Andersen, Canes shut out Detroit, 4-0 Canes punch ticket, Wings miss chance to move up

This time of year it is difficult to determine who is putting pressure on whom in the Stanley Cup playoff race.

On Thursday night, in Raleigh, the Hurricanes downed the visiting Detroit Red Wings, 4-0, in response to, or to apply, pressure  to the New York Rangers who sit atop the Metropolitan Division ladder.

Frederik Andersen made 24 saves in the win.

“We took it to them. We were ready to play,” Andersen said. “We didn’t really get rewarded in the first period, but obviously we did in the second. We got a nice lead and hung onto it.”

The Canes punched their ticket to the playoff with the victory, the sixth straight under coach Rod Brind’Amour

“It’s unfortunate it gets overlooked a little because of where we sit,” Brind’Amour said. “You forget how hard that is to accomplish, and to do that with (eight) games left. That’s impressive, and these guys deserve credit for that. It’s a huge accomplishment.”

All four goals were struck in the middle frame.

Sebastian Aho staked the Canes to a 1-0 lead at 4:42 of the middle frame. He scored off a deflection at the left side of the cage.

“I get to play with great players and play high minutes and the power play,” Aho said. “So, I expect myself to produce. It’s always nice to score goals and get points, but I try to look at my game a little differently, like how do I do all three zones in the game and if I’m on it. Obviously, tonight was a good game and that’s why we were able to get scoring chances.”

Seth Jarvis pushed the lead to 2-0, hitting off the power play at 5:39.

“Momentum is huge, so when you score like that to kick it off, you always want to get the next one,” Jarvis said. “We did a good job of sticking with it for the most part and making it tough to come back.”

The Red Wings dropped to 36-30-7 off their 11th loss in 14 matches.

“We knew we were going to be up against it tonight,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “Where our lineup was, to have that happen to you right before the game is kind of a stinger. That’s a tough team to play (with) 11 forwards with the pace they play at.”

Detroit is two points back of the Washington Capitals, hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, and who lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 on Thursday.

Continuing the outburst in the second period, Martin Necas stretched the advantage to 3-0 midway through the period, scoring off a shot through a maze of sticks and legs.

Carolina added a final strike in the period, and game, when Brady Skjei hit at 16:23 for the 4-0 final. He followed up his own shot and picked up the rebound for the goal.

“I think we’ve done a good job of cementing ourselves as a top team in this League,” Jarvis said. “Making the playoffs is one thing, but we have a bigger goal in mind. It’s a good start, but we’ve got a lot of stuff to take care of.”

James Reimer made 29 saves in the loss.