2022-23 Regular Season, Game 63: Hurricanes (42-12-8) v. Philadelphia Flyers

After two dominant wins over Arizona and Tampa Bay, the Canes needed some of the third-period magic they've mustered in a bunch of games this season to beat Montreal on Tuesday night. Montreal jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first but a late goal from Jaccob Slavin and an early second-period goal from Brady Skjei got the Canes right back into it. The Canadiens took the lead again shortly after Skjei's goal and would hold that lead until Jesper Fast buried a rebound in the final four minutes of the third period to force overtime. Neither side settled it in overtime, needing a shootout to get things resolved. The Hurricanes got clutch moments from Frederik Andersen, stopping four-straight shooters after allowing goals to the first two, Teuvo Teravainen, who extended the shootout in the third round, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi as he scored the game-winning goal in the shootout to a chorus of boos from the Montreal faithful. Andersen hadn't initially started the game as Antti Raanta left before the second period and Jalen Chatfield wouldn't play after the second period with an upper-body injury. The Canes didn't play their best game yet managed to get two points and extended their lead in the division to four points. They're back at home as they begin four games in six nights, starting with a division opponent. 

Projected Lines/Pairs

Andrei Svechnikov-Sebastian Aho-Seth Jarvis

Teuvo Teravainen-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Martin Necas

Jordan Martinook-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast

Stefan Noesen-Paul Stastny-Derek Stepan

Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Calvin de Haan-Shayne Gostisbehere

Pyotr Kochetkov

Frederik Andersen

Injuries/Scratches- Jesse Pujujarvi (healthy), Dylan Coghlan (healthy), Antti Raanta (lower-body injury; day-to-day), Jalen Chatfield (upper-body injury; day-to-day)

IR- Max Pacioretty (Achilles), Ondrej Kase (LTIR- concussion)

As Brent Burns celebrates his 38th birthday, there are a few changes to the lineup tonight, one expected and one a little unexpected. Jalen Chatfield is likely out for the next week or so, meaning Calvin de Haan will return to the lineup for the first time since the game in Vegas. He'll be paired with Shayne Gostisbehere. Antti Raanta's injury seems less serious but the team brought Pyotr Kochetkov back on an emergency basis. Even more, he'll be getting the start tonight between the pipes. Kochetkov's NHL last start was a 4-3 shootout loss to Vancouver on January 15 and he's 0-3-1 in his last first NHL starts. Since being sent back to Chicago, Kochetkov is 11-3-1 with a .918 SV% and a goal. Jesse Puljujarvi will remain a healthy scratch as he continues to learn the system. I'd expect to see him make his team debut either Saturday or Sunday.

Tonight's Opponent: Philadelphia Flyers (24-29-11, 59 Points, 7th in the Metropolitan)

It has been a comedy of errors for the Flyers recently. They failed to make any moves at the trade deadline with James van Riemsdyk, a pending UFA many expected to be moved, remaining on the team through the deadline. They've won just three times in their 13 games since the All-Star Break and once in their last six games. Philadelphia continues to fall down the standings and if not for the Blue Jackets playing considerably worse, they could easily be in the cellar of the Metropolitan. Tuesday night was a bad night for the Flyers. They ran into a clearly frustrated Tampa Bay team and couldn't keep up. Morgan Frost opened the scoring for the Flyers but the Lightning scored four unanswered, including two from Alex Killorn. Deadline acquisition Brendan Lemieux scored his first of the season before the end of the second period but it would be far too little too late as Nikita Kucherov added his second of the night on the power play in the third of a 5-2 win for the Lightning to snap their five-game losing streak. Carter Hart stopped 34 shots in the loss. At the end of the game, Tony DeAngelo got himself jumped by almost the entire Tampa Bay team after spearing Corey Perry below the belt. It earned him an early exit from the game and the league passed down a two-game suspension, meaning he'll miss this visit to Raleigh. The Flyers will also be without Travis Konecny, who has missed the last two and a half weeks with an injury. There is still plenty of talent on this team. They just haven't found a way to turn it into much success. 

