FREDERIK ANDERSEN

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta has proven critical to the team's chances as they advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The NHL is wrapping up the first round of the playoffs with a rare treat.

The physicality of the NHL playoffs is creeping into the crease.

Sebastian Aho and Nino Niederreiter each scored twice and the Carolina Hurricanes overcame the early loss of goalie Antti Raanta to beat the Boston Bruins 5-2 on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.

Carolina goalie Antti Raanta left the Hurricanes’ playoff game against the Boston Bruins in the first period Wednesday night after David Pastrnak struck him in the head with a gloved hand.

Seth Jarvis and Nino Niederreiter scored second-period goals while Antti Raanta was strong in net to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Boston Bruins 5-1 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

The Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes are among the contenders looking to get over the hump this year and win the Stanley Cup.

The eight playoff teams in the Eastern Conference have been set since before the All-Star break.

The first-round matchups are set for the NHL playoffs that begin Monday.

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Seth Jarvis and Jordan Staal scored third-period goals and Frederik Andersen made 28 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 4-2 in a showdown for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

The Carolina Hurricanes gave the Washington Capitals something to think about if the division rivals meet in the playoffs.

Ethan Bear scored the game’s first goal with 5:40 left and Sebastian Aho added an empty-netter to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-0 on Thursday night.

Kevin Fiala and Frederick Gaudreau each had a goal and an assist for the Minnesota Wild in a 3-2 victory over Carolina.

Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux scored three goals and the Metropolitan Division beat the Central Division 5-3 in the final 3-on-3 match of the NHL All-Star Game.

Tony DeAngelo had a goal and two assists against his former team as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 6-3.

Washington star Alexander Ovechkin and high-scoring Edmonton teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl headline the rosters for the NHL All-Star Weekend announced Thursday.

The Florida Panthers have matched the best 11-game start in NHL history.

Defenseman Brett Pesce scored his first goal of the season with 2:27 left as the Carolina Hurricanes remained undefeated with a 2-1 victory over the winless Arizona Coyotes on Sunday.

Frederik Andersen made 33 saves for his first shutout with Carolina, giving the Hurricanes their best six-game start in franchise history with a 3-0 win over the Boston Bruins.

Expect a fast and furious NHL offseason to unfold in the coming days and weeks.

The former Red Wing scored many of his 243 goals in front of the net, redirecting pucks past goaltenders. He played in the NHL from the 1996-97 season through the 2011-12 season. Net-front play is critical in every NHL game simply because goalies tend to stop shots they can see. They're going to dig their edges in and not going to move. Goalies, while the puck travels from stick to stick, stay on the move ever so slightly so that they can see what they're trying to stop.