POSTGAME 5: Hurricanes Blank Flyers, 1-0

The Philadelphia Flyers fell to the Carolina Hurricanes, 1-0, at PNC Arena in Raleigh on Thursday evening. Philly received strong goaltending, defended well in the middle of the ice and blocked 22 Carolina shot attempts. Ultimately, though, the Flyers didn't generate enough puck possession or high-danger scoring chances (5) to muster a goal.

A power play goal by Andrei Svechnikov (23rd of the season) gave Carolina a 1-0 lead just 2:09 into the first period. The second period, dominated by Carolina, was scoreless. The third period was similar to the second.
Felix Sandström played an excellent game in net in a losing cause, stopping 28 of 29 shots. Pyotr Kochetkov earned a 19-save shutout for Carolina.
The Flyers went 0-for-1 on the power play. The Hurricanes went 1-for-3.
With forwards Wade Allison and Brendan Lemieux unavailable due to respective day-to-day injuries, the Flyers recalled forwards Elliot Desnoyers and Tyson Foerster on an emergency basis from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Foerster made his NHL debut while Desnoyers' dressed in his third game.
Foerster had a strong game in 13:51 of ice time: three blocked shots, two shots on goal, one scoring chance and a couple of solid backchecking plays.
Tony DeAngelo served the first game of a two-game NHL suspension for spearing Tampa's Corey Perry. With exactly 12 forwards and six defensemen available, winger Kieffer Bellows dressed for the game.
FLYERS STARTING LINEUP
86 Joel Farabee - 48 Morgan Frost - 74 Owen Tippett
21 Scott Laughton - 49 Noah Cates - 52 Tyson Foerster
25 James van Riemsdyk - 73 Elliot Desnoyers - 13 Kevin Hayes
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 58 Tanner Laczynski - 20 Kieffer Bellows
9 Ivan Provorov - 45 Cam York
6 Travis Sanheim - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Nick Seeler - 61 Justin Braun
32 Felix Sandström
[79 Carter Hart]
TURNING POINT
It wasn't a true turning point but it was the game's only goal: The Flyers paid the price for Hayes' early first period penalty and Svechnikov ripped a one-timer from the high slot into the net. Philly's best scoring chance saw TIppett send Farabee in one-on-one on goalie Kochetkov. Farabee was unable to finish it.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) Hayes took a holding penalty on Brett Pesce just 1:19 into the first period. Svechnikov got away from traffic and one-timed one a Martin Necas feed into the net. Brent Burns got the secondary assist at 2:09.
Foerster had a good scoring chance on his third shift of the game; a rebound chance off a Laughton shot.
The Flyers went back to the PK at 10:05 as Provorov took a delay of game penalty for putting the puck over the glass from the defensive zone. Sandström made good stops on Svechnikov and Necas. Stefan Noesen and Seeler were called for coincidental minors with 37 seconds left on the kill.
Kochetkov made back to back saves on Provorov and Frost to protect the 1-0 lead. The latter was recorded as a blocked shot for Brady Skej but appeared to get on net.
Philadelphia went back to the penalty kill yet again at 16:01 as Frost was called for tripping Jordan Staal. The Flyers got through the minor in good shape.
Late in the period, Provorov and Hayes combined to break up a potential back-door scoring chance for Carolina.
2) The Hurricanes had the puck in the Flyers zone in the first period more than Philly had possession but shots on goal were even at 6-6. Shot attempts were 8-7 in the Flyers' favor at 5-on-5 but the three Carolina power plays gave the Hurricanes an overall 17-9 in the Canes' favor. Overall scoring chances were even at 6-6 (5-3 Flyers' favor at 5-on-5) with a 2-1 overall high-danger edge for the Hurricanes (1-0 Flyers at five-on-five). Faceoff were 8-7 Flyers.
Considering all the penalties and the tough start for the Flyers, the first period was a decent one for the Flyers. Nonetheless, they still went off trailing by a goal.
3) Near the 3:00 mark of the second period, a giveaway by Hayes created a three-chance flurry for Carolina. At the end of the shift, Svechnikov hobbled off the ice and down the tunnel. He soon returned. Carolina generated a total of eight shots in the first six minutes of the stanza.
Hayes had a scoring chance cutting in front of the Carolina night. On the next shift, Tippett sprung Farabee in alone on Kochetkov. The goalie denied Farabee's backhanded attempt.
Sandström denied a Burns shot from the bottom of the right circle at 9:39. The goalie then denied Jaccob Slavin on Carolina's 11th shot of the period. With 5:18 left on the second period clock, Sandström denied a Skej shot from the deep slot with traffic in front.
With about five minutes left in the middle stanza, Provorov turned the puck over in the neutral zone, leading to a heap of trouble. Foerster helped out defensively with a nice backchecking play and then saved a potential goal by blocking a Svechnikov shot from the right side with half the net staring at him.
Bellows went to the net and nearly forced the puck over the line on a chance for the Flyers' fourth line.
In the final 20 seconds of the second period, Foerster blocked another shot: this one by Burns.
4) The Hurricanes showed in the second period why they are the NHL's top-ranked puck possession team. Shots on goal were 15-7 in Carolina's favor. Shot attempts were 25-12 Carolina. Scoring chances were 11-6 Carolina. High-danger chances were even at 2-2, per Natural Stat Trick. Faceoffs were 12-4 Carolina. Fortunately for the Flyers. Sandström was sharp throughout the period and was the main reason the Flyers stayed within one goal.
5) In the third period, the Flyers again spent two of the first three shifts in their defensive zone. At 2:10, a Cam York shot seemed to fool Kochetkov but stayed out of the net.
At 5:45, Ristolainen fired a shot on net and followed the puck to the net, forcing a stoppage. The sequence started with Foerster creating a turnover. Tippett took the puck to the net but was denied at 8:13.
Foerster, Hayes and Tippett came up with blocked shots, then Seler blocked one.
At 10:17, the Flyers finally got their first power play. Tippett was tripped up by Jesper Fast. Frost won the opening faceoff but the Hurricanes quickly gained possession and cleared. The Flyers spent much of the power play going back 200 feet and never generated any real chances.
Sandström came up with big saves on Svechnikov and Kotkaniemi to keep the deficit at one goal. At 14:20, the Flyers were called for too many men on the ice on a bad line change. Aho was stopped at the right post on a back door feed. Laughton had a shorthanded chance but missed the net.
The Flyers pulled the goalie for an extra attacker. JVR took what appeared to be a high-stick from Aho to the face but the officials ruled the contact was with the puck with 32 seconds on the clock. The Flyers were unable to get set up before time expired.
Third period shots on goal were 8-6 Carolina. Shot attempts were 22-6 Carolina. Scoring chances were 11-6 Hurricanes. High-danger chances were 7-2 Carolina. Final faceoffs were 29-17 Carolina.