Flyers earn a point, but still seek first win of the season following an overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes
Flyers played better than the first two games to start the season but struggles continue on the power play, an event that has plagues the team for a large chunk of last season.
The Flyers are still looking for their first win of the season, after losing 3-2 in overtime to the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes — and questionable officiating.
Owen Tippett was called for a slashing call in overtime, one of several debatable calls against the Flyers on the night, and former Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere ripped the game-winner past goalie Joseph Woll in his home debut.
The Flyers stayed on the bench after, wanting the goal reviewed by the NHL. Right before Gostisbehere scored, the Flyers thought Andrei Svechnikov cross-checked Nick Seeler and bumped Woll as he skated atop the crease to set a screen.
Facing the team that eliminated them from the 2026 playoffs in a sweep , the Flyers played a little better than the first two games of the season. However, they still went 0-for-4 on the power play with nine shot attempts and two shots on goal, including a man advantage that carried into overtime. And while Carolina is known as a high shot volume team and put 40 shots on goal, the Flyers could only muster 18.
Philly is now 0-1-2. It is the first three-game winless streak to start the season since 2014-15, when they lost four straight back then.
It didn’t look like the Flyers would earn a point in this one because, just 10 seconds in, Sebastian Aho put the Flyers in a 1-0 hole. The Hurricanes won the opening face-off, with Jaccob Slavin dumping it into the Flyers’ end and Andrei Svechnikov chasing it down as it rang around.
He sent it back behind the net to William Carrier, who put the puck in front, but onto the stick of Christian Dvorak. The center tried to tap it to Matvei Michkov, but it went right to Aho, who scored off the glove of Woll.
With the Flyers struggling, Tippett told The Inquirer on Saturday morning that simplifying everything right now was important. Well, he did that in the offensive zone and, as a result, found the back of the net.
The play started in the neutral zone when, after a pass from Travis Sanheim missed Tippett, Rasmus Ristolainen bodied Aho along the boards a few feet into the Flyers’ end. The puck popped loose, and Tippett grabbed it to begin the rush.
Trevor Zegras got the puck and found Sanheim trailing, but the defenseman, instead of shooting straight down the pike, tried to feed Tippett for a redirect as he was crashing down the right side. It didn’t connect there either, but Tippett got the puck back for a turnaround shot that was blocked, then a one-timer from above the circles, and eventually, off a scramble, collected it for a snapshot past Pyotr Kochetkov’s glove.
Sandwiched around two power plays —the first one was only 70 seconds — that saw the Flyers get four shots to the Hurricanes’ two, was Michkov’s first goal of the season.
Skating with Travis Konecny and Dvorak, Michkov was left all alone as his linemates were battling to get the puck down the right boards. With two Hurricanes drawn to Konecny, Michkov skated down the middle, got the pass from his fellow winger, and buried it past his countryman Kochetkov as the goalie came out of the crease to challenge.
Carolina tied it 2-2 in the third period, scoring a power-play goal on a bumper shot from Aho off a pass by Nikolaj Ehlers. Michkov was in the box for a legitimate holding call.
Breakaways
Ristolainen left the game in the third period with an undisclosed injury and will be reevaluated on Sunday. Ristolainen blocked a shot by Hurricanes defenseman K’Andre Miller with 3 minutes and 31 seconds left in the second period. He finished that shift, ending over a minute later, but missed his next shift and played one 37-second shift to start the third period. Tocchet said Flyers general manager Danny Brière was speaking with the trainers at that moment. They will decide tonight or tomorrow if they need to make a call-up for the upcoming road trip. ... Carolina earned their first win of the season.
Up next
Flyers hit the road for a three-game trip beginning on Monday in Tampa Bay against the Lightning (7 p.m., NBCSP).