Last Meeting v. Carolina- The second meeting of the season between the Canes and Flyers took place in Raleigh right before Christmas and it was a wild one. The Hurricanes got to Samuel Ersson early in his NHL debut, scoring three times in the first period with Jesper Fast scoring twice and Stefan Noesen scoring on the power play. Travis Sanheim provided Philly's only offense in the first as the Canes led 3-1. DeAngelo burnt his old team early in the second period to cut the Canes' lead to one but Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Martinook scored to chase Ersson from the game and force Hart into action. Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored on the power play late in the period after Hart was run into, meaning Ersson had to return to the game. The Canes had a 6-2 lead after two periods and looked well on their way to securing their eighth straight victory and setting a new franchise record with points in 14 straight games. The Flyers had other plans, scoring three in less than 5:30, including twice while short-handed, to pull within one late in the period. The Canes melted the game away for a 6-5 win but they really made the fans sweat for it. 

Philadelphia's Starting Goalie: Felix Sandstrom (1-8-1, 3.52 GAA, .880 SV%)- It'll be a battle of inexperienced goalies as Philadelphia sends their third difference goalie out to face the Canes. This will be Sandstrom's 16th start and 17th appearance of his career and he only has one win to show for it right now (1-12-2). He's lost his last six starts (0-5-1) and has allowed 24 goals in those six losses. It'll be his first NHL start since February 12, a 4-3 loss to Seattle. He's never faced the Hurricanes in his career. 

Philadelphia Player to Watch: Joel Farabee- In the first year of a long extension, it has been a rough year for Farabee. After scoring 37 goals over the last two seasons, Farabee only has nine goals and he hasn't scored in 23 games. He only has four points during that stretch and he recorded his first point in nine games with an assist on Tuesday. Farabee has three goals in nine games against the Canes, being held to one assist in the two meetings this season. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(CAR) 2:09- Andrei Svechnikov (23) PP (assisted by Martin Necas (35) & Brent Burns (39))

2nd Period

None

3rd Period

None

Let's Talk About the Game

The battle of the back-ups turned into a real goalie duel. Felix Sandstrom and Pyotr Kochetkov, both playing their first games in a while in the NHL, brought everything they had tonight as they played fantastically for 60 minutes. At the end of the day, the Canes were the team that got the job done in regulation to pick up another big two points. The game's lone goal came early in the first period as the Canes drew an early penalty and would strike on their first shot as Andrei Svechnikov fluttered a puck past Sandstrom to get the Canes going. Outside of that goal, Philadelphia played a better first period. The problem was they took too many penalties. Their trips to the box killed any momentum they had built. They were moving the puck with pace and rimming the puck behind Kochetkov's net at will. The Flyers would kill the Canes' other two power plays in the period and it would remain 1-0 after the first with each team only putting six shots on the net by the end of the period. 

The Canes came out and played a much better second period, beginning their onslaught with three or four excellent chances that Sandstrom denied. The biggest of the group was a deflected shot off of the stick of Brent Burns that Sandstrom got his pad on. During that flurry, Svechnikov was down on the ice for a bit after going down awkwardly. It looked like he was caught in the leg by Kevin Hayes' skate but he would quickly be back in the game, averting a crisis the Canes didn't need at the moment. For every great stop Sandstrom was making, Kochetkov was doing the exact same thing on the other end of the ice. He made an excellent play with his stick to poke the puck off of Hayes' stick as he powered to the net, then made a huge breakaway save on Joel Farabee after Brady Skjei lost his footing at the blue line. Svechnikov, who probably could've scored a few goals by this point, was denied with a wide-open net by Tyson Foerster, making his NHL debut. Sandstrom was completely out of the play but the rookie stood in front of Svechnikov and took it off of his skate to prevent the Canes from doubling their lead. There was a close call at the end of the period with Calvin de Haan nearly scoring on Kochetkov but it wouldn't happen as the period ended the same way it began. 

