Shayne Gostisbehere stepped into the blue paint area and ended Carolina’s wait for its first win, burying a Jackson Blake feed on the power play with 2:09 left in overtime as the Hurricanes edged the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday.
The extra-point finish gave Carolina a 1-1-1 record after its 5-2 loss in Washington on Friday. Philadelphia remained winless through three games at 0-1-2, despite Joseph Woll turning aside 37 shots.
Gostisbehere, a defenseman, was stationed near the Flyers crease when Blake found him for the decisive one-timer. It was the latest chapter between clubs that met in the Eastern Conference Second Round, a series Carolina swept in four games.
Aho drives Carolina response
Sebastian Aho carried the Hurricanes offensively with two goals and an assist, while Andrei Svechnikov supplied two assists.
Carolina needed only 10 seconds to open the scoring. Svechnikov sent the puck around the Philadelphia net, William Carrier worked it into the high slot, and Aho’s shot deflected off Woll’s glove before crossing the line.
The goal matched the quickest road-game opening strike in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history. Kevin Dineen also scored 10 seconds after the opening faceoff on Dec. 3, 1990.
Owen Tippett pulled Philadelphia even at 8:03 of the first period, snapping a shot from the slot through traffic in front of Pyotr Kochetkov.
The Flyers then took control early in the second. Travis Konecny won a puck battle against Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the Carolina zone and fed Matvei Michkov alone at the net. Michkov lifted the puck over the sliding Kochetkov at 7:20 for a 2-1 lead.
Aho answered on a third-period power play. From above the hash marks in the middle of the offensive zone, he beat Woll at 4:59 to send the game to overtime tied 2-2.
Goaltending and injury note
Kochetkov made 16 saves in his first appearance since Dec. 20. Woll held Philadelphia in the game through a heavy Carolina workload, but the Flyers could not kill off the overtime advantage that led to Gostisbehere’s winner.
Philadelphia defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen left after taking one shift in the third period with an undisclosed injury.
