The Hurricanes complete the weekend sweep with their third straight shootout victory

For the second night in a row, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Philadelphia Flyers collided. The Canes emerged from Saturday's battle with a 4-3 shootout victory, their second win in the skills competition in as many games. On Sunday, the teams took the fight to Raleigh, bringing the Canes back home for the first time since concluding their seven-game homestand on Tuesday.

As expected, Brandon Bussi and Dan Vladar drew the assignments for their respective teams after having last night off. Both teams also saw big returns on the back end. Jaccob Slavin returned to the lineup for the first time since the second game of the season, while Cam York dressed after a four-game absence.

The Canes got off to a much better start. William Carrier got it rolling by snapping a shot through traffic to open the scoring. On the power play, the second unit got another. Taylor Hall tipped Alexander Nikishin's drive to double the advantage. In the final minute, the Flyers got one back. Jamie Drysdale's shot was deflected by Carrier into his own net to sour the ending of the frame.

The 2-1 lead remained after the second period, with neither side able to get another one into the net. The Canes had a few good transition chances, but Bussi came up with some big stops to keep the lead. His best came late in the period on the penalty kill. Trevor Zegras had a few chances to tie it. Bussi was having none of it, keeping his group ahead going into the third.

The Flyers put together their best period of the night in the third, earning the tying goal with the extra attacker on the ice. Zegras was left all alone, and Bussi couldn't get over to deny him. With 1:52 left, the sides were all square. For the second night in a row, the Canes and the Flyers would try it in overtime. The Canes had a chance on the power play, but they couldn't get one to go.

Without a resolution in overtime, Bussi and Vladar went head-to-head in the shootout, the third in a row for the Canes. After Seth Jarvis was denied, Zegras skated in and hit the post. Andrei Svechnikov scored a beautiful top-shelf backhand goal, which was then one-upped by an incredible pad stop by Bussi on Christian Dvorak. Needing a save, Bussi stoned Matvei Michkov to secure the shootout.

Bussi's storybook start continues to reshape the history books

Every Brandon Bussi start feels like it's coming with new ways to make history. With his ninth straight victory, Bussi ties Cam Ward for the longest win streak in franchise history. There is a quiet confidence about him that truly stands out, which makes the emotion he showed after stopping the final shot in the shootout a rare and exciting sight.

There wasn't much work for him through 40 minutes, but the third period started with the Flyers throwing everything they could at Bussi. It felt only a matter of time before they'd get the tying goal, and there wasn't a ton he could do about it. Unphased, Bussi stared down three more shooters in the shootout, and while he got some help from the iron, he stood tall to get his group the win.

A perfect week against the Metro helps create momentary separation

With the Metropolitan Division gridlocked, it has become nearly impossible for teams at the top to separate. That's what makes these divisional games so important. The Canes stared at the week with four games against three division foes on the schedule, seeing this as a chance to do something big. Seven days later, after a perfect 4-0-0 week, the Canes appear to be in business.

The Hurricanes needed extra time to win three of those four games, including both this weekend, but two points have always been better than none. With eight points earned this week, the Canes sit three points ahead of the Islanders atop the division and the conference with a game in hand. They also improved to 8-2-0 against the Metro, and 3-0-0 against the Flyers.

Additional Thoughts

In his return, the plan was clear for Jaccob Slavin. He wasn't going to play a ton, and he didn't. Slavin played just 14:31 in his first game in over two months. Still, he made very Slavin-esque plays. The biggest of the night was a save in the first period by sticking out his leg to deny a rebound chance with Bussi down. He'll get more ice time this coming week, but this was a good start.

I liked Alexander Nikishin's response after being benched at the end of last night's game. He helped set up Taylor Hall's goal, earning him his first point on the power play. Nikishin has points in three straight games, with an assist in Washington and a goal in Philly. He also logged 20:01, the third-most for the team's defense tonight, getting some ice time in overtime, too.

There are two big things that need to improve as the team heads into another tough week. First, Sebastian Aho needs to get rolling. He's been held without a point in five straight contests. Second, the power play remains a work in progress. While they scored, the Canes went just 1-for-6, failing to capitalize on their 4-on-3 in overtime.

Up Next: With Monday and Tuesday to recover and practice, the Carolina Hurricanes hit the road for three games in four nights. They'll start with the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night before a weekend back-to-back against the Florida Panthers on Friday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. The Canes will host the Panthers on December 23 for their final game before Christmas.