The start of the third period was another fast one for the Canes. Sandstrom remained solid on his end of the ice and Kochetkov was doing everything he could to keep the Flyers silent. He made a great stop on a deflection with his pad early in the period. Philadelphia pushed hard for offense, looking to capitalize on some poor puck management by the Canes. A failed clearance by Svechnikov led to a great chance for Rasmus Ristolainen. Owen Tippett was denied a few times by Kochetkov. They would finally get their chance on the power play as Jesper Fast was called for a tripping penalty in the neutral zone. As they have done for the last several games, the kill suffocated the league's worst power play, denying them any good chances as the Canes killed it off. Sandstrom made arguably his best save of the night on Jesperi Kotkaniemi as he stretched to get his blocker on a point-blank chance to keep it a one-goal game. The Canes drew a late penalty after Philadelphia had too many players on the ice but Scott Laughton got a few great looks during the sequence. He had a backhand chance that was caught by Kochetkov, then missed the net high after Burns turned the puck over in the defensive zone. The Flyers killed the penalty and would soon pull Sandstrom for the extra attacker. The Canes never took any chances at the empty net, instead settling for great defense as the Flyers never got anything cooking. The time would wind down and the Canes would surround Kochetkov after his fourth shutout of the season. 

Hats off to both goalies tonight. Sandstrom hadn't played a game in about a month and Kochetkov hadn't played a game in the NHL in about two. Sandstrom just can't buy a win. He probably played his best game of the season, even better than his 27-save performance in his lone win, but his offense didn't show up to play. He was bested tonight by a guy who has played in some key spots for the Canes. He was huge in their efforts to win the division last season and played a lot during the Canes' record-breaking stretch earlier this season. It's also as if he didn't leave, stopping all 19 shots he faced tonight. Otherwise, it was a pretty down game for the Canes. They had plenty of chances to score as a team but Philadelphia was putting their bodies on the line to stop everything they could. Fortunately, the one goal would be enough for the Canes to win and maintain their four-point lead in the division. They don't have to all look pretty and while tonight wasn't ugly, it certainly wasn't graceful. Still, it's two points in the bank. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Brent Burns (Assist)

The birthday boy picked up another point tonight, bringing him to 23 points in his last 22 games. On his 38th birthday, his secondary assist on the only goal of the night put him very close to becoming the team's single-season leader in points by a defenseman. His next point will be his 52nd of the season, helping him pass Tony DeAngelo's efforts last season in the record books. 

Second Star- Andrei Svechnikov (Goal)

If not for the shaft of Sandstrom's stick and the boot of Foerster, Svechnikov would've finished the game with a hat trick. Instead, he'll have to settle for one goal. His four shots were second only to Burns for the most in the game tonight. He also avoided a scary situation in the second period with the skate of Hayes not appearing to do any damage. He didn't take any bad penalties and finished the night with three hits also. 

First Star- Pyotr Kochetkov (19 Saves)

It's easy to get wrapped up in the fact that he had a shutout tonight but there were so many things about Kochetkov's game that I loved. He was very active with his stick all night and wasn't afraid to play the puck. He cleared the puck a few times. The moment that stood out to me was during a sequence where the Flyers kept rimming the puck and he just came out and intercepted the puck. It was a nice moment for all of us and a good way to break his losing streak. 

What's Next

The road is only getting tougher as the Canes' next three games in four nights are all against playoff teams. Next up will be a rematch with Vegas after they beat the Canes in Las Vegas last Wednesday. Vegas beat the Lightning in overtime tonight on a goal by Alec Martinez. The Canes will then make the trip to New Jersey for the fourth meeting of the season on Sunday night. The Devils were also winners in extra time tonight, beating Washington in a shootout. They'll be in Montreal on Saturday night, so they will also be dealing with some travel before the game on Sunday. The stretch ends back in Raleigh with the Winnipeg Jets as they finish their tour of the south. They'll also be playing their third game in four nights after playing both Florida teams this weekend. We should be getting our first look at Jesse Puljujarvi sometime this weekend and the goalie situation will be something to watch for the Canes.