Andersen posts shutout, Hurricanes clinch playoff berth with win over Red Wings

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes clinched another playoff berth and they hardly even noticed.

Frederik Andersen made 24 saves, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis each had a goal and two assists, and the Hurricanes posted a 4-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.

“It’s kind of almost unfortunate that it gets overlooked a little because where we sit,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of securing a postseason spot. “You forget how hard that is to accomplish, and to do it with however many games left. I didn’t even think about it because it has been a foregone conclusion.”

Aho and Jarvis scored 57 seconds apart in Carolina’s four-goal second period, with Martin Necas and Brady Skjei adding the other goals. All four goals came in a 12-minute span. Jake Guentzel had two assists.

“We’ve done a good job cementing ourselves as a top team in this league,” Jarvis said.

Carolina will be in the postseason for the sixth consecutive season. It’s only the second time that has happened in franchise history, and the first time since the relocation from Hartford, Connecticut, in 1997.

“I should have mentioned it after the game to the guys because that is a big deal because that’s what we set out to do in September,” Brind’Amour said. “You have to get this part of the race finished.”

Andersen, who turned in his second shutout in his past five outings, improved to 7-0-0 since returning from an absence of more than four months.

The Red Wings are winless (0-2-1) on the first three stops of a five-game road trip. James Reimer stopped 29 shots against his former team. He had won his last three starts.

“They’re a team contending for a Stanley Cup right now, (and) know how to play,” Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot said. “I think it’s tough when we’re having a tough time finding the back of the net.”

It took 19 shots for the Hurricanes, who have points in eight of their last nine games, to get their first goal. Guentzel’s pass set up Aho for his team-leading 32nd of the season.

“We did a good job of just sticking with it for the most part and making it tough for them to come back,” Jarvis said.

Jarvis, who has eight goals in a nine-game stretch, outraced the Red Wings to get in position to take a pass from Aho on the Hurricanes’ second power play of the game. Aho collected his 300th career assist on the sequence, moving ahead of Brind’Amour and into third place on the franchise’s career list.

Evgeny Kuznetsov slid the puck between the skates of Detroit center Robby Fabbri to set up Necas’ 23rd goal of the season. Skjei’s goal capped Carolina’s scoring burst.

The Red Wings played without forwards Patrick Kane and Austin Czarnik because of illnesses. Kane, who hadn’t missed a game since January, had three goals in the past four games, giving him 40 points in 41 games this season.

“We were going to be up against it considering where our lineup was,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “At the same time, we get through the first period. I know the shots were very lopsided, but that’s who they are.”

UP NEXT

Red Wings: At Florida on Saturday.

Hurricanes: At Montreal on Saturday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl