The Carolina Hurricanes began a three-game trip against the Metropolitan Division on Wednesday night in Philadelphia after completing a perfect home back-to-back over the weekend. Martin Necas took over Sunday's game, recording four points to extend his point streak to 13 games in a 4-1 victory over the Blues. The Canes were hoping for a cleaner game than their previous meeting with the Flyers, a 6-4 victory that required a late game-winner from Necas.
The team rolled their same lines from the St. Louis game, including Pyotr Kochetkov between the pipes. Kochetkov was phenomenal against the Blues, stopping 29 shots to earn his ninth victory of the season. The Flyers were missing three defensemen from the lineup, putting Ivan Fedotov in a tough spot as he looked to extend his three-game win streak.
It's hard to imagine a better start for the Hurricanes on the road. It took 30 seconds to break the ice, getting a shot from Jalen Chatfield to flutter past Fedotov. Jordan Martinook, who ended up with the primary assist on the goal, was initially credited with the marker before it reverted to Chatfield, giving him his first of the campaign.
The remainder of the opening period was uninspiring for the Hurricanes. They had a power play negated by an Andrei Svechnikov penalty. They had their chances to extend the lead, including a 2-on-0 from Svechnikov and Jack Roslovic, but Fedotov remained firm. Kochetkov did the same on the other end, keeping the Flyers off the board through 20 minutes.
With the Hurricanes unable to convert some critical chances, it was only appropriate that the Flyers would get a bad one to tie it early in the second period. Ryan Poehling released a shot from just inside the blue line that eluded Kochetkov's glove, giving the Flyers life. It looked like Kochetkov had a lane to see the puck and enough time to react. Unfortunately, the shot beat him, tying the game at one.
Once the Flyers tied the game, the Canes seemed to find theirs. They began smothering the Flyers in all three zones, preventing them from doing anything meaningful with the puck. The Flyers went without a shot for over 13 minutes in the frame. The problem was that the offense couldn't find an answer for Fedotov, keeping the game tied after two periods.
The dam broke in the third period, allowing the Canes to finally make the scoreboard reflect their effort. Sebastian Aho got it started 63 seconds in, picking off a pass along the boards before squeaking a shot through Fedorov's arm. Almost five minutes later, Jordan Staal redirected a pass from Dmitry Orlov in the slot to make it 3-1. Aho made another great defensive play in the neutral zone before setting up Roslovic for his tenth goal of the season 55 seconds later.
After three goals in 5:54, it was smooth sailing the rest of the way. Kochetkov only faced four shots in the third period, stopping them all. The defense around him kept the Flyers from mounting a serious comeback, leading to a 4-1 victory for the Hurricanes to begin their quick trip.
While the good guys won the game, a small battle was lost as Martin Necas' point streak ended at 13 games in Philadelphia. He didn't have quite the same impact on the game as we've seen over the last month, but he didn't need to, especially with how the Hurricanes began the third period. Necas finished the night with four shots, though he couldn't find the magic to tie the Hurricanes' record for the longest point streak.
Still, it was a history-making night for the Hurricanes and their all-star, Sebastian Aho. With his go-ahead goal early in the third serving as the game-winner, Aho became the franchise's all-time leader in game-winning goals, passing Ron Francis with his 58th. This was the type of performance that could finally see Aho start to put big games together.
It was also another excellent night for the defensive pair of Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield. It felt like the two were in the middle of something every time they were on the ice, firing everything they could toward the net. Chatfield joined Aho with a multi-point night, as he and Orlov combined to set up Staal's goal. They continue to be a defensive force with chemistry that has been off the charts since being put together last season.
Up Next- There won't be much time to celebrate the victory as the Carolina Hurricanes turn around to face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. The Canes bested the Devils in Raleigh in October, but New Jersey should be plenty rested after last playing on Saturday. The road trip will end in Columbus on Saturday as they square off with the Blue Jackets for the first time this season.