Recap: Canes Fall to Flyers in OT

The Carolina Hurricanes snagged a point but couldn't come up with the second, as they dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Elias Lindholm scored the lone goal of the game for the Hurricanes, while Jordan Weal scored the game-winner for Philadelphia with just three seconds remaining in 3-on-3 overtime.

One
This was a closely contested match right from the drop of the puck, with two teams vying for playoff positioning jockeying with one another, attempting to bend but not break.
And of course it took extra time to decide a winner with either team not wanting to give an inch with an incredibly valuable two points on the line.

"We wanted a better result than this, but it was a good game. Both teams played well," Lindholm said. "It was a tight match with a lot of chances and good goalies. It could have gone either way."
"The effort was real good. I thought it was a good game," head coach Bill Peters said. "I thought it was a real intense game with a real good pace to the game."
Two
It took the Hurricanes a little bit to settle into tonight's game, but once they did, they took control of the first period. The Hurricanes' first power play was a bit discombobulated - it never got set up and struggled to maintain possession. Their second, which came after their first successful penalty kill of the game, was much improved and resulted in the first goal of the game.
Brock McGinn's face absorbed an elbow from Nolan Patrick, his bloodied, enlarged nose the evidence of such. Patrick, to the Canes' benefit, was penalized four minutes for high sticking. The Hurricanes used the extended power play time to possess the puck and wear down the Flyers' penalty killers, and on the second half of the man advantage, it paid off. Lindholm won a battle in front of the net to get a shot off, locate his own rebound and score his team-leading sixth power-play goal of the season.

"It was nice to get the first one," Lindholm said. "It was a long shift, a long PP. It was good retrievals by everyone. … We had a lot of shots. They really came up big with a lot of blocks, and we found a way to put it in."
"He worked hard here tonight. He skated and had the puck lots," Peters said of Lindholm. "I thought he was good in faceoffs. He had lots going in the offensive zone. Drew a penalty. … I thought he was a positive influence on the game."
Three
Without Cam Ward, we're not discussing how the Hurricanes snagged a point in this game. Ward was a difference-maker for his team and earned second star honors. He made 28 saves on 30 shots tonight and, in his last four starts, owns a 1.48 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage.

Unfortunately, the Hurricanes have averaged just 1.5 goals per game in the same stretch.
"One goal in I don't know how many games in a row now. It's tough to win when you score only one goal," Lindholm said. "Wardo has been playing unbelievable for us. Too bad we can't help him with a win and score more goals for him."
Four
The Hurricanes have managed just a goal in three consecutive games and haven't score more than two goals since returning from the All-Star break. Tonight, the only goal the team scored came on the man advantage, as it continues to be a struggle at even strength to generate much quality.
"We didn't score enough goals," Lindholm said. "We've got to pick it up and score some 5-on-5 goals here."
"It's not going in right now for us. We've got to bear down and get it off our stick a little quicker," Peters said. "I thought we had some real good looks. They did a good job, too, defensively blocking shots."
In the third period, the Hurricanes registered just two shots on goal. It was rather tight both ways, but you'd like to see more from a team attempting to break a 1-1 deadlock in the final period of regulation.
"There wasn't really anything in the third. A few chances, but we could have won the game in the third if we would have played a little better," Lindholm said. "Wardo played good in net. They had some chances and found a way to win. It's a tough loss for us."
Five
Just prior to Weal scoring the game-winning goal in the waning seconds of overtime, the Hurricanes nearly ended the game at the other end of the ice. Skinner's shot was saved by the outstretched pad of Brian Elliot, but the rebound popped right out to Jordan Staal. He knifed the puck toward the net, but Elliot got a piece of it with his paddle and Claude Giroux whacked it away for good measure. Skinner then corralled the loose puck and spun a backhander toward the net, but Giroux laid out to block it with his legs.
"I thought it was a very competitive game," Peters said. "I was happy with the effort but not in love with the end result."
Up Next
The Hurricanes will play another back-to-back at home this weekend. First up is the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, followed by the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
"It was a step in the right direction for us," Lindholm said. "We wanted two points but got one. Got to move on from here."