POSTGAME 5: Flyers Fall, 3-1, to Hurricanes

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1, at PNC Arena in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon. The game was tied 1-1 until late in the third period before Carolina broke through to win. The Hurricanes scored twice in the final 3:50 of regulation.

The first period was scoreless. Steven Lorentz (7th goal of the season) put Carolina ahead, 1-0, at 8:34 of the second period. After the Flyers had a would-be goal disallowed, Derick Brassard (6th) jumped on a fat rebound and tied the game at 16:50.
At 16:10 of the third period, a Jordan Martinook (3rd) deflection goal put the Hurricanes ahead to stay. Sebastian Aho (26th) added an empty net goal.
Martin Jones stopped 33 of 35 shots in a losing cause. Frederik Andersen earned the victory with 28 saves on 30 shots.
The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play. Carolina also went 0-for-2.
TURNING POINT
The Flyers, for the most part, played a simple, disciplined game and received good goaltending. With the score tied at 1-1 late in the third period, Ian Cole pinched in to keep the puck alive on a failed clearing opportunity for Flyers. Cole directed the puck to Vincent Trocheck and his shot was deflected up high by Martinook for what proved to be the game-winning goal with 3:50 remaining on the clock. The Flyers subsequently spent more time defending than attacking on a desperation 6-on-5.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) Kevin Hayes nearly got a friendly bounce on the Flyers' first scoring chance as the puck bounced back at net off a defender. Andersen scrambled to stop it. At the other end of the ice, Mayhew swept away a puck that had gotten behind Jones.
Travis Konecny had a chance from the deep slot off the rush midway through the period. Oskar Lindblom was unable to get the rebound. Shortly thereafter, Svechnikov tested Jones from the dot as the Flyers goalie fought off the shot.
At 12:11, Patrick Brown was called for cross-checking as Carolina got the game's first power play. A Jaccob Slavin shot was tipped on net by Trocheck on Carolina's best chance.
The Flyers went on their first power play at 16:44 when Jalen Chatfield was called for cross-checking Gerry Mayhew. A Cam York shot through a screen bounced off James van Riemsdyk and then off the post. Andersen then made a sprawling save on a Cam Atkinson followup attempt.
2) FIrst period shots on goal were 15-10 in Carolina's favor. Most of the play was kept to the perimeter. Carolina cycled effectively but didn't get many pucks to the scoring areas. although overall shot attempts were 27-17 in the Hurricanes' favor. Scoring chances were even at 5-5 per ABC.
3) Justin Martinook tripped Travis Konecny at 5:12. Kevin Hayes had an immediate scoring chance but called for hooking as battle Ian Cole for a rebound at 5:21. At 4-on-4, Svechkinov twice had an open lane to the net. The first one was shot wide, the second (a breakaway beyond Rasmus Ristolainen) went off the shaft of Jones' stick.
Carolina took a 1-0 lead at 8:34. Stepan centered a reverse pass in front from behind the net and, eluding a flat-footed Keith Yandle, Lorentz finished it off from the side of the net before Jones realized where the puck was going. Chatfied got the other assist.
The Hurricanes attacked in waves as the period moved along. The Flyers could scarcely get past the red line, except for singular forrays by Konecny and Hayes. At 13:39, a would-be goal for Derick Brassard was waved off for goalie interference as he took the puck to the net and made contact with Andersen before Cam Atkinson knocked in the rebound.
The Flyers scored one that counted at 16:50 as a long flip-shot by Atkinson came out in the slot. Brassard pounced and deposited it home for his 200th career NHL goal and a 1-1 tie. Ristolainen got the secondary assist.
Hayes had a slow-developing breakaway in the final minute of the period. The play was broken up.
4) The Flyers competed hard throughout the second period but the Hurricanes outskated Philly and smothered the Flyers defensively in the first half of the period. Jones stepped up several times and the Flyers defended well for the most part. In the latter portion, the Flyers made a strong push. Shots on goal ended up 14-12 Flyers (despite a 21-14 shot attempt edge for Carolina) with a 6-4 scoring chance edge for Carolina.
5) Stephan's shot from high in the Flyers zone was a clear-sighted shot for Jones, who made a clean save at 2:24 of the third period.
Through the first 7:56, shots on goals were 3-3. Svechnikov had a dangerous-looking shift before a TV timeout.
Morgan Frost turned the puck over to Svechnikov in trying to carry the puck out of the defensive zone. Jones bailed Frost and the team out with a save.
The Hurricanes continued to dominate offensive zone puck possession time as the third period moved along. Finally at 16:50, the Flyers paid for a failed clearing opportunity. A Martinook tip shot had eyes and found the net. The assists went to Cole and Trocheck.
The Flyers pulled Jones for an extra attacker with more than 2:30 left in regulation. Ristolainen blocked a Jordan Staal attempt at the empty net. A long shift in the Philadelphia zone brought time down to under a minute left. Finally a failed entry by the Flyers created a 2-on-1 that Aho fired into the empty net off Svechnikov pass.