The Carolina Hurricanes picked up back-to-back shootout wins this week over Metropolitan opponents to move back into first place in the Eastern Conference.
The Canes came back to win each game, first picking up a 3-2 win in Washington and then a 4-3 victory in Philadelphia.
Here are seven takeaways from the wins:
1. You Only Need One
Both games came down to the wire for Carolina and things couldn't really be any tighter than they were, especially since one shot determined both outcomes.
Against Washington, it was Seth Jarvis in the one slot who scored the game's lone shootout tally and against Philadelphia, Jackson Blake sealed the victory in the four slot.
Both were fairly unlikely heroes as Jarvis entered Thursday's game 1-for-6 in his career and Blake entered Saturday's game 0-for-3.
But as two of Carolina's best offensive players, you need to just put them in a position to deliver.
"In these situations, you have to make moves," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Goalies are too good. So you need guys that have that courage to be able to make moves."
2. But Seven Saves Combined
Goaltending was a big part of the conversation in these two wins, especially when it came down to the shootout and both Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov went a perfect 7-for-7 combined on the shots they faced.
Kochetkov especially had a great showing as his unorthodox poke checks disrupted the Flyers skaters so much.
That was also both the first shootout loss for the Flyers this year in six tries and the first time Trevor Zegras had been stopped.
3. Comeback Canes
The Hurricanes had to overcome hurdles in both of the games, as they trailed at multiple points in each.
They gave up the first goal to Washington after a great start and then folded a bit in the third period to concede the lead again.
However, the team fought back with goals from both Ehlers and Stankoven to force the extra frames.
Against Philly, a bad start saw the Hurricanes go down 2-0, but a strong bounce back period saw the game tied again.
"We stuck with it and I think that's just a great win to get, knowing that if you stick with your game, good things are gonna happen," said Jordan Martinook.
4. But Probably Should Have Won Each In Regulation
It's a tale as old as time.
Carolina dominates a game, but find themselves tied or trailing regardless.
They dominated that game against the Capitals, but then got a bit on their heels in the third period and as such found themselves trailing.
Against the Flyers though, the Hurricanes had a bad first period.
At some point, the team needs to have a better 60-minute showing, but it's clear that this team is good enough to overcome poor starts or tough stretches.
5. Power Play Struggles
The Canes' power play is like a box of chocolates.
You never know what you're going to get.
After a really strong stretch and even back-to-back power play goals from Jordan Staal of all people, it went 0-for-4 on the road trip and honestly didn't look that impressive at all.
Every penalty kill is going to look and play differently, so varied results are going to happen, but it's kind of crazy to see how much variance there are for the Hurricanes on the man advantage.
6. Alexander Nikishin Benching
On Saturday, after the Hurricanes took the lead thanks to a Seth Jarvis breakaway, the team immediately gave it right back after the Flyers got loose on a 2-on-1.
The main culprit of that breakdown was rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin.
After a regroup by the Flyers in their defensive end, the Russian blueliner made a halfhearted effort to pinch along the board with no support back, giving up an easy odd-man rush.
It's one thing to make a wrong decision, but he also didn't give nearly enough effort on his attempt to hold the zone either.
If you're going to go, which is the wrong decision there in a game where you just took the lead, you have to commit and he sort of just found himself in no-man's land.
And thanks to that, he watched the rest of the game from the bench.
Those mistakes are the biggest things Nikishin still has to work on.
Knowing game situations, when and where to be aggressive, but also just effort overall.
The Hurricanes know how talented he is offensively, and his heads-up play in the second period gave the team a 2-2 tie. But as a defenseman, you have to be able to be trusted to protect a lead.
That's where Nikishin is still learning and developing and I see no problem with the decision to sit him there, especially being that the team was still in a tight contest.
7. Joel Nystrom Proving His Mettle
Fresh off becoming a million dollar man, the rookie blueliner is continuing to impress.
The Swede led all Hurricanes skaters in chance share over the past two games, with a 30-12 edge, and also had the highest expected goals percentage at 76.81%.
His on-ice results were also the best as he led all defensemen in goals for in his 5v5 ice time (3) and he conceded only three high-danger chances in over 25 minutes of 5v5 ice time.
There's no guarantee that he'll stick around with the Hurricanes when Jaccob Slavin returns from injury, but he's proved that he can be a successful NHLer.
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