Hurricanes Daily: Carolina Hits The Road, Thornton Announces Retirement

After a short break following back-to-back wins over Seattle and San Jose, Carolina returns to action on Monday, as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers.

Philadelphia sits at 4-3-1 overall, tied for fourth in the Metropolitan Division with Washington and the New York Islanders.

Despite sitting over .500, the Flyers enter Monday night’s divisional matchup in the midst of a rough stretch, having lost three of their last four contests.

On Saturday, Anaheim defeated Philadelphia on their home ice, scoring a season-high seven goals en route to a three score victory.

Backup goaltender Samuel Ersson secured the loss, now possessing a .760 save percentage, while allowing 5.91 goals per game.

All signs points to Carter Hart sitting in net versus the Hurricanes, as the 25-year old has begun the campaign on a strong note. He holds a 4-2 record, while allowed just 2.18 goals per game and tallying a .924 save percentage.

The Flyers are led by forward Travis Konecny, who leads the team in both points (11) and goals (8). He netted two goals in Saturday’s loss and has recorded five goals over his last four games.

Defenseman Travis Sanheim assists Konecny from the blue line, sitting second on the roster with eight points, including a team-high seven assists.

For Carolina, Monday’s matchup is all about continuing the momentum and getting comfortable with their temporary lineup.

Sebastian Aho and Freddie Andersen are back, while Andrei Svechnikov will play in his second game of the season, but Brett Pesce remains sidelined with a lower-body injury.

But, with Svechnikov and Aho back, a 12 forward, six defenseman lineup is possible and appears to be the answer for Rod Brind’Amour’s squad.

Forwards Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Martin Necas, and Seth Jarvis are all tied for the team lead with nine points apiece, while Teuvo Teravainen is off to a torrid start following a hat trick in Friday’s win.

Freddie Andersen is expected to return in goal for Carolina, as his last outing resulted in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Kraken.

In other NHL news, hockey veteran Joe Thornton announced his retirement following a 24-year career. Thornton had not played since the 2021-2022 campaign, where he suited up in 34 games for the Florida Panthers.

A majority of his career was split between Boston and San Jose, as Thornton spent eight seasons with the Bruins and 15 with the Sharks.

The former No. 1 overall pick ranks 12th all-time with 1,539 points, seventh in assists with 1,109, and sixth in games played with 1,714.

Thornton won both the Hart Trophy and the Art Ros Trophy in the 2005-2006 season and helped guide San Jose to a Stanley Cup appearance during the 2015-2016 campaign.

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