North Raleigh Today

The Carolina Hurricanes managed to secure a 4-3 victory against the New York Rangers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round, keeping their playoff hopes alive. The win came after defenseman Skjei scored on the power play with just over three minutes left in the third period. This goal marked a significant turnaround for the Hurricanes, who had struggled with their power play throughout the series.

Skjei expressed his confidence going into each game, stating, “I feel like going into every game, you’re trying to feel confident and that you can be the guy to do it.” His contribution was unexpected as he was not a regular on the top power-play unit during the regular season. Coach Rod Brind’Amour made strategic changes to revive their struggling power play, which had been 0-for-15 before this game.

Brind’Amour acknowledged these efforts by saying, “We’ve had some good looks in this series on the power play,” and highlighted how they finally capitalized on one of those opportunities. The decisive goal ended a streak of 16 consecutive unsuccessful power plays for Carolina.

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette commented on Skjei’s shot: “They took a shot from the point. He hammered it. It had eyes. It was a top-corner shot.”

The Hurricanes were determined from the start of Game 4, knowing they needed an early lead to stay competitive in the series. Fourth-line forward scored early at 1:51, followed by another goal at 6:33 for a 2-0 lead. Although New York responded quickly with goals from their forwards and , Carolina maintained their composure and secured victory.

Brind’Amour emphasized resilience, saying, “We always seem to focus on whatever happens good or bad and [go on] to the next play.” As they prepare for Game 5 in New York, history remains challenging; only four teams have ever come back from an initial three-game deficit in best-of-seven series.

Skjei reiterated their approach moving forward: “That’s kind of our mindset going forward here -- just win the day.”