The Carolina Hurricanes Finish The Season With A Shootout Win Over The Philadelphia Flyers
By Brett Finger
Apr 13, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal (12) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 in their final game of the season.
Scoring Summary
Jeff Skinner scored his 32nd goal of the year to make it 1-0 early in period one. Skinner picked up a loose puck in the slot, and he sent a laser past Cal Heeter. Riley Nash and Mike Komisarek got the assists.
The Carolina Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead later in period one. Eric Staal came up the far-side wing and sent a pretty soft shot on net, but it went past young Cal Heeter. Jiri Tlusty and Justin Faulk got the assists.
The Philadelphia Flyers came back to make it 2-1 at 9:51 of the first period. Matt Read was on the receiving end of a beautiful pass from Jason Akeson in the Canes’ zone. Read sent the puck past Anton Khudobin on the one-timer. Akeson and Mark Streit got the assists.
The Carolina Hurricanes continues to tear apart Cal Heeter at 12:32 of period one. Manny Malhotra sneaked one through his five-hole on the odd-man rush. Mike Komisarek has the nice breakout pass on the goal.
Eric Staal made it 4-1 just 17 seconds into period two. He made a nice move along the wall, and he walked in and sent the puck throught the five-hole of Heeter. Tlusty and Faulk got the assists.
Kimmo Timonen sent a rocket from the point off the cross bar and past Anton Khudobin to make it 4-2. It was a power play goal. Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek got the assists.
10 seconds later, Wayne Simmonds made it 4-3. After a turnover from Ron Hainsey, Wayne Simmonds walked in and sniped it past Anton Khudobin.
Sean Couturier scored on a breakaway at 15:32 of period two. He beat Anton Khudobin with a beautiful move and finish.
Jeff Skinner struck on the power play with under five minutes left in period three to put the Carolina Hurricanes up 5-4. After a terrible bounce off the glass, Skinner scored on the wide open net. Andrei Loktionov and Elias Lindholm got the assists.
Wayne Simmonds tied the game at 5 with 9.5 seconds left in regulation. With the Flyers net empty, Simmonds put a rebound past Anton Khudobin. Streit and Timonen got the assists.
Eric Staal scored the lone shootout goal. He beat with Heeter with a wrist shot on the blocker side.
My Three Stars
1st Star: Eric Staal – 2 goals, 6 shots, 58% faceoffs, 19:46 TOI
2nd Star: Wayne Simmonds – 2 goals, 6 shots, +2, 18:36 TOI
3rd Star: Jeff Skinner – 2 goals, 6 shots, 16:59 TOI
Game Analysis
The Carolina Hurricanes had a rocky and unpredictable final game of the season, and they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 in shootout.
The Carolina Hurricanes were able to score early and often on rookie goalie Cal Heeter. The youngster was playing in his first NHL game, and he looked very rattled early on. He did improve dramatically as the game went on.
Jeff Skinner played a great game for the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. He was a great all-around player for the Canes in all three zones. He was rewarded with his 32nd and 33rd goals of the season. His previous career high was 31 back in his rookie year.
The Carolina Hurricanes were led by captain Eric Staal, who ended the year with a great game. He tallied two goals, and he played a very good two-way game.
Wayne Simmonds was the best player on the ice for the Philadelphia Flyers for most of the night. He drove the net and created a lot of issues for the Carolina Hurricanes throughout the afternoon.
The win was nice for the Carolina Hurricanes, but they let two leads slip away against the Philadelphia Flyers. At the end of the day, blowing a 4-1 lead in the matter of 3:30 of time is unacceptable. They also blew a one goal lead with under 10 seconds left in the third period.
The Carolina Hurricanes did not deserve to win this game. They really did not play well, and they were inconsistent. That being said, the Carolina Hurricanes enter the offseason with a 6-5 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Carolina Hurricanes finish the season with a record of 36-35-11.