Carolina won because Andersen conceded 1.9 goals below league average while Philadelphia's power play converted 0-of-9 opportunities.
β‘TURNING POINT
Stankoven's second goal at 16:16 of the second period extended the lead to 3-0 with under 24 minutes remaining, eliminating any realistic comeback path for a Philadelphia team that had yet to register a goal all night. At that margin, the game's structure shifted permanently β Carolina could surrender zone time in the third without consequence, and Philadelphia's desperate volume attack became tactically irrelevant.
πWHY CAR WON
1
Goaltending: Andersen conceded 1.9 goals below league average on 19 shots β in a 3-goal game, that margin was structurally decisive and preserved the shutout.
2
Early Scoring: Two even-strength goals inside the first 7:30 forced Philadelphia into a deficit before any game plan could take hold, compressing the Flyers into reactive hockey for 52 minutes.
3
Scoring Depth: All three goals came from different combinations across multiple lines, with Stankoven posting +3 and Blake +2 β Carolina spread the damage so Philadelphia could not suppress a single threat.
πWHY PHI LOST
1
Power Play Failure: 0-for-9 on the power play β nine opportunities converted at 0.0% removed the only realistic route back into a game Philadelphia never led.
2
Goaltending: Vladar conceded 0.70 goals above league average on 23 shots β in a 3-goal shutout loss, that deficit compounded an already-broken offensive output.
3
Shot Quality: 19 shots on goal produced zero goals β Philadelphia's 55.6% faceoff dominance generated possession that never translated into dangerous zone entries against a Carolina defensive structure that blocked 17 attempts.
Three Stars
Logan Stankoven1st
CAR, C
2G 0A2 points5 shots on goal+3
His two even-strength goals β one inside 90 seconds, one late in the second β bookended Carolina's scoring and gave the team an insurmountable lead across both critical junctures of the game.
Jackson Blake2nd
CAR, R
1G 1A2 points+23 hits
Blake's goal at 7:30 doubled the lead before Philadelphia could stabilize, and his assist on the opening goal connected the play that put Carolina ahead immediately.
Mike Reilly3rd
CAR, D
0G 2A2 points+3
Reilly assisted on both first-period goals, generating the offensive zone production from the blue line that set the tone before the game was 10 minutes old.
Β·Momentum Shift
Philadelphia dominated territorial play in the third period, outshooting Carolina 10-2 after the Hurricanes managed 8 shots to Philadelphia's 5 in the second β but the shift arrived three goals too late to matter. Carolina's willingness to concede shot share after building a 3-0 cushion was a tactical choice, not a collapse, and Philadelphia's late pressure produced nothing against a defense that had already won.
