After a slow start, the Carolina Hurricanes shifted the tempo halfway through the second period, sparking a two-goal comeback and earning a shootout win to move into first place in the Eastern Conference.
The Canes (20-9-2), allowing the first half of the game to be dictated by the Philadelphia Flyers (16-9-5), flipped the script in the second period, proving their ability to adjust. With multiple game-tying goals, 65 minutes wasn’t enough time to declare a winner. The Canes earned the shootout win, earning a 4-3 victory.
“I think the first period we didn’t really play the way we’re known for, and not the way we’re capable of,” said winger Jackson Blake. “I think we got to it later on in that second period and got two big goals there and kept it going in the third.”
No stranger to shootouts, head coach Rod Brind’Amour sent centers Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho, and wingers Andrei Svechnikov and Blake to take the shots. For both sides, Blake was the only skater to get the puck past the goaltender, sealing the win for his team.
Starting strong, Philadelphia ended the first period with a two-goal lead. With goals from winger Bobby Brink and center Trevor Zegras, they went back to the locker room with room to breathe. Halfway through the second, the Canes found their footing, and winger Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman Alexander Nikishin each found the back of the net, putting their team back in the game.
“I thought [the first period] was fast,” center Logan Stankoven said during the first intermission. “They’re playing physical. I think we had to try and match that, and you just have to do a bit better job in our [defensive] zone and picking up guys. We can’t just give them goals. They seem like they want it more right now, so we need to get back to our game quick here and turn things around.”
Sitting at two goals a piece, Jarvis, with an assist from Svechnikov, capitalized on a breakaway opportunity. Using his signature fake, he slid the puck across the ice to the left of goaltender Samuel Errson, taking the lead late in the third.
The Canes failed to protect the lead for long as winger Carl Grundstrom found the back of the net just 23 seconds later. Off a 2-on-1 breakaway against defenseman Joel Nystrom, he decided to take it all the way himself and snapped a shot past goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, scoring the goal that took them to overtime and earned his team a single point.
With less than 24 hours between games, the Hurricanes and Flyers both head back to the Lenovo Center for a rematch on Sunday, December 14, with a 5 p.m. puck drop.