A win! In their third game of the season, the Carolina Hurricanes got their first win of the season – and on the road, too! The pair of points came during a much-improved outing against the Philadelphia Flyers just one day after a brutal loss to the Washington Capitals.
Carolina didn’t waste time when the puck dropped, as Sebastian Aho scored just 10 seconds after the game began, assisted by his new linemate William Carrier, as well as Andrei Svechnikov.
Nonetheless, Owen Tippett tied things before the halfway mark of the first period.
In the second period, Matvei Michkov secured the lead on a wrist shot following a defensive breakdown at the Hurricanes’ blueline and a failed poke check from goalie Pyotr Kochetkov.
However, as the third period heated up, so too did the Hurricanes’ power play – a power play which has been one of the bright spots so far this season. Aho scored his second goal of the game, with Nikolaj Ehlers gaining his first point of the season on the pass and Svechnikov logging yet another assist.
In the waning minutes of regulation, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was sent to the penalty box after slashing the stick of Tyson Foerster. The time on the penalty was more than that of the game clock, leaving the Hurricanes in a rough position as they survived regulation and began the extra frame shorthanded.
The Hurricanes pushed through the remainder of the penalty in overtime thanks to the trio of Jordan Staal, Jaccob Slavin, and Jalen Chatfield – then Gostisbehere returned to the ice for a brief moment of four-on-four play. Interestingly, the extra frame didn’t see a second of three-on-three play, as before there was even a whistle, Aho drew a slashing penalty on Tippett, giving the Hurricanes a crucial powerplay.
In a fantastic moment, Gostisbehere – who had ended the third frame shaking his head in the penalty box at the frustration of potentially being the reason the Hurricanes could lose – launched a blast of a slapshot from the blueline past goalie Joseph Woll, netting his team the two points with a 3-2 win in what once was his home barn.
Hurricanes Game Notes
Saturday’s game versus the Flyers was Jordan Martinook’s 800th regular season NHL game, and while he didn’t end up on the scoresheet, he certainly didn’t disappoint. He was physical, and mere inches away from scoring shorthanded. Frankly, he has been one of the best players for the Hurricanes in these first three games.
Moments prior to Saturday’s game, the Hurricanes announced that defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. As such, Mike Reilly filled the spot next to Gostisbehere on the bottom pairing.
As mentioned, Carrier had a new pair of linemates in Aho and Svechnikov in a shocking – yet awesome – shakeup of the lines by head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Jumping from the bottom line to the top line, Carrier didn’t seem to change the way he played – and that was good. He led the team in hits, with four, and appeared to bring a little something that was needed for them.
Meanwhile, Jesperi Kotkaniemi drew into the lineup for his season debut, filling in for Nicolas Deslauriers, who was a healthy scratch.
For the first time since December 20th, 2025, Kochetkov minded the net in a regular season game for the Hurricanes. He played well considering how long it’d been since he appeared in a standard game, handling the Flyers’ pressure well and managing defensive lapses just fine. And yes, he poke checked, a lot. Granted, a failed poke check led to a goal, but it was just good to see that he still had the aggressive nature he’s known for after such a long time out of action.
Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on Sportsnaut. Painting stories with … More about Rachel Barkley