Flyers ‘spanked’ by Hurricanes in 3rd period of 4-1 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers endured a brutal third period Wednesday night as the Hurricanes handed them a 4-1 loss at the Wells Fargo Center.
Carolina ripped off three goals in the opening seven minutes of the final stanza to take complete control of the game. The Flyers were outshot 17-4 in the third period.
“They spanked us in the third,” John Tortorella said.
Ryan Poehling scored his first goal of the season on a sneaky shot in the second period to draw the Flyers even at 1-1.
But the Hurricanes regained their lead only 1:03 minutes into the third period. Owen Tippett was a little too cute in the defensive zone with a pass to Erik Johnson, which led to a turnover and Sebastian Aho scoring an unassisted goal.
“He puts E.J. in a tough spot,” Tortorella said, “but we have people running away from the puck, too, we have no puck support.”
Aho’s shot squeezed through Ivan Fedotov.
“He made some really good saves tonight — I’d like to see a save there,” Tortorella said.
The Flyers (8-10-2) have dropped two in a row after winning a season-best three straight. Tortorella’s club is 1-2-0 on its five-game homestand. The other loss was a 3-2 decision two days ago to the Avalanche, a defeat that left Tortorella aggravated.
Rod Brind’Amour’s Hurricanes (14-4-0) are 2-0-0 against the Flyers this season. The clubs meet once more March 15 back in Philadelphia.
“They just play fast, I think they’re all connected,” Poehling said. … “They make you work for everything you get and I think that’s why they’re such a good team.”
With a system predicated on constant pressure and speed, Carolina has been a perennial contender under Brind’Amour. Is it a blueprint for the Flyers?
“We’re playing basically the same style, checking forward and all that,” Tortorella said at morning skate. “I’m not sure how Roddy teaches it, but we want to press, we want to check forward, we want to take chances. I think it looks similar. I don’t think we’re as fast, I think they’re a bit deeper team than we are, but that is going to be the blueprint. As long as I have the opportunity to coach this team, that is going to be the blueprint.
“I think it’s important to have that blueprint for management as we start drafting players toward that, too. The style of play is a very important thing. It gives management and scouts the opportunity to kind of zero in on what type of players we’re looking for.”
• Through 20 games, the…