The Carolina Hurricanes capped off their four-game homestand with a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, March 12.
The Canes (41-12-5) came into the contest fresh off a dramatic 2-0 win against the Colorado Avalanche just two days prior, but the Flyers (18-30-10) did not go down quietly. Philly kept the game tied up heading into the first and second intermissions, so Carolina had to pull away in the third to get both points.
“We’re in the final stretches,” said center Derek Stepan. “This is where it’s gonna be for the rest of the year. It’s gonna be tight games. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing or what style they want to play. This is how hockey is gonna be at this time of the year.”
Center Steven Lorentz opened the scoring in the second period, receiving an off-the-boards pass from Stepan and sneaking the shot past Jones. Lorentz’s goal was his first since Jan 15, but that detail took a back seat as Stepan’s assist got him to 500 career points in his 800th NHL game.
“The stars aligned,” Stepan said. “It’s a special night and something that not many people get the opportunity to do. I’ve been fortunate enough to have that. It just keeps adding on to things that I’ve been lucky to come across.”
Left wing Jordan Martinook broke the deadlock late in the third, redirecting a shot by center Vincent Trocheck to beat Flyers netminder Martin Jones. Jones kept the Canes from running away with the game in the first period, battling with goaltender Frederik Andersen for most of the afternoon until Martinook broke the seal on Jones’ net.
“That was a nice one, especially at that time of the game,” Martinook said. “I felt like I was all over it all night, I had a lot of chances. It felt good. I don’t think my wife or my kid has been to a game in a while. That’s nice to score when he’s here.”
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour changed up his formula a bit for the game. The classic “SAT” first line of right wing Andrei Svechnikov, center Sebastian Aho and left wing Teuvo Teräväinen was broken up as center Martin Nečas, typically a second-liner, swapped spots with Svechnikov.
The change seemed to work out well for Carolina. Nečas’ fast pace flowed better with Aho and Teräväinen. Svechnikov meshed well as the centerpiece of the second line, firing Howitzers at the net along with Trocheck and Martinook bruising Flyers skaters with his trademark reverse hits.
“It was to see if we can get a little more balance throughout the lineup,” Brind’Amour said. “That’s all. We know that I can put [the SAT line] together, they haven’t really scored a lot of goals. … I think I’d like to look at things differently now and get a feel for what might work or some adjustments we might have to make moving forward.”
The Hurricanes won’t have to wait long to test out that formula again. The Canes will hit the road again to take on the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Sunday, March 13. Puck drops at 1 p.m.
