"America's Defender Returns": 2025-26 Regular Season, Game 32: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers

The day we've been waiting for has finally come. Jaccob Slavin is back in the lineup for the first time in two months, facing the Flyers as he did the last time he was on the ice. While it signals the end of Joel Nystrom's time in the NHL (for now), it brings the team as close to full health as they've been since Slavin's injury. With the Canes and the Flyers meeting for the second night in a row, it would be interesting to see which team comes out of the gates hot. With the same amount of wear and tear on each side, it would be up to Brandon Bussi and Dan Vladar to keep their teams in the fight.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (5:44)- William Carrier (3) (Sean Walker (7) & Jordan Staal (4))

CAR (15:53-PP)- Taylor Hall (7) (Alexander Nikishin (8) & Jackson Blake (11))

PHI (19:07)- Jamie Drysdale (3) (Trevor Zegras (19) & Matvei Michkov (9))

2nd Period

None

3rd Period

PHI (18:08)- Trevor Zegras (13) (Travis Konecny (19) & Christian Dvorak (15))

Overtime

None

Shootout

CAR- Andrei Svechnikov

My Thoughts

After having to chase last night's game, the Hurricanes got off to a better, quicker start on Sunday. The Staal line got it rolling on William Carrier's early goal. Then, the power play doubled it on Taylor Hall's redirection. Had it not been for the late Philly goal, it would've been the perfect opening frame for the Canes. They threw everything they could at the net while limiting the Flyers' chances, outshooting them 14-4. Being up 2-1 instead of down 2-0 is a much better way to start the game. Even the penalty kill got in on the fun. After not taking one on Saturday, they took two in the first half of the opening period. Both were killed, though the Flyers' goal came during a delayed penalty on a 6-on-5. That was the only real blemish.

The Flyers eventually tied the game with the extra attacker on the ice late in the third period, but Brandon Bussi made life miserable for the Flyers for most of the night. The third was Philly's best period by a considerable margin, owning a 15-7 edge in shots. That it took them that long to get it was impressive. It was going to take a perfect play, and that's what they got. It didn't affect Bussi. He didn't see anything in overtime, so it came down to three shots in the shootout. Trevor Zegras, who scored the tying goal, hit the iron, Christian Dvorak was robbed by Bussi's toe, and Matvei Michkov was shooed away. Bussi showed some emotion after the final stop while he celebrated with his teammates. He's won nine in a row, tying him for the franchise record. He has ice in his veins right now. No moment is too big for him.

The big news before the game was Jaccob Slavin's return. He revealed post-game that there was a plan in place to limit his ice time for his return, but anything we could get from him would be a positive. There was clearly some rust in his game. There were a few clearing chances on the penalty kill that didn't quite get out. However, Slavin still made plenty of Slavin-like plays, like a blocked shot off his leg with a vacant net late in the first period. He only played 14:31, so there is plenty of room for him to get more comfortable. He'll have two days to get more in the groove before another tough stretch of games next week.

The Hurricanes just went 4-0-0 against the Metropolitan Division this week. Their best effort came against the Blue Jackets before three straight wins in the shootout. Thursday's win over Washington was the most consequential, while both wins this weekend helped to cushion their lead a little. Now, they're three points up on the Islanders for the division and the best record in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand. They're four points up on Washington. There is finally a little separation, which hasn't been the case for most of the season to this point. Assuming they can keep this momentum going, we might look at this week as a big one for the Hurricanes in hindsight.

First Star of the Game: Brandon Bussi

Both of Carolina's goal scorers had good games tonight, but it's hard to look past the work Brandon Bussi did, especially in the third period and beyond. His save on Dvorak in the second round of the shootout might've been his best this season, and that bar is already pretty high. I liked seeing him get emotional after the win. 

Next Up: The Canes will get a few days before taking the ice again on Wednesday night in Nashville as they aim for the season sweep. They continue their trip into Florida, facing their third back-to-back of the month, and this one might be the most daunting. It'll start on Friday night against the defending champions before facing the Atlantic-leading Lightning on Saturday. The Canes will return home after the trip to host the Panthers on Christmas Eve Eve.