Blake scores his second of the night in overtime to complete the sweep. Carolina joins four teams in NHL history with an 8-0 playoff start. May 9, 2026.

Carolina Hurricanes 3, Philadelphia Flyers 2 (OT) Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Carolina didn’t just beat the Flyers Saturday night — the Hurricanes swept them, went 8-0 in the playoffs, and joined some of the most legendary teams in NHL history in the process. Jackson Blake scored at 5:31 of overtime to complete a sweep that felt a lot closer than the final series score suggests. The Flyers hit posts, made pushes, tied it late in the third, and got 37 saves from Dan Vladar — and still couldn’t stop a team that right now looks like the clear class of the Eastern Conference. Eighteen of the 24 teams in NHL history to win eight or more consecutive playoff games went on to win the Stanley Cup. The 2026 Hurricanes have their eyes on being the 19th.

How It Happened

First Period: The Flyers jumped out first and Xfinity Mobile Arena felt every bit of it. Tyson Foerster scored at 7:50 — his first point in 10 postseason games — putting a shot over Andersen’s left pad from the right hash marks to make it 1-0 Philadelphia. Carolina generated little and knew it. In the first intermission, Brind’Amour’s group needed a reset.

Second Period: The Hurricanes came out forechecking and it changed the game. Blake tied it at 12:35 — Taylor Hall won a face-off in the Philadelphia zone, Carolina cycled, and Blake’s wrist shot from along the boards deflected off Jamie Drysdale and past Vladar. Then things got interesting: Carolina appeared to take the lead 28 seconds later when Mark Jankowski beat Vladar, but Rick Tocchet’s goaltender interference challenge was upheld — William Carrier was ruled to have interfered with Vladar, and the goal came off the board. The Flyers had the better of the late second-period chances, including a Christian Dvorak wrist shot from close range that rang off the post in the final seconds. Vladar held it 1-1 through forty.

Third Period: Stankoven gave Carolina the lead at 4:13 — Hall hit him with a beautiful cross-ice pass and Stankoven one-timed it from just outside the crease, 2-1. Barely a minute and a half later, the Flyers answered. Travis Konecny’s forecheck from behind the net set up Bump in the slot, and Bump beat Andersen glove side to tie it 2-2 at 5:52. Andersen then stopped the Flyers’ final five shots of regulation. Overtime.

Overtime: Blake ended it at 5:31. Jaccob Slavin made the initial play, Stankoven drove the middle to push the Flyers’ defensemen back, and Hall fed Blake in the slot. Blake’s wrist shot caught Vladar’s glove and trickled over the line. Sweep. 8-0.

Goaltending

Frederik Andersen earned the win, stopping 15 of 17 shots (.882 SV%) across 65:31 of work including overtime. He is now the fourth goalie in NHL history to allow two goals or fewer in each of his first eight playoff starts — the first since Jacques Plante with the 1969 St. Louis Blues. Rod Brind’Amour put it simply: “He’s just playing lights out.” Dan Vladar took the loss in a performance that deserved better. He stopped 37 of 40 shots (.925 SV%) and gave Philadelphia every chance to steal this game. The Flyers scored just five goals across the entire four-game series. That’s not on him.

Special Teams

Carolina: 0-for-3 PP | Philadelphia: 0-for-3 PP | Penalties: CAR 6 min (3 infractions), PHI 6 min (3 infractions). A series — and a game — decided entirely at even strength.

Three Stars

⭐ Jackson Blake (CAR) — 2 goals (including OT winner), 1 assist ⭐⭐ Logan Stankoven (CAR) — 1 goal (7th of playoffs), go-ahead tally in the third ⭐⭐⭐ Dan Vladar (PHI) — 37 saves, .925 SV%, outstanding in a losing effort

Team Statistics

Shots by Period

Carolina led 36-15 in shots through regulation.

Scoring Summary

First Period

• 7:50 PHI — Tyson Foerster (1) (PP) — Assists: Trevor Zegras (4), Porter Martone (3)

Second Period

• 12:35 CAR — Jackson Blake (2) (EV) — Assists: K’Andre Miller (6), Taylor Hall (7)
• 13:03 CAR — Mark Jankowski (goal overturned — goaltender interference, William Carrier)

Third Period

• 4:13 CAR — Logan Stankoven (7) (EV) — Assists: Taylor Hall (8), Jackson Blake (7)
• 5:52 PHI — Alex Bump (2) (EV) — Assists: Travis Konecny

Overtime

• 5:31 CAR — Jackson Blake (3) (EV) — Assists: Taylor Hall (9), Jaccob Slavin (1)

Key Notes

• Carolina completes the sweep of Philadelphia and advances to the Eastern Conference Final — the Hurricanes are now 8-0 in the 2026 playoffs, heading to the Eastern Conference Final for the second straight season and third time in four years
• Carolina is one of five teams in NHL history to start a postseason 8-0 — joining the 1985 Edmonton Oilers, 1969 St. Louis Blues, 1960 Montreal Canadiens, and 1952 Detroit Red Wings
• Carolina is the 24th team in NHL history to win eight or more consecutive playoff games — 18 of those teams went on to win the Stanley Cup
• Carolina has won five straight overtime playoff games, dating to Game 5 of the 2025 Eastern Conference First Round
• Frederik Andersen is the fourth goalie in NHL history to allow two goals or fewer in each of his first eight playoff starts — the first since Jacques Plante with the 1969 Blues; others are Terry Sawchuk (1952 Red Wings) and Clint Benedict (1928 Maroons, nine consecutive)
• Philadelphia was swept in a best-of-7 for the first time since the 2011 Eastern Conference Semifinals against Boston; the Flyers scored just five goals in the series
• Matvei Michkov was a healthy scratch — the 23-year-old No. 7 overall pick in 2023 has one point and a minus-3 rating in eight playoff games; this was his second healthy scratch of the postseason
• Mark Jankowski’s apparent go-ahead goal in the second period was overturned on a successful Flyers challenge — goaltender interference on William Carrier
• Tyson Foerster became the 16th Flyers player to score this postseason, matching 1987 for the most through Philadelphia’s first 10 playoff games; in the past 30 years only the 2025 Panthers (17) had more League-wide
• Carolina’s Eastern Conference Final opponent: winner of Buffalo vs. Montreal
• Taylor Hall finished with 3 assists on the night
• Attendance: 19,394 at Xfinity Mobile Arena

Up Next

Carolina Hurricanes: Eastern Conference Final vs. winner of Buffalo/Montreal — schedule TBD Philadelphia Flyers: Season over; eliminated in the Eastern Conference Second Round

Game Info: Attendance 19,394 | Referees: Wes McCauley, Jon McIsaac, Pierre Lambert | Linesmen: Matt MacPherson, Tyson Baker, Julien Fournier