PHILADELPHIA — Brent Burns scored on a one-timer 4:06 into overtime and the Carolina Hurricanes rallied to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Saturday night.
Martin Necas and Jordan Staal each had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Martinook also scored for Carolina. Antti Raanta stopped 26 shots.
Nick Deslauriers had a goal and an assist and Wade Allison and Owen Tippett also scored for Philadelphia. Carter Hart finished with 34 saves.
Necas tied the score with 2:05 left in the third period when his wrist shot from long range beat Hart on the blocker side.
In the 3-on-3 overtime, Necas passed across ice to Sebastian Aho, who set up Burns for a slap shot that went over Hart’s left shoulder for the veteran defenseman’s second goal of the season.
In his first year in Philadelphia, coach John Tortorella has reinvigorated a Flyers club that finished last in the Metropolitan Division last season. The fiery veteran coach called analytics “trash” on Friday when speaking to reporters after practice. Although the Flyers’ play hasn’t always looked pretty – they were outshot 51-22 in Thursday’s 4-3 win over Florida – they have played better, even if the analytics aren’t sparkling.
Philadelphia entered in first place in the Metropolitan Division and earned a point with the overtime loss.
Against Carolina, Tortorella got a huge — and unlikely — lift from Philadelphia’s fourth line of Deslauriers, Allison and Lukáš Sedlák.
Allison put Philadelphia ahead for the first time at 6:09 of the third when he drove the net and backhanded Sedlák’s pass over a sprawling Raanta. It was the second of two assists for Sedlák, who recorded his first points since Feb. 18, 2019. His last two-point game was Dec. 9, 2016.
Carolina jumped in front 2-0 in the first period. Staal got his first of the season 5:27 into the game when he flicked the puck from the side of the net toward goal. It caromed off Hart and in for an unlikely tally. Martinook doubled the lead with a one-timer off a pass from Jesper Fast from in front of the crease with 4:56 left in the period.
Deslauriers got the Flyers on the scoreboard with a shot from in front of the crease that deflected off Raanta’s glove and over the goal line at 5:14 of the second.
Tippett tied it 2-2 just 2:24 later when he finished a nifty give-and-go with Travis Konecny on the power play with a shot that went under Raanta’s pads.
Hurricanes forward Derek Stepan (upper body) did not return after blocking a shot with 5:22 remaining in the second period.
Carolina hosts Washington on Monday night.
