NHL: Taylor Hall's overtime strike propels Hurricanes past Flyers

Taylor Hall scored the overtime winner to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday in Raleigh, North Carolina, giving Carolina a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored once and added an assist, while Seth Jarvis also found the net for the Hurricanes, who rallied from an early two-goal deficit. Goaltender Frederik Andersen made 34 saves, and Jackson Blake contributed two assists in the win.

Hall delivered the decisive moment at 18:54 of the first overtime period. On a rush led by Sean Walker, Hall drove toward the net, had his initial attempt denied, then quickly reacted in front of the crease and buried the rebound past Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar during a scramble.

“I didn’t realize that I fell down,” Hall said. “When you score in overtime, it seems part of your memory starts to go. It was a gritty goal.”

The goal marked Hall’s first overtime winner in 60 career playoff games.

Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour credited his team’s response after falling behind early. “I actually liked the way we played after the start,” he said. “We found a way to get it close. The key was not giving up another one, but the penalties hurt our momentum. Still, the guys battled back and tied it up.”

Jamie Drysdale and Sean Couturier scored for Philadelphia, while Vladar stopped 39 shots in the loss.

Flyers coach Rick Tocchet praised his team’s effort despite the defeat. “We’ve been counted out before, but the guys don’t quit,” Tocchet said. “That’s why I’m proud of them.”

Philadelphia had a power-play opportunity early in overtime but failed to convert. The series now shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Thursday.

The Flyers struck first at 4:02 of the opening period when Drysdale scored from the high slot during a net-front scramble. Couturier doubled the lead just 39 seconds later, finishing a setup from behind the net by Carl Grundstrom.

The Hurricanes responded midway through the period when Ehlers scored a power-play goal at 10:21, blasting a one-timer from the right face-off circle off a setup from Blake and K’Andre Miller.

Jarvis tied the game late in regulation, joining an odd-man rush and finishing a drop pass from Ehlers from the right circle with 8:39 remaining in the third period.

Carolina outshot Philadelphia 35-21 through regulation, but the Flyers held a 15-8 shot advantage in overtime before Hall’s winner sealed the comeback. -Field Level Media/Reuters