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The Carolina Hurricanes secured their first victory of the 2026-27 campaign on Saturday night, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime at the Wells Fargo Center. The win came just one day after a lopsided loss to the Washington Capitals and improved Carolina's record to 1-2-0.
Sebastian Aho wasted no time making an impact, scoring just 10 seconds into the contest. His quick strike, assisted by new linemate William Carrier and Andrei Svechnikov, gave the Hurricanes their first lead of the season and their first opening-period goal. The early momentum, however, was short-lived.
Philadelphia responded before the midway point of the first period when Owen Tippett capitalized on a defensive breakdown by Carolina. In the second period, rookie Matvei Michkov put the Flyers ahead with a wrist shot after another Hurricanes' defensive lapse at the blueline and a failed poke check by goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov.
Trailing entering the third, Carolina turned to its power play, which has been a bright spot early in the season. Aho struck again, tying the game with a power-play goal. Nikolaj Ehlers picked up his first point of the year with the primary assist, while Svechnikov added his second helper of the night.
Late in regulation, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was assessed a slashing penalty for a stick infraction on Tyson Foerster. The penalty carried over into overtime, forcing the Hurricanes to kill off the remainder shorthanded. The trio of Jordan Staal, Jaccob Slavin, and Jalen Chatfield successfully navigated the penalty kill, allowing Gostisbehere to return for a brief four-on-four sequence.
Notably, the extra frame featured no three-on-three play. Before the first whistle, Aho drew a slashing penalty on Tippett, giving Carolina a crucial power play. Gostisbehere, who had watched the end of regulation from the penalty box, redeemed himself by blasting a slap shot from the blueline past goaltender Joseph Woll. The goal, which came in his former home arena, sealed the 3-2 win after a quick review confirmed no goalie interference.
Key Analysis
Jordan Martinook appeared in his 800th career NHL game, contributing a physical presence and nearly scoring shorthanded. His energetic play has been a constant for Carolina through the first three games. Prior to the game, the Hurricanes assigned defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, opening a spot for Mike Reilly alongside Gostisbehere on the third pairing.
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour shuffled his lines, placing Carrier on the top unit with Aho and Svechnikov. Carrier responded with a team-high four hits and brought a needed spark. Jesperi Kotkaniemi made his season debut, replacing Nicolas Deslauriers, who was a healthy scratch. In net, Kochetkov started his first regular-season game since December 20, 2025, and despite a failed poke check that led to a goal, he handled the Flyers' pressure well and showed his trademark aggressive style.
Originally reported by yahoo.