The Carolina Hurricanes secured a thrilling 6-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night at Lenovo Center, stretching their winning streak to seven games. Martin Necas emerged as the hero, scoring the game-winning goal with less than 30 seconds left. After a chaotic scramble in front of the Flyers’ net, Necas pounced on the loose puck and fired it past goaltender Aleksei Kolosov. Despite being exhausted from intense shifts, Necas was relieved to secure the win, noting that “good teams find a way to win.”
Necas’ game-winning goal capped off another strong performance for the Hurricanes’ center, who also recorded an assist. He continued his impressive streak of four consecutive multi-point games and extended his point streak to seven games. With 20 points in just 11 games, Necas has been a standout player for the Hurricanes, and his chemistry with his teammates has been a key factor in his success. After being named the NHL’s second star of the week, Necas acknowledged the importance of the team’s cohesion in driving his individual success.
The Hurricanes’ performance, however, got off to a rocky start. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed frustration with the team’s lack of sharpness in the first period, describing it as the first game of the season where he wasn’t happy with the team’s opening play. Carolina dug themselves into a deeper hole by committing two penalties in quick succession, allowing the Flyers a two-man advantage. Travis Konecny took advantage of this opportunity, scoring the opening goal. Despite the poor start, the Hurricanes answered back quickly, with Jack Drury setting up Jackson Blake for the equalizer.
Carolina bounced back in the second period, taking their first lead of the game. Necas was involved again, assisting Eric Robinson on a goal that slipped under Kolosov’s arm to make it 2-1. Just under a minute later, a rebound from Jaccob Slavin’s shot was cleaned up by Jordan Martinook to extend the lead to 3-1. Philadelphia wasn’t finished, though, as they pulled one back when Owen Tippett beat goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, making it 3-2 before the end of the period. Despite being outshot 27-6 in the period, the Flyers kept the game close with their defensive play.
The third period featured more back-and-forth action. The Flyers tied the game at 3-3 after a deflection off Morgan Frost’s skate, but Carolina quickly regained the lead. Sebastian Aho’s breakaway shot was denied, but Jack Roslovic was there to bury the rebound and make it 4-3. The Flyers responded once more, tying the game at 4-4 after a turnover by defenseman Jalen Chatfield allowed a shot to trickle through Kochetkov’s five-hole. With the game tied late, Necas’ game-winning goal in the final moments sealed the win. Seth Jarvis added an empty-netter, making it 6-4. The Hurricanes will look to continue their strong play as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins at home on Thursday.
