Less than two weeks into the season, the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers are heading in vastly different directions.
The Hurricanes aim for their fifth straight victory Sunday when they visit the winless Flyers for the second consecutive weekend.
Carolina lost its first two games before posting a 3-2 triumph in Philadelphia on Oct. 3. Former Flyer Shayne Gostisbehere scored the overtime winner for the Hurricanes, who used that victory as a springboard to three more wins.
Most recently, Carolina posted a 5-2 road victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Jackson Blake and Jordan Martinook each registered a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes.
“Every single line is contributing,” Martinook said. “The ‘D’ is playing some of the best hockey I’ve ever seen the group play together. … It’s been fun to watch.”
Sebastian Aho added a shorthanded goal for his team-leading fifth goal, while Mark Jankowski and Taylor Hall also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions.
“We’ve definitely, after the first couple games, gotten into our game,” Aho said. “Just playing Hurricanes hockey, and that usually gives you a chance to win.”
The Hurricanes have scored 21 goals during their four-game winning streak. Jankowski has scored in each of the last three games, while Brandon Bussi has earned the victory in each of his last two starts.
“It was a good effort from pretty much everyone,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I liked it. … When we’re going, you can tell we’re in sync.”
Philadelphia, meanwhile, has lost 10 straight games dating back to its second-round playoff series against Carolina. The Hurricanes swept the Flyers last spring en route to winning the Stanley Cup, and the hangover has continued into the current campaign, as Philadelphia is 0-4-2.
“It’s not like we’re not trying,” said rookie forward Porter Martone, who scored the Flyers’ goal in Saturday’s 5-1 road loss to the Boston Bruins. “These guys in this group, we care. I think a lot of people from the outside think it’s lack of effort, but everyone in this room is giving it their all. We don’t like this. We’re not having fun right now. We want to win.”
Philadelphia has been outshot by a wide margin and outscored 24-7 in its first six games. The Flyers scored only three goals while going 0-2-1 on their three-game road trip that ended Saturday.
The last time the Flyers lost their first six games was in 2008-09, when the team began 0-3-3 before rallying to make the postseason.
“You’ve got to stick together,” said Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet, whose team played Saturday without forward Travis Konecny and defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York. “We’re at the bottom. We’re in the muck right now. Hopefully, we get some healthy bodies back, but you’ve just got to stick together. There’s no other answer. We’ve all been, in life, in a situation where you’re in a foxhole and we need some people to sit in a foxhole and stick together.”
