The Carolina Hurricanes have skated their way out of being tied for last place into playoff contention

RALEIGH Scott Mayfield Jersey Womens , N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have skated their way out of being tied for last place into playoff contention — all in just six weeks.They have been the NHL’s best team since Dec. 30, going 14-5-1 in that stretch while making an improbable push to snap the league’s longest active postseason drought.The Hurricanes entered Thursday night’s games three points out of a playoff spot with 25 games remaining, a stretch run that starts Friday night when Edmonton visits.“The important thing is, playoff teams get it,” captain Justin Williams said Thursday. “We’re doing what’s necessary right now. We know where we are. All we need to do is keep winning and not worry about what’s going on above us.”As much progress as the Hurricanes have made lately, there’s still so much further to go to reach the postseason for the first time since 2009 and only the second time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006.Not long ago, they seemed destined to set an NHL record for futility by going 10 straight seasons without making the playoffs.And they still might. But at least for now, they’ve made things interesting.They were tied with New Jersey and Philadelphia for last in the division on Dec. 30 with 35 points, and were one point better than Ottawa for last in the Eastern Conference.In a relatively short period of time, though, the Hurricanes have figured things out and have become pretty tough to beat. They’ve earned 29 points in that time span, one more than the New York Islanders and two more than St. Louis.And most recently Max Domi Jersey Womens , they went 4-1 on a five-game road trip. The last time that happened was in 1998, when PNC Arena was still under construction and the Hurricanes were playing their home games in Greensboro.“It was a big road trip, and we’re doing what we need to do right now,” Williams said, “which is banking wins and seeing what happens.”The offense appears to have found its scoring touch, with an NHL-best 76 goals over that 20-game span. Sebastian Aho has 25 points — nine goals, 16 assists — during the team’s hot streak while linemate Teuvo Teravainen has 22 — nine goals, 13 assists.And Nino Niederreiter has fit right in with his new team, racking up 10 points in 11 games since he was acquired from Minnesota in a trade for Victor Rask.And with the league’s trading deadline Feb. 25, the big question remains whether the Hurricanes will be buyers or sellers.Micheal Ferland, acquired in a blockbuster offseason trade with Calgary, is due to become an unrestricted free agent July 1 Richard Panik Jersey , so naturally, trade rumors have surrounded him. But it might be worth it to Carolina to keep the hard-hitting forward with 15 goals and 16 assists for the stretch run — and perhaps try to sign him to a contract extension.“I’d like to get a deal done, obviously,” Ferland said. “We’ve put ourselves in a good spot, trying to get into the playoffs. I’d like to stay here and help this team.” BOSTON (AP) The Boston Bruins didn’t need overtime this time, and they didn’t even need all four third-period goals to send the Toronto Maple Leafs home for the summer again.Five years after an unprecedented rally from a three-goal, third-period deficit to eliminate Toronto in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series, the Bruins scored four straight goals to beat the Maple Leafs 7-4 and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.Rookie Jake DeBrusk scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with 14:35 to play . The Bruins will open the second round in Tampa Bay on Saturday against the Lightning, who finished off New Jersey in five games last Saturday.”They’ve had some time to rest, and if they had any injuries, probably get a little healthier http://www.officialsabres.com/authentic-adidas-jack-eichel-jersey ,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. ”But, that’s the advantage of winning in five. … But we are battle tested now, and we’ve got to bring that mentality into the next round.”Despite the final score, the teams were tied or separated by one goal for the first 51:59.”For entertainment value, that was probably one of the better Game 7s you’ll see,” said Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who stopped just 20 of 24 shots. ”It was only a one-goal game going into the third and we shut it down and scored some good goals.”Kasperi Kapanen put Toronto ahead 4-3 with a short-handed goal in the second. But Torey Krug tied it early in the third, and DeBrusk gave Boston the lead when he slid the puck through Frederik Andersen’s legs right before being flattened by defenseman Jake Gardiner.DeBrusk slid into the boards on his backside and didn’t even have time to climb up off his knees before he was mobbed by teammates.”Jake had a real coming-out party in the series,” Cassidy said. ”He scored going to the net, dirty areas. That’s always the first thing: play inside, be willing to get hit, fight for your space. That’s playoff hockey. They weren’t freebies. They’ve been real greasy http://www.officialflames.com/authentic-adidas-sean-monahan-jersey , as advertised.”David Pastrnak made it 6-4 with 8:21 to play, and Brad Marchand flipped one into the empty net with 51 seconds left to set off a celebration in the stands.Danton Heinen scored his first NHL postseason goal, Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists, and David Krejci had three assists for the Bruins. In his first NHL postseason series, DeBrusk had seven points in seven games.”Uh, it went pretty well,” he said sheepishly. ”Obviously, with the win it was special – something I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget this series just in general, first playoffs. I was really happy to contribute.”Andersen had 29 saves for the Maple Leafs, who have not won a playoff series since 2004. They came close in the first round in 2013, when they rallied from a three-games-to-one deficit against Boston and took a 4-1 lead in Game 7.”It’s always disappointing,” said Patrick Marleau Mikkel Boedker Jersey Womens , who scored twice for Toronto. ”Obviously, you’re trying to win the Cup. To fall short once again, it’s heartbreaking every time.”Notes: Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, in his first full season on the Boston bench, was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year. … Celtics Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn was the honorary fan banner captain, getting the crowd riled up before the game. … The Bruins are 14-12 in Game 7s and Toronto is 12-11. … Boston’s Kevan Miller had two assists for his first multi-point playoff game…. Travis Dermott also scored for the Maple Leafs. … The Bruins scored two 4-on-4 goals after matching penalties opened up the ice.—