Rachel Barkley
For the first time since 1987, a team has won their first eight games of the postseason. Back then, it was the Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier-led Edmonton Oilers. But Saturday night, it was the young and hungry Carolina Hurricanes as they completed their Round Two sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers with a 3-2 overtime win.
For the Hurricanes, the game started quietly. It was the first game of the series where they failed to score in the first period. However, for the Flyers, they took the lead in the first 20 minutes, as Tyson Foerster notched the first postseason goal of his career, with both Trevor Zegras and rookie Porter Martone chipping in with the helpers.
However, halfway through the second period, the Hurricanes struck back as Jackson Blake evened the score, assisted by K’Andre Miller and Taylor Hall. Then, 28 seconds later, Mark Jankowski put a goal on the board…but on the board, it did not stay.
After a coach’s challenge from Flyers bench boss Rick Tocchet for goaltender interference. William Carrier and Oliver Bonk had been battling in the crease when Jankowski’s shot met twine, and as such, the goal was removed due to Carrier’s presence.
Nonetheless, four minutes into the third frame saw the go-ahead goal for Carolina – a goal that this time was right as rain and fine as wine. Logan Stankoven put it past goaltender Dan Vladar with a neat little wrister on a great pass served up by Hall. The whole second line had their mitts in the tally, with Blake having given the puck over to Hall for his second point of the night.
And it certainly was not the last point of the game for the Hurricanes’ creative young winger.
But first, the Flyers forced overtime with a goal from Alex Bump after Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak managed to hassle Miller enough to break loose the puck and send it his way.
When the additional frame came, the Hurricanes kept the edge over the Flyers, spending time in their zone and doubling them in shots. However, the game-winner didn’t come from a forecheck. As fresh legs hit the ice for both teams, Jaccob Slavin disrupted a chance for the Flyers to advance into the Hurricanes’ own zone as Hall got control of the puck. Stankoven led the charge as Hall and Blake rushed the net, and Hall found the tape of Blake, who shot it – the rubber hitting Vladar before fluttering in.
Soon after, the handshake line commenced. It was the first one that Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour had experienced in Philadelphia since May 2, 1999 – his final postseason that he played with them.
Hurricanes Notes
The Hurricanes are the first team in NHL History to sweep two best-of-seven series in the four-round playoff format.
Sean Walker left Philadelphia at six in the morning on Saturday to return home for the birth of his firstborn child. He arrived back in the city to join the team in the early afternoon, just four hours before Game 4 was scheduled to begin.
The second line has factored into a goal in seven of eight games this postseason. Stankoven, Blake, and Hall are the top three players in both goals and points individually, and combine for a total of 31 points, with 22 assists and 14 goals.
