Carolina @ Philadelphia preview
Wells Fargo Center
Last Meeting ( Nov 12, 2021 ) Philadelphia 2, Carolina 1
The last time the Philadelphia Flyers won a game in regulation came in a thrilling 2-1 matchup Nov. 12 on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Flyers will attempt to repeat the feat Friday when they host the Hurricanes.
Since that victory, the Flyers have struggled for the most part. Aside from an overtime win over the Calgary Flames, the Flyers have lost in regulation to the Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. They also fell in a shootout to the Lightning and then in overtime to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
"Guys in front of (goaltender Martin Jones) were playing hard and trying to do the right thing," Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said after the 2-1 loss to the Panthers. "It's challenging with a team with that skill and speed coming at you. But for the most part I thought we handled it pretty well."
The Flyers have had trouble scoring goals, and they're 5 for their last 48 on the power play. Philadelphia hasn't scored three goals in a regulation game since a 3-0 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Nov. 2.
Injuries continue to wreak havoc as well with Ryan Ellis (lower body), Kevin Hayes (abdominal) and Derick Brassard (lower body) all sidelined.
Top prospect Morgan Frost was called up to help with their depth.
"We like the overall package, we like the potential, we love the skill level," Vigneault said of Frost. "He's going to get a chance to play and at some point, I'm sure he's going to be helping us win some games here in Philly."
After a torrid start, the Hurricanes are suddenly hoping to avoid a third straight loss.
The Hurricanes lost 2-1 in overtime to the San Jose Sharks and were then stunned 2-1 by the expansion Seattle Kraken on Wednesday.
Still, the Hurricanes have only dropped three games all season with the other one coming against the Flyers.
"I don't know what else we could do, we just couldn't score," Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said after the loss to the Kraken. "We did everything we should do, we just didn't capitalize. We didn't give up a heck of a lot. We just didn't find a way to get another goal."
Brendan Smith played a stellar all-around game and notched the only goal for the Hurricanes.
"I think the coaches are getting a little bit more confident in my game. I'm playing more minutes," Smith said. "I think that comes with time and playing more games. When they feel more comfortable with me, I'm going to feel more comfortable as well."
What's uncomfortable is this: Since the Hurricanes are among the league's elite teams, they're getting the opponents' maximum effort every night.
"These last few games teams are selling out to make those blocks and they're really competing," Smith said. "So we're going to get the teams' best. We want it that way. We want to be prepared all year so when it comes time in the playoffs, we're going to be prepared for that."
--Field Level Media