Hurricanes sweep Flyers into final

The Hurricanes are through, and they did it the cleanest possible way. Carolina beat the Flyers 3-2 in overtime on Saturday, May 9, with Jackson Blake scoring the series-ending goal in Game 4. That finished a four-game sweep in the second round and sent Carolina to the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in four seasons. The big thing here isn’t just that Carolina advanced — it’s how controlled this run has looked, with the Hurricanes now 8-0 in the 2026 playoffs. ### How did the clincher happen? Philadelphia actually landed the first punch. Tyson Foerster opened the scoring in the first period, and the Flyers kept doing what they’d done for stretches of the series — making life annoying early. But Carolina answered in the second on a Jackson Blake goal that deflected in, then grabbed the lead in the third on Logan Stankoven’s playoff-leading seventh goal. Philadelphia forced overtime, but Blake ended it 5:31 into the extra period. (nhl.com) ### Why does Blake matter so much here? Because this wasn’t a star rescue act from the usual suspects. Blake, a 22-year-old rookie, scored twice in the clincher and got the overtime winner that sent Carolina through. That matters because playoff teams usually need one line or one established scorer to carry them. Carolina keeps getting goals from different places, which makes the attack harder to scheme against. (nhl.com) Blake also became one of the youngest players in franchise history to score a series-clinching goal. ### Was this series actually close? Closer than a sweep sounds — but still tilted toward Carolina. Game 2 went to overtime, and Game 4 did too. Even so, the Hurricanes kept owning the moments that decide playoff games. In Game 3 they won 4-1 behind special teams, with power-play goals from Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov plus a short-handed goal from Jalen Chatfield. That’s basically the Carolina formula right now — survive the push, then win the leverage plays. (nhl.com) ### What about the goaltending? Frederik Andersen has been a huge stabilizer. In the clincher he stopped 15 of 17 shots, and Carolina’s team recap noted he has allowed two goals or fewer in each of the Hurricanes’ eight playoff wins. That doesn’t mean every game has been easy. It means Carolina always seems to have a calm floor. When the skaters wobble for a stretch, Andersen keeps the game from tipping. (espn.com) ### Why did Philadelphia run out of road? The Flyers had some push, but not enough finishing and not enough help from the power play. Their own post-elimination breakdown pointed to weak production from top forwards and the injury to Owen Tippett as real factors. That’s the catch in a series like this — if you’re already playing a deeper, more disciplined team, losing one of your scoring threats makes every close game feel narrower. (nhl.com) ### What does Carolina get now? Rest, mostly — and that’s not trivial in May. Carolina became the first team to lock up a spot in the Eastern Conference Final, so the Hurricanes can recover while the rest of the field keeps absorbing minutes and damage. After reaching this round again, the mood around the team is pretty simple: getting here is no longer the breakthrough. The next step is. (nhl.com) ### So what’s the real takeaway? Carolina didn’t just beat Philadelphia. The Hurricanes showed they can win tight games, get depth scoring, trust their goalie, and close a series without giving it life. An 8-0 playoff start doesn’t guarantee anything, but it does say this team isn’t just surviving the bracket — it’s starting to control it. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2)