2024-25 Regular Season, Game 67 Preview: Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers

The Carolina Hurricanes finished their four-game homestand with a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night. Despite dominating the period, the Canes conceded the first goal late in the first when Alex DeBrincat snapped a shot to the top corner on Frederik Andersen. The offense came to life early in the second period, getting two goals in the first six minutes from the Kotkaniemi line. Jesperi Kotkaniemi's shot was redirected by Taylor Hall 22 seconds into the frame to knot the game before Kotkaniemi set up Jack Roslovic for a tap-in a few minutes later. Jalen Chatfield extended the lead to two with a snipe midway through the period. Michael Rasmussen pulled Detroit within a goal early in the third with an excellent effort to pot a rebound. The Red Wings weren't able to find the tying goal as Eric Robinson put the game away with the empty-net goal. Kotkaniemi (2A) and Roslovic (G, A) had multi-point nights and Andersen made 24 stops as the Canes extended their win streak to six.

The Opponent: Philadelphia Flyers (28-31-8, 64 Points- 7th in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting: After a tight game in Raleigh 15 days prior, the Canes left Philadelphia in mid-November with a big win after a strong third period. Through 40 minutes, Jalen Chatfield and Ryan Poehling traded goals, sitting deadlocked at one heading into the third period. Within the first seven minutes, Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, and Jack Roslovic found the back of the net, opening up a 4-1 lead for the Canes. Aho and Chatfield finished with a goal and an assist each, and Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 18 of 19 in the win. Ivan Fedotov made 33 saves in defeat.

Since We Last Met: A lot of time has passed since the two squared off. While they'd maintained good positioning in the Wild Card race, they've started to fall out of it, thanks in large part to a five-game losing streak and opting to sell at the trade deadline. Most notable was their trade sending Scott Laughton to the Maple Leafs. Erik Johnson and Andrei Kuzmenko were also traded away. In late January, they made a big move to send Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to the Flames, with Kuzmenko being part of that return. The Flyers are a middle-of-the-road team offensively, but they've struggled mightily to keep pucks out of their net. They're fifth worst in goals per game allowed in the league and own the worst save percentage in the NHL. Still, there are plenty of weapons to worry about amongst their forward group. Travis Konecny leads the group with 22 goals and 65 points, while rookie Matvei Michkov continues to push for the Calder Trophy (20 goals, 47 points). The Flyers have to be feeling a little good after snapping their losing streak on Thursday with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Lightning. Bobby Brink factored on all three goals in regulation, scoring two of them before Owen Tippett scored the shootout-winner in the fifth round. 

Stories of the Night

1. Carry the Homestand on the Road

The Canes just finished one of the most impressive homestands I can remember, beating four good teams in regulation to earn eight points. No one doubted their ability to win on home ice. Now, they need to find a way to do it away from Raleigh. They have a big homestand coming up next week, so it would be great to have their win streak intact before traveling to California. Having to do it during the second half of a back-to-back makes it even tougher. This group is playing great, but finding a way to get it done on the road will be essential.

2. Philadelphia's Rough Homestand

While the Canes have enjoyed being at home, things haven't been going well for the Flyers during their ongoing stay in Philadelphia. Entering the final game of a seven-game homestand, the Flyers are just 1-5-0 after beating Tampa Bay on Thursday. They've allowed four or more goals in four of the six games and went on a streak of scoring just one goal in three straight games. What should be a safe space for them has turned into a house of horrors.