The Carolina Hurricanes don't score more than one goal very often — having done so just once in their past five games entering tonight — but were able to do so on Friday, in their 2-1 win over the Flyers.
Not only did the Flyers lose Friday's game, they lost captain Claude Giroux as well. Giroux left midway through the third period, after tangling up with Justin Faulk in the Flyers' offensive zone. He was helped off on the ice on one leg, and escorted through the Hurricanes' tunnel — a testament to the necessity of treatment.
Fortunately for Giroux, he was not seriously injured, and will be listed as "probable" for Saturday night's game against New Jersey. The use of Kevlar socks has become standard in the NHL in recent seasons — particularly after the 2013 Achilles injury to Ottawa's Erik Karlsson — and may have helped Giroux.
Chris VandeVelde scored the lone Flyers' goal — his second of the season — at the 8:45 mark of the third period. Vincent Lecavalier recorded his fifth assist of the season, while Mark Streit was credited with his 21st helper.
Brad Malone opened the scoring 13:41 into the first period, with his first goal in a Hurricanes uniform. Zach Boychuk assisted on the two-on-one opportunity, which resulted from a Streit pinch in the offensive zone that went awry.
Eric Staal's 10th goal of the season — just 41 seconds into the second period — made it a 2-0 game. His brother Jordan earned his second assist of the season, while Faulk added his 15th assist.
Steve Mason made 24 saves on 26 shots, while Cam Ward turned away 23 of 24 Flyers shots.
Following a two-goal powerplay effort against Colorado on Wednesday, the Flyers found themselves at 0-for-3 on the man-advantage — including missing the boat on a Jay McClement high-sticking penalty with just under seven minutes in the third period. The Hurricanes also found themselves scoreless on the man-advantage — surely a confidence-booster for the league's worst penalty kill.
As a result of tonight's game, the Flyers fall to 14-17-7, and slip to 3-3-1 on their eight-game road swing. They sit in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division standings with 35 points. The Hurricanes improve their record to 11-23-4, but still remain in last place in the Metro — nine points behind the Flyers.
The Flyers face a quick turnaround, as they close out their season-long road trip on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
For more on tonight's game, view the box score here.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61.
