"Simply Jar-velous": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 2: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers

For the final time for two weeks, the Carolina Hurricanes took the ice in Raleigh to face the Philadelphia Flyers. After the roaring success of Opening Night, a 6-3 win over the Devils, the Canes sought a similar result against another division opponent. The Flyers, who finished 8th in the division a season ago, dropped their season opener to the Panthers on Thursday. They tried to play spoiler on the road against the second team in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

PHI (19:38-PP)- Owen Tippett (1) (Travis Konecny (1) & Trevor Zegras (1))

2nd Period

CAR (3:46)- Logan Stankoven (1) (Jackson Blake (2) & Alexander Nikishin (2))

PHI (6:18)- Bobby Brink (1) (Noah Cates (1) & Nikita Grebenkin (1))

CAR (9:07)- Taylor Hall (2) (Eric Robinson (1))

CAR (18:30)- Jordan Staal (1) (Jordan Martinook (2))

3rd Period

PHI (16:00)- Travis Sanheim (1) (Bobby Brink (1) & Tyson Foerster (2))

Overtime

CAR (4:43)- Seth Jarvis (3) (Sebastian Aho (3) & Shayne Gostisbehere (3))

My Thoughts

Regardless of how the two-week trip out west goes, we might not fully appreciate these two points for a while because this was not the team's best effort, yet they found a way to get the job done. The difference between 2-0-0, 1-1-0, and 1-0-1 feels very big ahead of this trip. The Carolina Hurricanes needed to find a way, and they did exactly that. This early in the season, I'm a little less concered with how the team looks, and more concerned with whether they are winning and piling up points. We can worry about style points later in the season. This was an ugly win, but the key word in that observation is the "win". You have to credit the Flyers for giving the Canes an excellent fight on home ice. 

This was another good case of the Canes' depth playing in their favor. Look at the scoring from tonight's game. Each of the four goals was scored by a different line. Three of the four lines found the back of the net during the second period. The Stankoven line got it started. Then, Kotkaniemi and the 4th line found paydirt for the second straight game. To end the period, the Staal line, which was the Canes' best trio all night, gave them their first lead. To close the night, the top line, or two of the three on the line, scored the overtime winner. Two of the six defensemen scored two, ensuring Alexander Nikishin remains a point-per-game player in the NHL, while Shayne Gostisbehere remains tied for the team lead in points (3). 

It's a little weird to see the Canes have a goalie interference call go their way, especially at that important a juncture in the contest. The Flyers thought they'd earned the second point after Bobby Brink scored into a yawning cage. Brink, who had a great game, saw that goal come off the board after a league-initiated review. Travis Sanheim flew a little too close to the crease, bumping into Frederik Andersen, who also had a good game, as he drove to the net. K'Andre Miller made a great play to part him from the puck, but Sanheim continued through the crease, forcing Andersen out of position. Some, mostly Flyers fans, would argue that the contact wasn't much or that Andersen initiated contact. I think they'd be wrong on both accounts, and the league would, too. Toronto ruled in favor of the Hurricanes, allowing them to get the win on Seth Jarvis' clapper.

My greatest concern about this game isn't about what we saw on the ice. In fact, it's the exact opposite. Jaccob Slavin didn't play at the end of the third period and wasn't on the ice to start overtime. While he was on the bench, he didn't take a shift. Rod Brind'Amour said he's being evaluated, which doesn't tell us much, but it doesn't feel like the most encouraging sign in the world. This is especially bad for two big reasons. First, the team is about to hit the road for its longest trip of the season, playing four playoff teams in a row and two more that are on the rise. Second, the team is already dealing with goaltending uncertainty surrounding Pyotr Kochetkov's status. He's out for at least a week, making it possible that we see him during the second half of the trip, assuming he joins the team for their journey. Losing Slavin would be an early blow that the team would like to avoid when playing teams like Vegas, Colorado, and Dallas over the next two weeks.

First Star of the Game: Jackson Blake

It's very clear that Jackson Blake has turned an outstanding preseason into an outstanding start ot the season. He has recorded points in each of the team's opening games, helping to get the team on the board with an assist on Logan Stankoven's goal. It was a pretty stylish one at that. He tied Nikolaj Ehlers for the team lead in shot, threw a few hits, and got into it with Garnet Hathaway at one point. He's proving that his offseason extension was well earned.

Next Up: The Canes begin their six-game trip with a saunter through California. First on the list is San Jose to face Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks on Tuesday night. They have a good young core in place, but they also feature a few veterans and former Hurricanes in Dmitry Orlov and the newest membr of the 700-point club, Jeff Skinner.