2023-24 Regular Season, Game 21: Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers (Pregame)

The Carolina Hurricanes put their lopsided loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning behind them by narrowly beating the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday evening. Elvis Merzlikins and Pyotr Kochetkov went toe-to-toe for 60 minutes and put on a masterful display of goaltending. Merzlikins was the far busier goalie, facing 43 shots, but Kochetkov was all about making quality stops. Neither team scored through the first 40 minutes of the game. Kirill Marchenko changed that just 13 seconds into the third period, getting a friendly bounce off Brady Skjei's stick to beat Kochetkov over his shoulder to give Columbus a 1-0 lead. Skjei's misfortunes continued a few minutes later. His failed clearing attempt landed on the stick of Johnny Gaudreau, and his shot hit Skjei in the back before floating past Kochetkov to make it 2-0. After a small tweak to the lines, Jesperi Kotkaniemi finally put Carolina on the board with 9:59 left after a beautiful pass from Teuvo Teravainen. Skjei got a little redemption for his struggles, putting a soft backhander under the pads of Merzlikins to tie the game with under four minutes left. The icing on the cake was Andrei Svechnikov scoring in the final two minutes to finally get his first goal of the season. He buried a pass from Sebastian Aho to put the Canes ahead, where they'd stay in a 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets. 

The Opponent: Philadelphia Flyers (11-9-1, 23 Points- 3rd in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting- The Canes and Flyers met 13 days ago in Raleigh for the Canes' first nationally televised game of the season. It didn't go the way they wanted it to. Owen Tippett opened the scoring early, snapping the Flyers' first shot of the game past Pyotr Kochetkov. Travis Konecny added a second goal in the final minute of the period, and Ryan Poehling scored 29 seconds into the second to give the Flyers a commanding 3-0 lead. The Canes' fourth line showed signs of life, getting on the board midway through the second on a one-timer by Stefan Noesen, but the Canes couldn't cook up any magic, dropping a 3-1 decision behind 31 saves by Carter Hart. 

Since We Last Met- The Flyers have continued to stick around as the Metropolitan Divison remains tight behind the New York Rangers. Teams #2 through #7 are separated by five points. The Flyers are 3-2-0 since beating the Hurricanes on November 15. After winning in Raleigh, they returned home and beat Vegas in overtime and Columbus on consecutive nights. They ran into a little trouble against the New York teams, losing to the Islanders and Rangers, but they were able to recover with a 1-0 shootout win over the Islanders on Saturday night. Samuel Ersson outdueled Ilya Sorokin for 65 minutes and then stopped every shot he faced in the shootout to pick up his second career shutout. The Flyers continue to get contributions throughout their entire lineup, led by Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, and Cam Atkinson. Carter Hart has also continued his strong start, making the decision in the net an interesting one for the Flyers tonight. 

Stories of the Night

1. Svechnikov's Encore

Sunday's game-winner was a long time coming for Andrei Svechnikov. Not only was it his first goal of the season, but it was the first time he'd scored since March 9, coincidentally against the Flyers in a 1-0 win. He had one called back against the Penguins a few games ago, and he's been shooting the puck more. This felt like a major monkey off his back, even if he claims he hadn't been pressing for one lately. He also stayed out of the box, something he hadn't done for seven games. Sunday's win was arguably his best game of the season. This begs the question, what now? How is he going to follow it up? 

2. Is Turbo the Key to Getting KK and Necas Going?

Jesperi Kotkaniemi hadn't recorded a point in five games. Martin Necas only had two points during that span. Both had started the season on fire but had fallen off in the last few games. Both found the scoresheet in the third period against Columbus, with Kotkaniemi picking up the goal. It came after Rod Brind'Amour swapped Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov. Clearly, it worked for Svechnikov, but it could also have a lasting impact on the second line. The 80's line re-uniting could help get Kotkaniemi and Necas rolling again, assuming the lines are that way to begin the game.

3. Sink or Swin Time for the Flyers

Analysts who know hockey significantly better than I do place Thanksgiving as an arbitrary date to determine who is likely to be in the playoffs and who isn't. On Thanksgiving Day, the Flyers were still in the hunt for a Wild Card spot. With as tight as the division race is, it's anyone's guess who will be in the postseason. Thus far, the Flyers have been inconsistent. They've had very good stretches, followed by some rough patches. Sooner or later, they'll need to pick a lane because there are plenty of teams in this division capable of going on hot streaks. The same can be said for the Hurricanes. They've yet to find their game consistently. It's time for both to either set themselves up to make a run or get out of the way for the rest of the division. I'm sure neither fanbase wants to deal with 82 games of uncertainty.