RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov scored in the shootout and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Sunday.
William Carrier and Taylor Hall scored in regulation for the Hurricanes, who have won four straight — three in a shootout. Brandon Bussi made 24 saves — all in regulation — for his ninth straight win, matching a franchise record.
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Carolina Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis (24) and Philadelphia Flyers' Rodrigo Abols (18) chase the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Philadelphia Flyers' Owen Tippett (74) sends the puck down the ice ahead of Carolina Hurricanes' Nikolaj Ehlers, center, during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Carolina Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin watches the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook (48) jumps over a shot by teammate William Carrier (28) for a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Philadelphia Flyers' Travis Sanheim (6) handles the puck ahead of Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook (48) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale scored in regulation for Philadelphia and Dan Vladar stopped 31 shots.
Svechnikov was the only skater to score in the shootout, with Bussi stopping all three attempts by the Flyers.
Carolina outshot Philadelphia 3-0 in the overtime period.
Zegras scored with 1:52 left in regulation to tie the score 2-2. Travis Konecny found Zegras alone at the far post after Bussi couldn't control a rebound with Philadelphia pressing with an extra skater.
The Flyers have had hard luck against Carolina this season, losing all three matchups in shootouts, including a 4-3 defeat in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Carrier gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at 5:44 in the first period when he beat Vladar to the glove side, thanks to a perfectly-timed screen from Jordan Martinook.
Getting the first goal has been a good sign for the Hurricanes this season. They improved to 14-2-0 when scoring first.
The Hurricanes made it 2-0 on Hall’s power-play goal with 4:07 left in the first. Hall has three points in the past four games. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin picked up an assist on Hall’s goal and leads all rookies in plus/minus this season at plus-11.
Bussi improved to 11-1 in his rookie season, becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to win 11 of his first 12 starts. The Hurricanes claimed the 27-year-old rookie on waivers on Oct. 5 and he made his first NHL start in a 5-1 win over San Jose on Oct. 14.
Drysdale scored with 52.4 seconds left in the first with assists from Zegras and Matvei Michkov.
The Hurricanes’ defense was bolstered by the return of Jaccob Slavin, who had missed the previous 29 games with a lower-body injury.
Flyers: At Montreal on Tuesday night.
Hurricanes: At Nashville on Wednesday night.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Carolina Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis (24) and Philadelphia Flyers' Rodrigo Abols (18) chase the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Philadelphia Flyers' Owen Tippett (74) sends the puck down the ice ahead of Carolina Hurricanes' Nikolaj Ehlers, center, during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Carolina Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin watches the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook (48) jumps over a shot by teammate William Carrier (28) for a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Philadelphia Flyers' Travis Sanheim (6) handles the puck ahead of Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook (48) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes tore the ACL in his left knee while trying to keep the Kansas City Chiefs' postseason hopes alive in the waning seconds of a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, and the team said the star quarterback was considering surgical options.
It's the most significant injury of a superlative nine-year career for Mahomes, a two-time MVP who has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl titles and reached the AFC championship game in each of his seven previous seasons as Kansas City's starter.
This year, the Chiefs won't even make the playoffs, and Mahomes won't be back on the field until sometime in 2026.
“Don’t know why this had to happen,” Mahomes posted on social media before the diagnosis was announced. “And not going to lie it’s hurts. But all we can do now is Trust in God and attack every single day over and over again. Thank you Chiefs kingdom for always supporting me and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I Will be back stronger than ever.”
The Chiefs had just crossed midfield with less than two minutes to go when Mahomes scrambled toward the Kansas City sideline, then tried to get rid of the ball. He was spun to the ground upon release by Chargers defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand, and he immediately grabbed at his left knee while trainers converged on him.
Mahomes was eventually helped to the blue injury tent on the sideline, but he only stayed there for a few moments. He soon emerged with staff members on either side of him, limping toward the locker room with a white towel draped over his head.
“He will get an MRI tomorrow or this evening,” coach Andy Reid said, “whenever we can.”
Gardner Minshew entered the game and completed three straight passes to give the Chiefs a chance. But he was picked off by Derwin James on a jump ball intended for Travis Kelce with 14 seconds remaining, sealing the Chargers' season sweep of Kansas City.
“I hate the situation. I hate that I couldn’t deliver the win and keep our hopes alive,” Minshew said.
The loss, along with wins by Jacksonville, Buffalo and Houston, eliminated the defending AFC champs from playoff contention.
“It’s very frustrating, man. It’s been hard to watch for Pat, a dude that puts so much into it,” Minshew said. “I’ve never seen someone give so much of themselves to the team. I have confidence in him and his ability to come back better than ever.”
The injury to Mahomes, who threw for just 189 yards with an interception, was merely the latest — and perhaps most severe — in a series of setbacks that had turned what had been one of the NFL's best offenses for the better part of a decade into a shadow of itself.
Kansas City started the game with left tackle Josh Simmons on injured reserve with a fractured wrist, backup Wanya Morris out with a knee injury, right tackle Trey Smith inactive with an ankle injury and right tackle Jawaan Taylor dealing with a triceps injury.
Backup right tackle Jaylon Moore hurt his knee during the game, too, leaving journeyman Esa Pole and Chukwuebuka Godrick — an international pathway player who had never appeared in an NFL game — to protect Mahomes down the stretch.
The Chiefs also were missing Marquise Brown, who was inactive while dealing with a family matter, and fellow wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, who was crushed by Chargers cornerback Tony Jefferson after a 20-yard catch and was evaluated for a concussion.
Another receiver, Xavier Worthy, missed part of the game while clearing the concussion protocol.
It hasn't just been the Chiefs' offense where the injuries have mounted.
They began the game without Trent McDuffie, who was inactive with a knee injury. Then in a span of three straight plays, they lost linebacker Nick Bolton, defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback Jaylen Watson, though each of them eventually returned.
“We have a lot of guys who are very resilient in our locker room,” Jones said. “We all knew what was at stake. We all wanted to be part of this game. We were looking forward to it. Unfortunately, we didn't get the outcome we hoped for, but everyone battled.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gets rid of the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, right, throws the ball away under pressure from Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack (52) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is pushed out of bounds by Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack, left, during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is checked on after being injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) is checked on after being injured during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
