Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers to complete a perfect homestand

Carolina had a 4 game stretch that started with that second half of a back-to-back against Pittsburgh that they won in overtime. They cap it with a victory over the other team from Pennsylvania as they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 in a game that they absolutely dominated from start to finish. Carolina was the better team from the opening puck drop until the siren at the end of the game.

My major takeaway from this one is that the depth was able to power the Canes past in this one. With the fourth line grabbing a goal via Steven Lorentz, it was that group that would break the scoring open early. In game number 800 of his career, Derek Stepan would grab point number 500 with the beautiful pass to Lorentz that left him with an open cage from a tight angle.

Jordan Martinook would also get himself a goal. A rarely spotted Marty Party goal that actually turned out to be the difference in this game. Playing his off-wing up the lineup, there were a lot of questions from the fans regarding why. However, it worked in the end with number 48 grabbing goal number three on the year. A game-winner coming off a perfect redirection in the slot to beat a hot goalie, that was a goal worthy of winning a game.

In his return from the shelf, Frederik Andersen was a huge part of the team being able to get the win in this one. While the crease was well held in his absence, the Danish netminder returning was a major part of the Hurricanes’ success in this one. He made a save in the second period that you’re going to see on every highlight reel for a few weeks. He’s a Vezina candidate and he was the better goalie again here.

Today, Carolina sits at the top of the NHL. We get to enjoy this. They are the number 1 team in the NHL. There are 31 teams below the Hurricanes in the standings, and there’s no one above them. Carolina right now is the cream of the crop in the NHL. Your Carolina Hurricanes currently rank as the best team in hockey.

Question for Cardiac Cane readers: What did you think of the game?