For the fourth time in six seasons, the Carolina Hurricanes are division champions. After defeating the Boston Bruins 6-5 in overtime on Tuesday night (April 7), the Hurricanes claimed their third Metropolitan Division title over that span in the Rod Brind’Amour era.
Metropolitan Division Champs, Confirmed
The Hurricanes, heading into the final regular-season home game, only needed a point to clinch the division title. They managed to do so, being tied 5-5 after regulation. However, they managed to get both points after Jaccob Slavin scored the overtime game-winning goal for his first of the season in his 38th game. Slavin’s goal gave the Hurricanes their 50th win of the season, the fourth time they’ve done so in the last five seasons, tying the Colorado Avalanche since 2021-22. The Hurricanes had six different players score a goal in the win.
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While winning the division, Jackson Blake tallied his 50th point of the season after two assists on the night. Another milestone was Jordan Staal claiming his 300th assist with the Hurricanes. Andrei Svechnikov scored his 30th of the season, the second time he’s done so in his career. Alexander Nikishin and Sean Walker got 20 assists on the season, the first time both guys were able to get to that mark.
Regarding Brandon Bussi, he claimed his 30th win of the season to keep his remarkable first NHL season going. Overall, it was a night of milestones and the Hurricanes clinching another division title. While it’s not the main goal, it’s another benchmark cleared as they are looking to win the first seed in the Eastern Conference next.
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The Hurricanes are now 50-22-6 on the season with 106 points. They have four games left and a little bit of breathing room at the top of the conference with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres, and the Montreal Canadiens, who are at 102 points.
Following their final regular-season home game, they have a four-game road trip that begins on Thursday, April 9, in Chicago against the Blackhawks. After that, they will take on the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night (April 11), then a back-to-back on April 13 against the Philadelphia Flyers and April 14 against the New York Islanders. Their job is not done by any means, but after clinching a playoff berth and a division title, the Eastern Conference first seed is next, followed by hopefully their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. For now, the Hurricanes are the 2025-26 Metropolitan Division champions.
