Flyers’ Late Comeback Not Enough as Hurricanes Sweep Home and Home
Dec 14, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae (36) collides with Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae (36) and goaltender Dan Vladar (80) during the first period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
After facing these Carolina Hurricanes in Philadelphia just last night in Saturday’s shootout loss, the Philadelphia Flyers took that same team back-to-back shootouts, this time in Raleigh, North Carolina. Not only was this back to back games against the Hurricanes that ended up going to overtime, but this is the third game in a row where they went to extra time against the Canes. Though the Flyers had seen this team two other times, they were not able to solve the Carolina Hurricanes, as they lost their eighth straight against Carolina in the 3-2 shootout loss tonight.
Even with the three points in the last three games, this is the first time the Flyers have lost three straight games. Some might say getting a point in three straight games against top-tier NHL teams in the Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights, the Flyers, and the fans would have liked to see at least one win against these good teams, although taking these opponents to overtime and the shootout isn’t something a rebuilding hockey club should overlook.
Many players who had not played up to par have looked sharp, such as Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale, while players’ hot streaks continued to show up, like Trevor Zegras, who continues to put on a show for the Flyers.
Zegras Continues Goal Streak with Game-Tying Goal Late in the Third Period
The Flyers this season have been known for coming back into games, even when down multiple goals. One of the reasons for this has been off-season acquisition Zegras, who scored his 13th goal tonight, which couldn’t have come at a better time, as the Flyers tied the game at two apiece with under two minutes remaining in regulation. A beautiful setup from Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak had stunned the Canes’ defense as they watched Zegras ram it home.
With an assist on the goal from Jamie Drysdale in the first period, Zegras has had back-to-back two-point games, both against Carolina. This goal from Zegras and the Flyers shows the fight from the team, even though they were not able to take the second point from Carolina in the shootout. Zegras has made an unimaginable impact in his time here in Philadelphia.
Daniel Vladar Keeps Philadelphia in the Game
Even though Vladar had coughed up two in the first period, he was able to bring himself back together and let in no more through regulation and overtime.
Vladar, tonight, stopped 30 out of 32 shots, good for a save percentage of .938. This statistic shows the talent he had put on display earlier this season, which had come back into full form tonight.
With the Hurricanes being an elite team, as they are first place in the Metropolitan division, and this being Vladar’s first time seeing Carolina this season, the many stretch saves and pad saves that had to be made were impressive and inspiring, as the Flyers found a sense of hope to take out of tonight’s loss.
Though not able to get the job done, Vladar had brought the Flyers as close as they could have gone.
Flyers Lost Shootout Touch?
After the Flyers had gone 5-0 early in the season in shootouts, due to the talents of Samuel Ersson and the perfect shootout percentage of Zegras on the season, the Flyers thought that they had that area of their game figured out completely. This thought, however, may be questioned after these back-to-back games against the Hurricanes, in which they had lost both in shootouts.
The concern comes not from the goaltending but from the fact that the Flyers had not scored in the shootout in six attempts these last two games, and Zegras has now missed back-to-back attempts.
Does this mean the Flyers’ season is over? Absolutely not, but it does give a sense of disappointment, as the Flyers had been so electric in the overtime period.
Road Trip Continues Tuesday Night
The Flyers, after going 0-0-2 in the home and home, head up North to Montreal Tuesday night at 7:00 PM for game two out of four on the road in hopes to keep their point streak going, hopefully with a victory.
Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
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