Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia Flyers
* Despite the loss, the Flyers remain four points behind Boston, which lost to Vancouver tonight.
* Wayne Simmonds saw his career-high eight-game scoring streak come to an end. He had six goals and four assists in the run.
* Claude Giroux was 13-for-22 (59 pct) on faceoffs.
* The Flyers recorded 34 hits tonight, with every skater recording at least one hit.
* Michael Del Zotto played 24:47. He has played more than 24 minutes in six of the 14 games in their current 8-2-4 run that started January 20. Del Zotto also led the Flyers tonight with four blocked shots.
* The game marked just the seventh time in the last 10 seasons (starting with 2005-06) that the Flyers have allowed four or more goals to the Hurricanes, and just the third time they’ve done so in a regulation loss. It’s also only the second time in that span that it’s happened in Carolina. They are 1-3-3 in those seven games.
* The Flyers return to action Thursday night at Toronto (7:30, CSN, 97.5 The Fanatic).
GAME RECAP
RALEIGH, N.C. — Justin Faulk had a goal and an assist, and Alexander Semin had two assists for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 4-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at PNC Arena on Tuesday.
Carolina’s Cam Ward became the 64th goaltender to play in 500 NHL games, getting his 240th win. He made 23 saves in his 16th win of the season.
Ward didn’t face many prime scoring chances but made big saves in the third period, stopping Michael Del Zotto with his right pad before making a diving stick save on Sean Couturier.
Carolina scored twice on the power play and its top-rated penalty kill (87.8 percent) stymied two Philadelphia power plays.
The Hurricanes took advantage of their first power play for a 1-0 first-period lead. After peppering goalie Rob Zepp with a handful of shots, Faulk scored on a high, short-side shot from the right circle at 7:29.
Philadelphia tied the game 1-1 when Jakub Voracek circled the net, outworked three Carolina defenders and left a backhand pass for Nicklas Grossmann, who scored his fourth of the season on a wrist shot at 17:46.
Carolina opened a 3-1 lead in second period. Jeff Skinner made it 2-1 at 2:16 when Semin threaded a pass through four Philadelphia defenders. Skinner, driving the net, received the pass on the forehand and quickly sent it past Zepp for his fifth goal in seven games.
The Hurricanes scored on the power play after Chris VandeVelde tripped Michal Jordan in the Carolina defensive zone. Faulk hit Semin with a pass at the top of the crease, and after Zepp stopped him point-blank, Jordan Staal scored on the rebound for at 15:55.
Brad Malone gathered a loose puck behind the net and fed McClement in front for his fourth goal of the season with 5:23 remaining in the third period.
