Carolina Hurricanes: Takeaways from the Win Over the Flyers

The Carolina Hurricanes went to Philadelphia with a chance to move up in the standings. While the Hurricanes did not move up in the Metropolitan Division, they did leave Philadelphia two points richer and managed to close out the season with a win.

The Carolina Hurricanes have secured the top Wild Card spot in the Metropolitan Division with a win over Philadelphia last night. In order to have claimed the 3rd spot in the Division from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Hurricanes needed for two things to happen: the New York Rangers to overcome the Penguins in regulation time, and a win over Philadelphia. The Rangers went on to defeat Pittsburgh in overtime, but the Hurricanes were able to trounce the Flyers in regulation time.

The Hurricanes will now face the Washington Capitals in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They head into the playoffs on a high note after a tight 4-3 win over the Flyers last night.

The Hurricanes made solid improvements in many areas of the game last night, especially on offense. Today, we break down last night’s matchup period-by-period, and take a look at what the Hurricanes did well, what they could improve on, and what they need to bring to the table to ensure another deep playoff run.

2nd Period Takeaways

Flyers’ Offense

The Philadelphia Flyers began the 2nd period with two back-to-back goals in the first seven minutes of the period. Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier both scored in the second to tie the game and lay the foundation for a potential comeback.

Staal’s Game-Winning Goal

The dreams of a 2nd period comeback for the Flyers would be short-lived, however, as Dougie Hamilton found Jordan Staal with a beautiful pass in the slot that Staal rocketed past Carter Hart. The Philadelphia Flyers still managed to keep the puck in the offensive end for most of the 2nd period, but McElhinney and the Hurricanes’ defensive corps remained stout.

Smart Retaliation

Philadelphia Flyers forward Ryan Hartman took quite a few penalties in quick succession roughly midway through the 2nd period. After being called for interfering with Warren Foegele, Hartman threw an unnecessary cross-check on Foegele whilst heading to the penalty box.

This errant cross-check earned him a 10-minute Game Misconduct Penalty on top of his two minor penalties for interference and roughing, resulting in a total of 14 penalty mintues. Foegele did not retaliate, and chose to continue skating in the opposite direction, affording the Carolina Hurricanes a long powerplay.

Carter Hart

Jordan Staal’s lone goal in the 2nd period was the Hurricanes’ final goal of the game, but it wasn’t for lack of trying,. Carter Hart, after turning in a relatively lukewarm performance in the 1st period, showed up to play in the 2nd. Hart turned aside 15 of 16 shots in the 2nd period, which helped Philadelphia nearly stage a 2nd period comeback.

Two of these saves were absolute robberies against Lucas Wallmark and Nino Niederreiter. Hart remained solid heading into the third period, which saw the Hurricanes only taking one shot on goal.

3rd Period Takeaways

Hurricanes’ Lack of Offense

The Carolina Hurricanes finished up a second period that saw the tides turning in favor of the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart seemed to be finally locked in, and the Hurricanes only managed to put one shot of 16 past him. In the third, the Hurricanes only managed to fire a solitary shot on goal, which was easily handled by Carter Hart.

Curtis McElhinney Shines Again

On the other side of the ice, the McElhinney and the Hurricanes’ blueliners needed to dig in, and dig in they did. Philadelphia had quite a few high-quality scoring chances, all of which were quelled by Curtis McElhinney.

After turning in a rough 2nd period, McElhinney rebounded and stopped all ten of Philadelphia’s scoring chances. The defensive corps around him seemed to regain their confidence, and played a much more physical brand of hockey than was present in the 2nd period.

Recap

The Carolina Hurricanes needed a win tonight, and they got it. Last night’s matchup was chippy to say the least, and the Philadelphia Flyers played an intense game. The onus was on the Hurricanes to not underestimate their opponents, a venture which the Hurricanes ultimately succeeded in.

The teamwork and chemistry on display last night for the Hurricanes was a breath of fresh air, and is another layer in the foundation the team has built heading into the playoffs. If the Hurricanes can play in the playoffs the way they played in the 1st and 3rd periods of last night’s game, we will have nothing to worry about, Caniacs.

Question for CC Readers: Heading into the playoffs, what aspect of the Hurricanes’ gameplay recently has been most impressive to you? Which aspect do you feel needs the most work?