Couturier, Konecny lift Flyers over Hurricanes 4-1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Farabee and Carter Hart showed why the Flyers' future could be bright. The present is pretty good, too.
Farabee, a 19-year-old rookie, scored one of four goals for Philadelphia and the 21-year-old Hart stopped 33 shots in the Flyers' 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
Sean Couturier had a goal and an assist, Travis Konecny scored the tiebreaker early in the third period and Claude Giroux capped the scoring on a late breakaway.
Farabee got the second of three third-period goals for the Flyers with his second of the season with 7:01 remaining that gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead. After goalie Petr Mrazek denied Farabee's backhand try from close range, Farabee stayed with the puck and beat Mrazek with a forehand off the rebound.
"Joel had a real strong game," Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. "I have a lot of trust in him. He's a good young man who wants to work."
Hart was challenged early as the Flyers came out on their heels against the speedy Hurricanes, who were an Eastern Conference finalist last season. Hart made 14 first-period saves and the Flyers held a 1-0 advantage after 20 minutes despite being outplayed.
"He gave us a chance to start playing," Vigneault said. "He played a real sound game where you can tell he was in control."
It was a great sign for Hart, who has battled some early-season inconsistency. He improved to 4-3-1.
"Getting back to basics, not trying to overthink," Hart said of his key to returning to form. "In practice, worrying about the little details. Game time, just play."
Lucas Wallmark scored for Carolina, which has lost six of 10 after a 5-0 start.
"We're trying to score some goals and make plays, but we're just a little bit off," Carolina center Jordan Staal said. "We're going to have to get back to our style of play."
Konecny put Philadelphia in front 2-1. Niskanen's initial shot from the point was stopped but bounced right to Konecny at the side of the net, and the center finished his seventh goal of the season with a forehand finish just 1:12 into the final period.
After Farabee's tally, Giroux capped the scoring with his fourth of the season on a breakaway by beating Mrazek through the legs with 2:22 left in the contest.
"We wanted it more (in the third)," Farabee said. "We were the more determined team. If we continue to do that, I think we'll be successful."
Couturier opened the scoring with a power-play goal 3:30 into the contest when he deflected Niskanen's shot.
Carolina tied it 6:17 into the second period when Wallmark scored from close range after a pass from Trevor van Riemsdyk. Hart came out to challenge van Riemsdyk, leaving the net wide open when the defenseman fed a pass to Wallmark for the easy forehand tap-in.
Both van Riemsdyk brothers had an assist, as Philadelphia's James van Riemsdyk had the secondary assist on Farabee's goal. It was the 10th NHL contest between the brothers, with Trevor owning a 6-4 record against his older sibling.
Mrazek made 24 saves.
Notes: Carolina F Erik Haula (lower body) didn't play. ... F Jakub Voracek skated in his 606th game for the Flyers, tying Reggie Leach for 17th in club history. ... It was the first of four meetings between the teams. Carolina went 4-0 against the Flyers last season while outscoring them 17-9. ... Hurricanes F Andrei Svechnikov went without a point for the first time in five games. He had seven points (5 goals, 2 assists) in his previous four contests. ... The Flyers played their third game in a busy November, as they have 13 contests remaining this month.
UP NEXT
Carolina: Host Rangers on Thursday.
Flyers: Host Montreal on Thursday.
