In the first away game of their second series, the Carolina Hurricanes extended their playoff win streak to seven games, as they now find themselves up 3-0 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Coming off a rocky Game 2, the Canes (53-22-7) took no chances this time. Carolina put up 30 shots on goal compared to the opposing 19 and wouldn’t let up, making Philadelphia (43-27-12) uncomfortable at home, which resulted in a 4-1 win.
After a steady first period, winger Jordan Martinook and center Jordan Staal assisted on the goal to defenseman Jalen Chatfield. With four minutes remaining in the second period, Chatfield netted a short-handed goal, shooting the puck into the top corner of the Flyers’ goal. He and Staal charged down the ice after a jumble of players were left behind at the opposite end of the rink, resulting in what would become the game-winning goal.
In a similar style to prior games in this series, the two teams showcased a game full of hits, checks and cross-checking. It was evident that Carolina got under Philadelphia’s skin as they drew several penalties. Sitting at 25 total penalties when the final horn sounded, 15 of them came from the home team, which ultimately led to two of the Canes’ goals.
Staal put Carolina on the board three minutes into the first period. Gaining possession of the puck that bounced off the wall and around a crowd of Philly jerseys surrounding the net, Carolina’s captain snuck the puck behind the opposing goaltender to put up the first goal.
Philadelphia answered back early in the following period, with hopes of keeping the momentum rolling. Center Trevor Zegras tied the game for the Flyers two minutes into the second period, collecting assists from defensemen Emil Andrae and right wing Porter Martone. What has seemed like a near-impossible feat during these playoffs, Zegras scored on Canes goaltender Frederik Andersen, whose glove caused the resulting shot to ricochet upward into the net.
To keep a comfortable lead, the Canes scored twice in the final period. Four minutes in, winger Andrei Svechnikov scored a power-play goal after slapping the puck towards the Philly net. This marked his first goal in this year’s playoffs with assists from center Sebastian Aho and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.
Three minutes later, defensemen K’Andre Miller and Martinook assisted in the final goal, scored by left wing Nikolaj Ehlers. Capping off a dominant performance for the Canes, Ehlers skated down the ice, setting himself up for a one-on-one with the Flyers’ goaltender. Feeling no pressure, he sealed the game, silenced the home crowd and pushed his team one game closer to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Canes will stay in Philadelphia for Game 4 on Saturday, May 9 with a chance to not only advance to the Eastern Conference Finals once again but also make NHL history as the first team to start 8-0 in the playoffs. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m with the game set to broadcast on TNT.
