot 5v3 and I feel like you can almost count that before it happens, but yeah. Thankfully we’re not the final goal. You don’t like getting scored on, but that was a little bit of a cool one.
On the power play: I told you before, the power play is kind of hot right now. We’re starting to figure it out a little bit more. I think we’ve all been kind of in the same spots now for a little while so we’re all getting comfortable with each other. It’s nice to see we’re scoring different ways on the power play.
On Frederik Andersen’s play: Freddie was amazing again, especially early on. They had a few really good chances in the second when they kind of made their push and I thought he stood on his head and was a big reason why we won.
On Logan Stankoven standing up to Tom Wilson: They’ve been playing great. Since Stanky got here and Blaker’s been playing great all year. I love that for Stanky. He’s putting on for us little guys. He did a great job of standing in there. That’s just no fear and that’s a big part of being a smaller player in the NHL. I think there’s no bigger showcase than probably going against Tom Wilson in a scenario like that.
On if the team wanted to send a message with all the focus being on Ovechkin as of late: I mean, everyone knows what’s going on. He’s got camera crews following him everywhere. Gary Bettman is following him everywhere. It’s fun to watch, but our focus was on clinching the playoffs tonight and we’re really happy that that is what we did.
On if he was itching to get into any fights: I’m just out there to protect Fishy. I’m not letting anyone touch Fishy.
Jackson Blake
On the physicality: That was definitely a chaotic third period, but the boys ended up sticking up for themselves. That’s really cool to watch and it kind of motivates you, especially for me being a young guy. Seeing that stuff and seeing these guys and how much they care for this team. I don’t know if I’ve played in a game like that before, but it was cool to see what we did and how we stood up for ourselves.
On starting to find more of a scoring touch: I obviously just try to play my game and do the things that I can to help provide for this team and thankfully that one went in. It was a great faceoff play by Jarvy there just getting it to me and I just had one guy to beat and then the goalie. That one felt good obviously. Like you said, I was definitely snake bitten for a while there and so to get these are nice, but hopefully I’ll just keep on going.
On the game: That team is just so good. One of the best in the league. The score was 5-1 or whatever, but it was still a pretty back-and-forth game. We just capitalized on our chances and stuff. Ovechkin, I mean, I grew up watching him and that one-timer he had tonight, I don’t know how you defend that honestly. That was obviously a huge win for us, clinched a spot in the playoffs and hopefully will just keep going and build momentum down the stretch.
On the game being a lot different than games in college: College, we wear the masks, so that kind of prevents [fighting] a little bit. Obviously we still have a lot of competitive games like this and stuff like that, but I definitely haven’t been in something like this yet this year. Obviously there’s been some fights and stuff, but I couldn’t even keep track. I knew every five seconds it felt like someone else was going out. It was a cool, fun experience to play. Kind of feels like playoff hockey a little bit. Obviously I haven’t played, but I’ve watched and I’m sure that’s what it’s like.
On if the team wanted to send a message with all the focus being on Ovechkin as of late: I think we were just focused on our team tonight. Obviously we knew it was going to be a hard fought game. Like I said, they’re one of the best teams in the league for a reason and we played our game tonight. We played a full 60 tonight, didn’t make a lot of mistakes tonight and we capitalized on our chances. So it was a really fun game and hopefully we can keep that going.
Logan Stankoven
On scuffling with Tom Wilson: I just think it doesn’t matter who it is. If guys are going to push our guys around, then I’m going to be there to step in. Obviously I’m a smaller guy and I’m not looking to stir anything up, but I think I’m going to stand my ground and stand up for my teammates.
On what a game like this says about the team: I think we just stuck together. It’s a really tight group in here and they’ve been really welcoming to me since I was traded here. I think just the situation, where if I need to stand up for guys, then I’ll go in there and stand my ground.
On the team culture: It’s really exciting. It’s so hard to win in this league and to get into the playoffs. Any night, anyone can beat any team so I think that when you do clinch the playoffs, it’s a great feeling. It’s exciting to be a part of this group and hopefully we can have a good finish down the stretch here and then into the playoffs.
On Jack Roslovic’s setup for his goal: Really nice pass. I was just trying to get onside and then I saw I kind of had a step on my guy and Rosey made a great play through to me. Great play by him.
On putting together a bit of a goal scoring streak: It’s nice to get rewarded. I just try to go out there and play the same way each game and be competitive and win my battles. It’s nice to see the puck go in.
On Alex Ovechkin: He’s chasing down an incredible record and as much as everyone wants to see him get it, we don’t want him to get it against us. So I think, especially when he’s on the power play, we had to stay on him and make sure he doesn’t get the one-timers off. He’s got an amazing shot.
On his line getting top defensive assignments: It’s nice to be relied upon like that. I think when you can be responsible in your own zone, the rest can kind of take care of itself and I think our line has some good chemistry going and hopefully we can keep building on that.
As media was leaving the locker rooms, Kochetkov patted Stankoven on the back saying, “You’re the f–king man, huh?”
— Ryan Henkel (@RyanHenkel_) April 3, 2025
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
