
Knaak's late strike edges Man City closer to WSL title
Knaak's late goal secures victory for Man City, edging them closer to the WSL title.
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 in Game 1, with Logan Stankoven leading the charge. The Hurricanes maintained their perfect playoff record, now at 5-0.
For those thinking the week-long layoff would make the Carolina Hurricanes rusty in Game 1 of their series against the Philadelphia Flyers, well, think again.
The Hurricanes collected 10 of the gameâs first 11 shots and built an early 2-0 lead Saturday night as they coasted to a 3-0 win over the turnover-plagued Flyers at the Lenovo Center.
Rusty?
Not the focused Hurricanes. They were sharp from the outset â especially 5-foot-8, 165-pound center Logan Stankoven -- and stretched their playoff record to 5-0, during which they have never trailed at any point. They have outscored their opponents, 14-5.
âWe had a good start, obviously. Thatâs what won the game,â Carolina coach Rod BrindâAmour said. âAfter that, not much was happening.â
Stankoven, a 23-year-old center who was a second-round draft selection in 2021, had two goals and an assist to lead the Hurricanes.
Stankoven has six goals in the five playoff games, including at least one in each contest. He had 21 regular-season goals.
âHis game hasnât changed, but now the pucks are going in,â BrindâAmour said. âHeâs always created opportunities. I mean, he puts in the work, so confidence has always been there because of that. Heâs been playing like this all year.â
The final score was 3-0 in favor of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Logan Stankoven was the standout player for the Hurricanes in their Game 1 victory.
The Hurricanes' playoff record improved to 5-0 after their win against the Flyers.
The Hurricanes took 10 of the game's first 11 shots in the first period.

Knaak's late goal secures victory for Man City, edging them closer to the WSL title.


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'We Have Better Than That': Rod Brind'Amour, Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, Frederik Andersen, Jordan Staal, Mike Reilly On Game 1 Win
Stankoven, who praised linemates Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake, said he wasnât concerned that the layoff would hurt him or his teammates.
âI think itâs just about getting your body ready and having a good mindset coming into the series,â he said. âMy body felt good, my legs felt good. I donât expect to score every game and have a series like the last series. I just try to provide secondary scoring, and itâs a lot of fun playing with Blaker and Hallsy, and hopefully we can continue that.â
It took Carolina only 91 seconds to score on Stankovenâs tip-in. The Hurricanes made it 2-0 just 7:30 into the game as Blake used a burst of speed to blow past winger Matvei Michkov and defenseman Travis Sanheim and scored on a backhander.
âThat was the big question â how we were going to come out,â BrindâAmour said. âAnd obviously we answered that question. But that (Stankoven) line has been great. All of those games. Every game. Not just for five playoff games. Itâs been months of it.â
After the Hurricanes took a quick 2-0 lead, the Flyers, who have not scored in the first period in any of their seven playoff games this year, huffed and puffed the rest of the night and never got back in the game.
âWe didnât come out with our best game,â Flyers winger Travis Konecny said. âJust have to flush it and regroup for the next gameâ on Monday.
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Carolina, which swept Ottawa in Round 1, made it 3-0 when Stankoven scored late in the second period.
âHeâs probably the hottest guy in hockey right now,â Blake said.
The Hurricanes won a majority of 50/50 puck battles, used their speed to their advantage, and played with a gritty style that has become their trademark.
âWe know the way they play; they were just hungrier than us,â Flyers captain Sean Couturier said. âThey play a simple, hard game and win a lot of one-on-one battles, and we have to be ready for that. For some reason, we werenât.â
A goal decided all four regular-season games between the teams, and all four went beyond regulation.
But Philly was never in Saturdayâs game. The Flyers came out flat after an emotional 1-0 overtime victory on Wednesday over hated rival Pittsburgh. That enabled them to win the Round 1 series in six hard-fought games.
âI thought a lot of guys were on their heels tonight,â Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said.
Carolina does that to its opponents.
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