Weal, Flyers defeat Hurricanes in OT, end losing streak

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jordan Weal scored with 3.1 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 2-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Tuesday.

Brian Elliott made six of his 27 saves in overtime for the Flyers (25-19-9), who ended a four-game losing streak (0-3-1). Elliott returned to the Philadelphia net after missing four games with a lower-body injury.
WATCH: [All Flyers vs. Hurricanes highlights]
Weal scored on the rush after a frantic sequence in front of the Flyers net. Elliott made a pad save on Jeff Skinner, then turned away Jordan Staal's shot off the rebound with a stick save. The puck floated above the crease, but Philadelphia forward Claude Giroux batted it away before sliding into the crease to block Skinner's backhand.
"My jaw dropped on that save," Weal said. "It was unbelievable. That's 3-on-3. If you can weather the storm on one end, that's when the fast break happens and you get another chance at the other end."
Weal skated right to left across the neutral zone, then cut from the left-wing boards to the middle of the ice in front of Hurricanes forward Brock McGinn for a shot along the ice that beat goalie Cam Ward (28 saves) five-hole.
"It was a fun overtime," Giroux said. "Big goal by Weal. When he gets open ice, he's a dangerous player."
Elias Lindholm scored for the Hurricanes (24-21-9), who have lost three games in a row (0-2-1).
"The effort was real good," Carolina coach Bill Peters said. "I thought it was a good game. I thought it was a real intense game."
Lindholm scored on the power play to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 15:05 of the first period. After Flyers forward Nolan Patrick was given a double minor for high-sticking McGinn at 12:37, Lindholm got his own rebound at the top of the crease and beat Elliott on the backhand after taking a centering pass from Teuvo Teravainen.
The Flyers allowed Elliott to get back into game form, blocking 15 shots in the first period.

"Guys were blocking shots from the get-go," said Elliott, who earned his 20th win of the season. "That's really good for me that I'm not getting point-blankers right away and allowing me to see some pucks in well."
Wayne Simmonds tied the game 1-1 with a net-front goal at 16:43 of the second period. Philadelphia worked the puck into the low slot, where Simmonds established position on defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk.

Goal of the game

Weal's goal with 3.1 seconds left in overtime.

Save of the game

Elliott stopping Staal with 34 seconds remaining in overtime.

Highlight of the game

Lindholm's goal at 15:05 of the first period.

They said it

"I hadn't been able to get [Jordan Weal] on the ice at all in overtime. I guess he made those few seconds count. I don't know if he was attacking against a tired player (Brock McGinn) or not. A little cut to the middle and a quick shot. That's a [heck] of a play by him." -- Flyers coach Dave Hakstol
"We were working at least tonight. I thought we played a smart game as well. It was a tight game. I wouldn't look into it too much. Obviously, myself and a few guys could have ended it quick (in overtime) and taken two points. But we're going to continue to work." -- Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal

Need to know

Weal's overtime goal was the third latest in Flyers history (Scott Hartnell, 0.9 seconds remaining, March 18, 2012, against the Pittsburgh Penguins; Mike Richards, 3.0 seconds left, Dec. 11, 2010, against the Boston Bruins). … Simmonds played his 500th game with the Flyers. He has 12 goals in 26 games against Carolina. … The Flyers blocked 28 shots. … Staal played a season-high 23:43. … Peters coached his 300th NHL game.

What's next

Flyers:Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, TSN2, RDS, NHL.TV)
Hurricanes: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-CR, SNP, NHL.TV)