Carolina Hurricanes Pick Up Big Win Against the Philadelphia Flyers

The Carolina Hurricanes picked up two big points tonight in Raleigh against their divisional-opponent Philadelphia Flyers.

It was a must win for the Hurricanes on Tuesday as they hosted the Flyers, and they were able to overcome some lackluster play in route to a big victory.

More from Cardiac Cane – What’s Next for Cam Ward and Eric Staal?

Scoring Summary

1st Period

PHI Goal (17:45)  Scott Laughton (5), assisted by Matt Read (10), Radko Gudas (5) 

Scott Laughton received a pass from Matt Read in the Hurricanes’ zone, shot it from the faceoff circle and beat Cam Ward five-hole.

2nd Period

CAR Goal (8:09) Joakim Nordstrom (8), unassisted

Joakim Nordstrom picked off a pass from Michal Neuvirth and scored on an empty goal.

CAR Goal (18:26) Jordan Staal (16), assisted by Brett Pesce (10)

Brett Pesce fired a puck around the boards which deflected off a referee and directly to Jordan Staal, who spun around with the puck and powered it by Neuvirth.

3rd Period

CAR Goal (14:11) Eric Staal (10), assisted by Jay McClement (8), Elias Lindholm (21)

Jay McClement took a shot off Neurvirth’s blocker, which popped up in the air where Eric Staal was able to deflect it in.

Three Stars

1st Star – Cam Ward, G (CAR) – 36 of 37 shots stopped, .973 SV%

2nd Star – Jordan Staal, C (CAR) – 1 goal, +2, 2 shots, 18:11 TOI

3rd Star – Jay McClement, C (CAR) – 1 assist, +2, 2 shots, 15:35 TOI

Recap

An amazing goaltending performance from Cam Ward on Tuesday at the PNC Arena led to a 3-1 victory for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Scott Laughton was able to get the Flyers on the board in the first period with a low wrist shot that went five-hole of Cam Ward. It was a bad goal to give up on his part, but in his defense he received a bit of a snow-shower on the play which may have temporarily took away his vision of the puck.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes certainly had their chances to score in the first period. Jordan Staal sent a puck out of play on a wide-open net and Victor Rask also missed a shot on a very good scoring opportunity.

The second period consisted of two goals from Joakim Nordstrom and Jordan Staal which gave the Canes a 2-1 lead. Both goals were fortunate bounces for the Canes as Nordstrom’s goal was gift-wrapped to him by Michal Neuvirth and Jordan’s goal came from a lucky bounce off of the referee. Cam Ward was absolutely stellar in this period, shutting the Flyers out with four or five highlight-reel saves to keep Philadelphia to one goal.

The Hurricanes were able to play a lot better defensively and limit the Flyers’ chances in the third period. Eric Staal scored his tenth goal of the season on a nice tip-in of the puck out of mid-air to seal the deal.

Jordan Staal continued to show that he is the best player on the Carolina Hurricanes. He created many scoring opportunities and scored the game-winning goal over the Flyers.

Joakin Nordstrom extended his goal streak to three games tonight. He has been on a roll lately.

The Canes contained Shayne Gostisbehere tonight, snapping his 15-game point streak in the process. Flyers’ captain Claude Giroux did not play in tonight’s game.

Overall, the Hurricanes were not at their best tonight, but they were able to secure the two points because of an outstanding performance from Cam Ward. After letting in a soft goal in the first period he made some of his most dazzling saves of the season and completely shut the door on the Flyers. He was deservingly rewarded with the first star of the game. Ward has been one of the hottest goalies in the league since Dec 18, and that needs to continue for the Hurricanes to make the playoffs in April.

With two points tonight, the Hurricanes were able to separated themselves from the Flyers and are now just two points out of a playoff spot. It will not be an easy road from here on out, but the Hurricanes are playing their best hockey in several years and have a real shot at making a postseason push.

Next: Hurricanes 2016-2017 Roster Preview: Who Stays and Who Goes?

The Carolina Hurricanes’ will play in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on Thursday night.