The Flyers were seven seconds away from back-to-back victories with the latter coming against the current Metropolitan Division leaders, a comeback win at that led by some of their young players. That was when the Flyers took their first and only penalty of the game.
Seven seconds was just enough time for the Carolina Hurricanes to flip the script.
A game-tying goal by Martin Necas with 0.2 seconds remaining in regulation set up overtime, where Sebastian Aho completed a hat trick just 28 seconds in to hand the Flyers a 5-4 defeat on Saturday evening at Wells Fargo Center.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring at 14:52 of the first period after controlling the possession for most of the first. Aho picked up his 28th goal of the season off a nice feed from Necas.
Just under two minutes later, Brady Skjei extended the lead with a wrist shot from a distance that beat a screened Felix Sandstrom to make it 2-0 at 16:51.
Through 20 minutes, shots were 12-8 Carolina.
The Flyers started their push back early in the second. At 4:56, Tyson Foerster ended a rush with his first NHL goal, beating Frederik Andersen off the far post and in to make it 2-1.
With 6:05 remaining in the period, Aho picked up his second of the game by burying a feed from Stefan Noesen to make it 3-1.
The Flyers got a 5-on-3 late in the second and were able to take advantage. Foerster put a shot on goal that left a rebound for Noah Cates to clean up for his 11th goal of the season to cut the lead to one at 18:18.
Through two periods, the Flyers had a 21-16 lead in shots.
Early in the third, the Flyers completed the comeback. At 3:33, Joel Farabee was able to tuck home a rebound for his 11th of the season. Just over two minutes later, at 5:50, Morgan Frost forced a turnover behind the net and set up Brendan Lemieux with a wide-open net to put the Flyers in front for the first time.
With just seven seconds remaining in regulation, the Flyers took their first penalty of the game. The Hurricanes managed to take advantage in the nick of time.
With just 0.2 seconds remaining, Necas was on the doorstep to put home a centering pass to make it 4-4 and force overtime.
It took just 28 seconds for Aho to put an end to the game, cutting through on a breakaway and going top shelf to complete the hat trick and give Carolina the win.
Andersen made 29 saves on 33 shots in the win. Sandstrom made 29 saves on 34 shots in the loss.
In addition to Aho’s hat trick, Skjei and Necas each had two-point games for Carolina. Foerster, Cates, Lemieux, Frost, and Owen Tippett each had two points for the Flyers.
The Flyers continue the homestand on Tuesday night when they take on the Florida Panthers at 7 p.m.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T | |
| Hurricanes | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Flyers | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- CAR Sebastian Aho (28) (Martin Necas, Brady Skjei) 14:52
- CAR Skjei (15) (Unassisted) 16:51
2nd Period
- PHI Tyson Foerster (1) (Morgan Frost, Brendan Lemieux) 4:56
- CAR Aho (29) (Stefan Noesen, Shayne Gostisbehere) 13:55
- PHI Noah Cates (11) PP (Foerster, Owen Tippett) 18:18
3rd Period
- PHI Joel Farabee (11) (Tippett, Cates) 3:33
- PHI Lemieux (2) (Frost) 5:50
- CAR Necas (27) PP (Unassisted) 19:59
Overtime
- CAR Aho (30) (Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns) 0:28
Game Statistics
| Hurricanes | Flyers | |
| Shots | 34 | 33 |
| Power Play | 1/1 | 1/4 |
| Hits | 18 | 29 |
| Faceoff % | 53.7% | 46.3% |
| Giveaways | 6 | 16 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 4 |
| Blocked Shots | 5 | 21 |
| Penalty Minutes | 8 | 2 |
