Hurricanes tie game in final second, defeat Flyers in OT

PHILADELPHIA --Martin Necas scored the tying goal with 0.3 seconds remaining when the Carolina Hurricanes rallied for a 5-4 overtime win against the Philadelphia Flyers on at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

Necas tied the game on a 6-on-4 power play in the third period with Frederik Andersen pulled for an extra skater, knocking a loose puck past Felix Sandstrom before time expired.
"I was just standing on the back door and the puck just -- I don't even know -- somehow showed up there and I just banged it into the net," Necas said.
Sebastian Aho then scored on the rush 28 seconds into overtime to complete his hat trick, pushing the puck through the skates of Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo and beating Sandstrom for his 30th goal of the season.
Necas and Brady Skjei each had a goal and an assist for Carolina (45-15-8), and Andersen made 29 saves.
The Hurricanes moved three points ahead of the New Jersey Devils for first place in the Metropolitan Division with a game in hand.

"We were sleeping through the game for that third period and even the second period, we were just kind of going through the motions," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "Can't do that in this league. So it was a good lesson. Obviously we'll take the two points, we need them at this time of the year."
Brendan Lemieux, Tyson Foerster and Noah Cates each had a goal and assist for Philadelphia (25-32-12). Sandstrom made 29 saves.
"A lot of guys battled hard, we battled back, get the lead there," Flyers forward Scott Laughton said. "I take a [holding] penalty with seven seconds left [in the third], they score, and then score first shift of overtime. That's it."
Aho had gone seven games without a goal before Saturday.
He gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 14:52 of the first period when he scored from the left face-off circle off a setup from Necas, then put Carolina ahead 3-1 at 13:55 of the second with a goal from the high slot.
The overtime goal gave him three hat tricks this season.
"I'm expecting myself to step up," Aho said. "Obviously you don't want to go through long droughts. You want to put points up every game and help the team win. Last night we lost in Toronto (5-2), I got a few good chances and wasn't able to cash in so obviously that kind of hurts. You want to be able to help the team in that way too."
The Hurricanes are looking for extra offense without injured forwards Andrei Svechnikov (knee) and Max Pacioretty (Achilles), each out for the remainder of the season.
"With the guys that we have out now, it comes more and more on your top guys and obviously [Aho is] one of them we have left as far as a game-changer," Brind'Amour said. "Him, Marty Necas, he came through. So you've got to rely on those guys."

Skjei made it 2-0 at 16:51 of the first when he held in a clearing attempt by Flyers forward Wade Allison and beat Sandstrom from the top of the left face-off circle.
Foerster scored his first NHL goal at 4:56 of the second period to get the Flyers within 2-1. Morgan Frost slid a pass between players to Foerster, who beat Andersen in his fifth NHL game.
"It was a good feeling to score but at the end of the day we didn't win the game," Foerster said. "I feel like every game for me has been about learning, gaining confidence. I just wish we came out with the win."
After Aho's second goal, Cates scored on the rebound of a Foerster shot for a 5-on-3 power-play goal at 18:18 to make it 3-2.
Farabee tied the game 3-3 at 3:33 of the third period when he scored on the rebound of Owen Tippett's shot. It was the second straight game with a goal for Farabee after he went 26 games without one.
Lemieux put the Flyers ahead 4-3 at 5:50 after Frost blocked Andersen's pass attempt from behind the Hurricanes net and centered the puck to Lemieux, who scored into an empty net.
"I thought we played really well, felt we had the game controlled," Flyers coach John Tortorella said.
NOTES:The Hurricanes swept the season series (four games) against the Flyers and have won seven straight against them. ... Aho's hat trick was his seventh in the NHL, tying Blaine Stoughton for third in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history. The only players with more are Eric Staal (13) and Ron Francis (nine). ... Aho reached 30 goals for the fourth time, joining Stoughton, Pat Verbeek and Geoff Sanderson for the second-most 30-goal seasons in Hurricanes/Whalers history. The only player with more is Staal (five). ... Necas is the second player to score a tying goal in the final second of regulation this season, joining New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller, who did so against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 12. ... Cates' goal was the Flyers' first at 5-on-3 this season. ... Frost and Tippett each had two assists.