The Carolina Hurricanes dropped a heartbreaker Tuesday night. Despite numerous chances to end the game themselves, Carolina fell 2-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers with 3.1 seconds left in overtime at PNC Arena in a key matchup with playoff implications.
The Canes (24-21-9) went 5 for 5 on the penalty kill in this game. Forward Elias Lindholm scored the team’s only goal, and goalie Cam Ward stopped 28 of 30 Flyers (25-19-9) shots. Despite not getting the result they wanted, the Canes were competitive, and put forth a much better effort than in their previous two games.
“There’s going to be a lot out of this game,” head coach Bill Peters said. “This is a high-end game both ways. I thought there were some real good plays made by both teams. This is something you can build on.”
With 3.1 seconds to play in overtime, Flyers forward Jordan Weal carried the puck into the zone and beat Ward five-hole on a shot the veteran goalie certainly would like back. The goal came not 30 seconds after a grade-A chance with an open net for Canes forwards Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner at the other end, one of many for Carolina in an overtime period the Canes dominated, outshooting the Flyers 6-2.
“[There were] a lot of chances,” Staal said. “Obviously I could have had a few. A couple other guys. You’ve just got to put one in and find a way to bury it to win the game.”
Carolina grabbed the lead in the opening frame with its man advantage. Courtesy of a high stick to the face of Canes forward Brock McGinn from Flyers forward Nolan Patrick that drew blood, the team was gifted a four-minute power play with about seven minutes to go in the first period.
The Flyers killed off the first half of the double minor, but the Hurricanes cashed in on the second. Lindholm, parked in the crease, pulled the rebound of his tip of a feed from forward Teuvo Teravainen to his backhand for a 1-0 lead with just under five minutes to go in the first.
“It was a long shift there, long power play,” Lindholm said. “It was good work by everyone. [Staal] had some nice ones, distributing the puck around and had a lot of shots. [The Flyers] really came up big there with a lot of blocks but we found a way to put it in.”
The Canes got a chance to extend their lead shortly after during a Flyers power play a few minutes later, but Staal fired one just wide on a shorthanded two-on-one rush with forward Joakim Nordstrom.
A lack of offense continues to hamstring the Canes, as the team has scored two goals or fewer in each of its five games since returning from the All-Star break.
“One goal in I don’t know how many games in a row now,” Lindholm said. “It’s tough to win when you only score one goal. [Ward]’s been playing unbelievable for us, and it’s too bad we can’t help him with a win and score more goals for him.”
Carolina killed off back-to-back penalties in the first half of the second period to stay ahead, aided by a sharp pad save by Ward on the second one as he flashed across the crease to deny Flyers forward Valtteri Filppula.
The Flyers tied the game with 3:17 to play in the second period, as forward Wayne Simmonds set up shop in front of Ward and banged home the rebound of a shot from forward Jakub Voracek to make it 1-1.
Both teams played very tentatively in the third period, with few chances either way and both seemingly to content to pick up at least a point.
“There was not really anything in the third,” Lindholm said. “Obviously they had a few chances, but yeah, obviously we would have won the game in the third if we had played a little better. Ward played good in net and they had some chances, but you have to find a way to win and that’s a tough loss for us.”
The single point the Canes gained in the loss moves them within one of the New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets for the Eastern Conference’s final wild card spot, and the team now sits two behind the Flyers for the first wild card.
The Canes will continue their eight-game homestand with the sixth game against the Vancouver Canucks at PNC Arena Friday.
