Game 3/84 Preview: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Carolina Hurricanes

The Philadelphia Flyers (0-1-1) will look to redeem themselves in front of their home crowd tonight when they take on the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes (0-1-1).

Neither team has a win on its record through the first two games of the season, which makes tonight’s matchup an interesting early-season test for two teams anticipated to be in the playoff picture come spring. Of course, one team will finish with their first win of the season. But perhaps more interesting than who gets that win is how they get it.

For the Flyers, a strong response will be especially important after a disappointing home opener. For the Hurricanes, tonight marks the second half of a back-to-back after a performance that left plenty to be desired of their own.

Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena; Philadelphia, PA

When: 7:00pm EST

TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Last Game PHI: 2-3 OT L @ New Jersey Devils

Last Game CAR: 2-5 L vs. Washington Capitals

Tonight’s Numbers

Neither team has exactly lit the lamp to start the season.

Both the Flyers and Hurricanes were shut out in their season openers before scoring just two goals in their respective second games. Carolina’s two goals came from Sebastian Aho and Logan Stankoven, while the Flyers only had production from defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Travis Sanheim.

The power play has not been especially successful for either team. The Hurricanes are 1-for-12 with the man advantage, while the Flyers are still searching for their first power play goal, going 0-for-4. Defensively, however, Carolina has had the better start. The Hurricanes have allowed just one power play goal, compared to two allowed by Philadelphia.

Last Season’s Matchups

Last season, all four regular season matchips between these teams required extra time. Carolina won the first three, but Philadelphia took the fourth and final meeting in a shootout, a win that ultimately clinched the Flyers’ spot in the playoffs.

Trevor Zegras was particularly effective against Carolina, scoring in three of the four meetings. Nikolaj Ehlers and Taylor Hall each scored in two of the games. However, Jackson Blake and Stankoven were extremely productive in the playoff series with three goals each in the four-game series, while no Flyer scored more than once.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have offensive talent, but they need their forwards to start producing. They need to create sustained pressure, generating scoring chances and, perhaps, most importantly, actually finish those chances. And they need to bring some urgency. Hopefully, they come out fired up tonight.

Joseph Woll, who will be in net tonight, has been the only bright spot for the Flyers so far. He has started against the Hurricanes five times in his career with a 2-2-1 record with a .919 SV% and 2.60 GAA. With Philadelphia still searching for its offensive rhythm, another strong performance from Woll could be particularly important.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have at least had a bit of a different circumstance surrounding their slow start: celebrating the Stanley Cup.

After the loss last night, the Hurricanes were not shy about acknowledging that they need to be better. Captain Jordan Staal said the team “laid an egg,” while Stankoven said the Hurricanes need “a little bit more urgency in our game.” That urgency will be tested immediately tonight against a Flyers team that should be looking to make a statement of its own.

Tonight will mark Pyotr Kochetkov’s first appearance in net this season, and his first game since December 20, 2025. Kochetkov’s 2025-26 season was derailed by a lower-body injury suffered during the preseason. The injury lingered into December, when he underwent surgery. He returned to the ice in April, but Carolina continued with the Frederick Andersen-Brandon Bussi tandem down the stretch, and the decision ultimately paid off.

Now, Kochetkov gets his first opportunity to take the crease since returning from surgery. If there is one thing that should give him some confidence heading into tonight, it is his history against Philadelphia. Kochetkov is 6-1-0 against the Flyers in his career, including two shutouts, with a .920 SV% and 1.71 GAA.

Injury Report: Philadelphia Flyers

• Day-to-day – Nikita Grebenkin (Undisclosed)

• IR – Denver Barkey (Lower-body)

Injury Report: Carolina Hurricanes

• IR – Seth Jarvis (Offseason surgery – torn labrum, rotator cuff)

Projected Lineup: Philadelphia Flyers

#11 Travis Konecny – #22 Christian Dvorak – #39 Matvei Michkov

#91 Carl Grundström – #46 Trevor Zegras – #74 Owen Tippett

#71 Tyson Foerster – #27 Noah Cates – #94 Porter Martone

#20 Alex Bump – #52 Noel Acciari – #14 Sean Couturier

#6 Travis Sanheim – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen

#8 Cam York – #9 Jamie Drysdale

#24 Nick Seeler – #5 David Jiříček

#53 Joseph Woll

(#80 Dan Vladař)

Scratched: Simon Benoit, Garrett Wilson

Projected Lineup: Carolina Hurricanes

#37 Andrei Svechnikov – #20 Sebastian Aho – #50 Eric Robinson

#71 Taylor Hall – #22 Logan Stankoven – #53 Jackson Blake

#27 Nikolaj Ehlers – #11 Jordan Staal – #48 Jordan Martinook

#44 Nic Deslauriers – #77 Mark Jankowski – #28 William Carrier

#74 Jaccob Slavin – #5 Jalen Chatfield

#19 K’Andre Miller – #26 Sean Walker

#4 Shayne Gostisbehere – #62 Charles-Alexis Legault

#52 Pyotr Kochetkov

(#32 Brandon Bussi)

Scratched: Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Mike Reilly