Flyers outplay Hurricanes in third period as goalie Carter Hart sparkles in net
The Carolina Hurricanes have had some strong third periods this season.
The third period Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers was not one of them.
The Flyers scored twice in the third to surge from behind and beat the Canes 2-1 at PNC Arena, combining goals from Joel Farabee and then Zack MacEwen while getting 39 saves from the game’s first star, goalie Carter Hart.
The Canes (10-2-0), losing for the first time at home, got a goal from Steven Lorentz and had plenty of power-play chances that forced Hart to scramble and make some super saves. Carolina finished 0-5 on the power play — this night, a severe liability no matter how many good shots the Canes managed with the man advantage.
“As a Carolina Hurricane we hold ourselves to a higher standard than what we showed in the third period,” Lorentz said. “We played a great 40 minutes of hockey but it doesn’t take 40 to win in this league -- it takes a full 60.
“You could tell after the first couple minutes of that third period that we were back on our heels and that’s not how we play. They capitalized on our mistakes. We did it to ourselves. We just let off the gas in the third period and it came back to bite us in the butt.”
Goalie Frederik Andersen again was the starter for the Canes, making his 11th appearance of the season. He turned back everything in the first two periods but not in the third as the Flyers pushed and produced 15 of their 28 shots.
The Canes had outscored opponents 14-3 in the third period in their previous 11 games but the Flyers were the better team.
MacEwen redirected a Justin Braun shot past Andersen for his first goal of the season at 10:20 of the second.
The Flyers (7-3-2) had tied it 1-1 at 4:06 of the third as Farabee collected a favorable bounce off the boards and beat Andersen. Scott Laughton dumped the puck into the right corner and Farabee swept in to collect the odd carom and score against the Canes’ fourth line.
The Canes had a similar play in the second period as Sebastian Aho skated down the left wing after Tony DeAngelo dumped the puck into the left corner. Aho reeled it in in full stride but couldn’t convert.
“I think we got a little complacent and we were making some plays we didn’t need to make. Up 1-0, that’s kind of our M.O., closing out games. Tonight we got little too cute and made a few too many turnovers in the neutral zone and in our own end.”
The Canes took a 1-0 lead at 11:14 of the second as Lorentz scored his second of the season,and rookie Seth Jarvis had the crowd roaring 45 seconds later.
Lorentz showed good hand/eye coordination, batting the puck past Hart after Jesper Fast lifted the puck in the air from the side of the net.
Then came another rush into the zone by the Canes. After Andrei Svechnikov hit the post with a shot, Jarvis broke his stick trying to rap in the rebound from the slot -- the blade of his stick flying into the net, causing Hart to hesitate, then the puck.
The Flyers challenged the call, claiming Jarvis was offside entering the zone and won the challenge. No second NHL goal for Jarvis.
The Canes played Friday without forward Martin Necas, the overtime hero against Tampa Bay this week. They’re still missing forward Nino Niederreiter, defenseman Brett Pesce and goalie Antti Raanta, all injured.
Necas has been ill for a few days, Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said, noting Necas has tested negative for COVID-19. Niederreiter took the morning skate Friday but remains on Injured Reserve. Pesce missed his third game with an upper-body injury.
Brind’Amour said he was not sure who would be available for the game Saturday against the St. Louis Blues to complete the back-to-back.
The first period ended scoreless but only after the Canes nearly scored shorthanded. The Flyers had a 5-on-3 power play after Jordan Staal and then Trocheck were called for penalties — an angry Trocheck picking up an extra two minutes for slamming his stick across the glass.
The Staal penalty ended with Staal jumping out of the penalty box and taking a pass for a breakaway. Hart made the save as Staal slowed down nearing the crease, then made another on Staal.
“It was kind of two different games,” Brind’Amour said. “It was probably two of our best periods we’ve played all year, as far as the game and doing what we wanted to do. We just didn’t get enough out of the periods.
“We knew they were going to have a push. You’re not going to dominate three periods -- it’s just not going to happen. We had a few bad shifts and they capitalize.”
This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 9:46 PM.
