The Philadelphia Flyers' playoff hopes are dwindling after a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3, marked by costly penalties. The Hurricanes capitalized on these mistakes, scoring two power-play goals.
Key points
Flyers lost 4-1 to Hurricanes in Game 3
Hurricanes scored two power-play goals
Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov scored for Carolina
Flyers made unforced errors and penalties
Game 3 significantly impacted Flyers' playoff hopes
Philadelphia FlyersCarolina HurricanesJordan StaalAndrei Svechnikov
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For a brief moment, the Philadelphia Flyers looked as though they might have made this an interesting series.
Instead, the Flyers repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with unforced errors and penalties, and the Carolina Hurricanes, with some help from the refereeing crew, took over and punished those mistakes.
Removing special teams from the equation, the 4-1 final score doesn't do the Flyers justice, but the game isn't only played at 5-on-5.
The Hurricanes went 2-for-10 on the power play Thursday night, with efforts from captain Jordan Staal and forward Andrei Svechnikov giving them 1-0 and 3-1 leads, respectively.
Those goals bookended a short-handed tally from defenseman Jalen Chatfield, who buried a 2-on-1 with Staal immediately after an egregious boarding penalty from Taylor Hall against Travis Sanheim.
Trevor Zegras answered Staal's initial goal to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with a tuck of his own, going against the grain on a rebound to beat Freddie Andersen.
Q&A
What was the final score of the Flyers vs Hurricanes Game 3?
The final score was 4-1 in favor of the Carolina Hurricanes.
How did the Hurricanes perform on the power play in Game 3?
The Hurricanes went 2-for-10 on the power play during the game.
Who scored the goals for the Hurricanes in Game 3?
Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov scored for the Hurricanes, giving them key leads.
What mistakes did the Flyers make in Game 3?
The Flyers made unforced errors and took penalties that contributed to their loss.
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That play was all made possible by some tidy work from rookie Porter Martone, who came back to life after hitting a wall for a few games.
"These last two games have been really good, a very mature game," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said of Martone. "This is huge for him, being in these situations, because, next year, these games will be slower for him."
At the other end of the Flyers' young star spectrum, Matvei Michkov ended Game 3 on the bench and was replaced by Alex Bump on the second power play unit.
Six forwards, and nine players in total, recorded more power play ice time than Michkov's 1:49 on Thursday night.
Adding insult to injury, the Hurricanes iced their fourth line for a power play to end the game; even Mark Jankowski and William Carrier played 1:24 and 1:22, respectively.
Game 3 was completely winnable for the Flyers, but they were outdone by penalties--lots of them--, an overworked penalty kill, and an embarrassing power play that has only gotten worse at the most important time of the year.
"We had a great first, and then it was all power play and penalty kill. Five-on-five, we were good. I thought we were the better team," Tocchet said. "Two games in a row, just a penalty fest. We're not equipped for that."
That wasn't the only backhanded remark Tocchet made about his power play units on Thursday night, either.
"There's reads and plays you have to make to be on a power play. In all fairness, we got some guys that are playing power play that probably wouldn't play a lot of minutes with a power play," the Flyers coach added.
"We're trying to get these guys to understand certain things, but that's on us. It's on me to try to figure out, it really is."
Regardless, with their backs to the wall and in a 3-0 series hole, the Flyers must enter Game 4 with no fear. They have nothing left to lose at this point, and no stone should be left unturned heading into the 2026 offseason.
