2023-24 Regular Season, Game 16: Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Postgame)

After splitting their two games in Florida, the Carolina Hurricanes returned home to kick off a five-game homestand against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Canes and Flyers are meeting for the second time this season after Carolina scored late in the third period to win in Philly a few weeks ago. With several defensemen out of the lineup for the Flyers and a special occasion taking place in Raleigh, the Canes had all the tools needed to get the homestand off on the right track. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

PHI (1:50)- Owen Tippett (6) (assisted by Morgan Frost (2) & Louis Belpidio (1))

CAR (19:02)- Travis Konecny (10) (assisted by Nick Seeler (3) & Sean Couturier (8))

2nd Period

PHI (0:29)- Ryan Poehling (1) (assisted by Sean Walker (5) & Scott Laughton (9))

CAR (11:00)- Stefan Noesen (4) (assisted by Tony DeAngelo (6) & Jack Drury (2))

3rd Period

None

My Thoughts

I harped on this point this morning, but it bears repeating. I HATE NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAMES! They give me a gross feeling I never get when the game is broadcast locally. I never feel like the team meets the occasion, despite the evidence that it isn't always the case. Tonight, the Hurricanes didn't look like a team that knew what they were doing. They were sloppy with the puck. They had almost as many shots blocked (30) as they did shots on Carter Hart (32). There were too many defensive breakdowns, leading to great chances for the Flyers. It was a cacophony of mistakes that culminated in an insurmountable deficit they couldn't make up.

Owen Tippett scored on Philadelphia's first shot less than two minutes into the game. Pyotr Kochetkov needs to make this stop. After playing lights out against the Bolts on Saturday, this was not the way to start the game. The moving screen likely made it tougher to track the puck, but he got enough of it to stop it. While I didn't like the team's effort tonight, their best stretch of hockey came after the first goal. Unfortunately, Carter Hart decided to play out of his mind in the first period. He made unreal stops on Jordan Martinook, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Jack Drury to keep the game 1-0. The save on Drury was especially good, spinning to make sure the puck stayed under his pads. However, all of the goodwill the Canes had accumulated after Philly scored went away in the final five minutes. It led to Travis Konecny getting free at the top of the crease and redirecting a pass past Kochetkov to double the lead in the final minute of the period. This was the moment I knew it was over. Going into the intermission down 2-0 in that fashion is beyond deflating. To make matters worse, they started the second period miserably. Ryan Poehling scored 29 seconds into the period after a bad turnover in the defensive zone by Dmitry Orlov. At 3-0, you could hear the air sucked out of PNC Arena. 

Now, the Hurricanes have started to try to make a game of it. Andrei Svechnikov leveled Louie Belpidio in the corner, sending him flying through the air. They earned a power play early in the second period, and they should've drawn a second one during the same sequence. After Egor Zamula was called for delay of game, the Flyers did the exact same thing 30 seconds later in the corner. Tony DeAngelo and several others were pointing as if the puck was cleared into the crowd without being touched, and they'd be right. The review shown on television showed it went out cleanly. Instead, the referee, staring at the play, insisted it hit a stick and went out of play. It wouldn't matter because the Canes' power play looked abysmal, a common theme in tonight's game. The lone goal of the night was a beauty. Dmitry Orlov began the transition play, and nearly everyone on the ice touched the puck. Eventually, DeAngelo found Noesen for a one-timer, and he buried it over Carter Hart's shoulder. DeAngelo made another great pass in the third period, sending the puck to Michael Bunting from behind Kochetkov for a breakaway that grazed Hart and hit the crossbar. This was the Canes' only good chance of the third as they fell 3-1. 

For as strong as the defense has been, the first period remains a sore spot for the Hurricanes. They've been outscored 21-14 in the first 20 minutes, including 2-0 tonight. Their slow starts have been the reason for several losses this season, especially during their early road trip out west. Pyotr Kochetkov didn't play a bad game. The first goal was a tough one, but the other two fell squarely on the defense's shoulders. He came out and played the puck when he needed to, plus he made a wicked two-pad stack save in the dying second of the first period. He didn't get any goal support. Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin also played well. Burns was especially noticeable defensively, breaking up several good chances for the Flyers. I liked the fourth line's game. Andrei Svechnikov, minus a bad penalty in the third period, had six shots, giving me confidence he's scoring soon. 

This loss boils down to an issue similar to their loss to Florida on Friday night. Philly's stars outplayed the Canes' stars. Travis Konecny scored a goal and was all over the ice. Owen Tippett scored. Sean Couturier had an assist. Carter Hart was phenomenal. Travis Sanheim was a problem defensively. Meanwhile, Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen had zeros across the scoresheet. Martin Necas and Jesperi Kotkaniemi were both -2. Seth Jarvis had three shots but was largely invisible. They didn't leave an impact on this game. When none of your stars show up, it's hard to win games. Tonight, we saw that play out. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jack Drury- 1 assist

It's starting to feel like Drury is never going to score again. He had a goal taken away in Philadelphia, and he's been incapable of scoring since. He had another excellent chance tonight that was denied, though he did finish the game with a secondary assist on Noesen's goal. 

2nd Star- Brent Burns- Excellent defense

While it's an unofficial count, I found at least five instances when I noted Burns getting back to make a great defensive play tonight. Though his partner playing in his 600th game is more likely to make headlines for his defense, it was Burns who took control and made some excellent stops to take away chances. 

1st Star- Stefan Noesen- 1 goal

It's easy to be the first star for a team that only scored one goal when you're the player that scored it. However, Noesen was the most effective Hurricane on the ice tonight. He was 1-for-1 shooting the puck, and he nearly picked up an assist in the first period, making an excellent pass to set up Drury's opportunity that was stopped. 

Up Next- The five-game homestand will chug along as the Hurricanes host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. Pittsburgh will host New Jersey on Thursday before playing the Canes in the first half of a back-to-back with Vegas on their schedule for Sunday. After Saturday, it'll be another long wait, with the next game not scheduled until next Wednesday when the Edmonton Oilers are at PNC Arena.