The Carolina Hurricanes failed to maintain a 1-0 lead after the second intermission, falling to the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in PNC Arena on Friday, Nov. 12.
The Canes’ first home loss of the season came in devastating fashion. Carolina shifted the momentum in their favor with a goal by center Steven Lorentz in the second period, but the Flyers came out swinging in the third period. Philadelphia notched 15 shots in the final period compared to just 13 total shots in the first two.
“As Carolina Hurricanes, we hold ourselves to a higher standard than what we showed in the third period,” Lorentz said. “We played a great 40 minutes of hockey, but it doesn’t take 40 minutes to win in this league. It takes a full 60.”
The Canes looked sloppy in that final period, turning the puck over frequently and allowing Philadelphia to dictate the tempo late in the game. The lack of focus starkly contrasted with the first two periods where the Hurricanes dominated.
“It was one of those nights where nothing was working for us as far as getting rewarded for what was going on,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “And then we messed up and it went in our net. It was a tough night for everyone.”
Carolina looked far better than Philadelphia in the first 40 minutes, especially in the faceoff circle. Although both squads are among the best in the league in faceoff win percentage, the Canes won 80% of the faceoffs in the first period and 58% of those in the whole game.
Another positive takeaway for Brind’Amour and his squad was the quality play of center Seth Jarvis. The 19-year-old phenom accompanied center Sebastian Aho and right wing Andrei Svechnikov on the top line and played very well both on and off the puck.
Regardless, Carolina thoroughly disappointed in the final 20 minutes, squandering an almost certain two points for a sucker-punch of a loss. The Canes will not have much time to dwell on that disappointment however, as the St. Louis Blues come to Raleigh for the Hurricanes’ second game in two days.
“You’ve got a great team coming in here that’s sitting there waiting,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s going to be a huge challenge.”
The matchup against the Blues on Saturday, Nov. 13 will be the Canes’ last home game before a six-game road trip that will culminate in a rematch with the Flyers in Philadelphia. Puck drop against the Blues is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
