Clinched!

Raleigh, NC.

They said they couldn't recover from a slow start. They said they weren't consistent enough. They said their veterans were done and couldn't contribute. Yet through it all, the Hurricanes put it together during the final weeks of the regular season with an 8-game win streak in the middle of it to defy the odds and clinch a playoff spot.

"To say I'm excited would be an understatement" said Canes GM Matthew Rose, "we were on a pretty cold streak heading into the deadline and it didn't look like we were going to be able to make the playoffs. Big credit goes to our players for all their hard work into making this possible for them and I think Willie Desjardins deserves a large chunk of that credit too. Obviously, there's still some playoff games, and series, to be won and that's what we will shift our focus to next".

Rose was hired this previous off-season to take over the General Manager's role with the Hurricanes and said from the beginning that his goal was to create a winning atmosphere with the organization. Although it didn't look great around the trade deadline, he has proven to make the moves that count to push this team to another level. Off-season acquisition Zach Parise has been the leader of this team offensively and he'll be counted on during the playoff run. 

Playoffs are up next and it is an exciting time to be a Hurricanes fan!