Taylor Hall scored the overtime winning goal to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday in Raleigh, N.C.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored once and added an assist, while Seth Jarvis tallied once for the Hurricanes, who lead the Eastern Conference semifinal series 2-0.
With time ticking down in the first overtime period, Hall drove to the net during a rush led by Sean Walker, had his first attempt stopped, but during the ensuing scramble pounced on a loose puck and got it past Flyer goalkeeper Dan Vladar at 18:54 of overtime.
“I didn’t realize that I fell down,” Hall said of the play. “When you score in overtime, it seems part of your memory starts to go. It was a gritty goal.”
Hall collected his first overtime goal in 60 career playoff games.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen made 34 saves for the Hurricanes, who erased an early two-goal deficit. Jackson Blake collected a pair of assists.
“I actually liked the way we played for the rest of the first half of the game (after falling behind),” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We found a way to kind of get it close. I think that was the key, not to get another one for them. And then, too many penalties. That just kills your team, kills your momentum, kills everything.
“But you’ve got to give the guys credit; they did a great job there and then found a way to tie it up.”
Jamie Drysdale and Sean Couturier tallied for the Flyers, while Vladar stopped 39 shots.
“We’ve been dead before and we’ve climbed out of the grave,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. “We keep hearing that we’re dead, but the guys won’t give up. That’s why I’m proud of them.”
The Flyers had a golden chance to win with an early overtime power play but could not convert.
The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Thursday.
The Flyers competed much better than in the series-opening 3-0 loss.
“I think there’s another level in our game that we can get to,” Philadelphia forward Travis Konecny said. “We were lot better tonight. It should have gone our way.”
Drysdale’s power-play goal opened the scoring at 4:02. Amidst a flurry at the net, the puck came out to the high slot and Drysdale stepped in from his point position to bury the chance.
The score marked the first time during this year’s playoffs that Carolina had trailed in a game.
It was also Philadelphia’s first goal during the opening period of the playoffs, and the first time the Hurricanes surrendered a goal in the first period.
Couturier doubled the lead 39 seconds later with his first tally of the playoffs. From behind the net, Carl Grundstrom slipped a pass to the top of the crease and Couturier was on the spot to slip home the chance.
That sparked the Hurricanes and they were rewarded when Ehlers netted his first goal of the playoffs with a power-play tally of his own. Ehlers set up at the right face-off dot and hammered a one-timer set up by Blake and K’Andre Miller at 10:21 of the first period.
Jarvis tied the clash with 8:39 remaining in regulation time, joining an odd-man rush and finding the mark after a drop pass from Ehlers as he reached the right circle.
Carolina outshot the visitors, 35-21, through 60 minutes, but the Flyers pumped 15 shots on goal to eight for the Hurricanes in overtime.
–Field Level Media
