Hurricanes beat the Flyers 4-1 in Game 3, take a 3-0 series lead

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov scored on the power play and Jalen Chatfield added a short-handed goal, keying a special teams effort that helped the Carolina Hurricanes win their seventh straight playoff game, 4-1 over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 on Thursday night.

The Hurricanes — who outshot the Flyers 30-19 —can complete their second straight postseason series sweep in Game 4 on Saturday in Philadelphia.

“Not the prettiest of games for anyone," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s kind of been our calling card all year, whatever way the game kind of goes, I think we've been able to adapt to it and figure it out. It says a lot about our group.”

The Hurricanes — coming off a Game 1 shutout and a Game 2 overtime thriller — again rode the hot hand of Frederik Andersen in net to move to the brink of a sweep.

“You need goaltending like that,” Chatfield said. “He's been nothing short of excellent. We know he's going to keep going like that.”

The Flyers, the last team in the East to clinch a playoff spot who then beat Pittsburgh in the first round, had a few sensational early looks at the net but again failed to finish and again failed on the power play. They had the worst power-play efficiency (15.7%) in the NHL this season and did not score with the man advantage in Game 3.

“We're trying,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. “We're trying to get these guys to understand certain things. That's on us. It's on me to try to figure it out, it really is.”

To make it worse, Chatfield scored to make it 2-1 in the second just 11 seconds into the Flyers’ power play with Taylor Hall in the box for boarding.

“My job isn't to be the flashiest guy on the blue line,” Chatfield said. “It's put pucks on the net. Keep it simple. When I get the lane, just rip it on the net.”

The Flyers hit Andersen with 15 shots during 19 minutes of overtime in Game 2 and whiffed on their chance at the win — and perhaps their best shot at making this a competitive series — when Travis Konecny missed a makeable look on a breakaway.

Konecny fired another clean look minutes into Game 3, only for Andersen to knock it away with his pads. Porter Martone, the Flyers’ teen sensation, rang the right side of the post moments later and two great chances at goals meant nothing on the scoreboard.

The Flyers still had a chance on the power play but were stymied and fell at that point to 1 for 12 in the series and 3 for 29 in nine playoff games.

“Lot of sacrifice,” Brind’Amour said at silencing the Flyers' power play.

Brind’Amour was even handed a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Hurricanes were otherwise too playoff tested, too veteran savvy to not capitalize on Philadelphia’s slow start.

Staal punched in a rebound in the first period for the 1-0 lead.

Trevor Zegras, a 26-goal scorer held without a point the previous four games, tied the game for the Flyers from one knee in the second period.

That was it for the Flyers in their first home second-round playoff game since 2012. They went 0 for 5 on the power play while the Hurricanes were 2 of 7.

Svechnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers scored in the third period, the latter of which sent Flyers fans headed toward the exits.

NHL playoff history is still against the Flyers. Only four teams that trailed 3-0 in a seven-game series have come all the way back to win — the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1980 New York Islanders, 2010 Flyers and 2014 Los Angeles Kings.

The Hurricanes are the 13th team to start a postseason 7-0 and eight of the previous 12 won the Stanley Cup.

“It starts in the room with your leadership,” Brind’Amour said.

Through the first three games of the series, 58 penalties have been handed out resulting in a total of 156 penalty minutes.

“Five-on-five, we were good,” Tocchet said. “I thought we were the better team. That's two games in a row. Penalty fest. We're not equipped for that.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov, left, and Philadelphia Flyers' Trevor Zegras collide during the second period of Game 3 in the second round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Carolina Hurricanes' K'andre Miller, left, collides with Philadelphia Flyers' Matvei Michkov during the second period of Game 3 in the second round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Carolina Hurricanes' Sean Walker, left, and Philadelphia Flyers' Trevor Zegras collide during the second period of Game 3 in the second round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Carolina Hurricanes' Frederik Andersen, left, blocks a shot past Philadelphia Flyers' Christian Dvorak during the second period of Game 3 in the second round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Carolina Hurricanes' Frederik Andersen, left, blocks a shot as Philadelphia Flyers' Christian Dvorak reaches in during the second period of Game 3 in the second round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers looking to take part in a national redistricting battle could vote Friday on a plan to alter state's congressional primaries if the courts allow Republican state officials to switch to more advantageous U.S. House maps ahead of the November midterm elections.

The Alabama legislation, which needs only a final Senate vote to go to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, seeks to leverage a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a Louisiana case that significantly weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minorities.

Republicans in Southern states have moved quickly to try to capitalize on the case. Tennessee enacted new congressional districts Thursday that carve up a Democratic-held, Black-majority district in Memphis. Louisiana postponed its U.S. House primaries as lawmakers work to enact new districts. And Republicans in the South Carolina House also have proposed a new U.S. House map.

Even before the high court ruling, Republicans and Democrats already were engaged in a fierce redistricting battle, each seeking an edge in the midterm elections that will determine control of the closely divided House.

Since President Donald Trump prodded Texas to redraw its congressional districts last summer, a total of nine states have adopted new House districts. From that, Republicans think they could gain as many as 14 seats while Democrats think they could gain up to 10. But the parties may not get everything they sought, because the gerrymandering could backfire in some highly competitive districts.

Alabama has asked federal judges to lift a court order requiring the state to have a second district where Black voters are the majority or close to it. That district gave rise in 2024 to the election of Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures, who is Black.

Republicans instead want to put in place a map lawmakers drew in 2023 — which was rejected by a federal court — that could allow them to reclaim Figures’ district. Black residents currently make up about 48% of the district’s voting-age population. That would drop to about 39% under the 2023 map.

Republicans hope the federal courts will see the case differently in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Louisiana decision. If a court grants Alabama’s request, the legislation under consideration would ignore the May 19 primary for some congressional seats and direct the governor to schedule a new primary under the revised districts.

“It is an if, and only if, the courts take action,” Republican state Sen. Chris Elliott said.

The House passed the legislation on a party-line vote Wednesday, and a Senate committee on Thursday advanced it to the full chamber.

Addressing the Senate committee, Figures said his concern isn’t for himself but for the people who fought for decades “to have a voice in what government looks like.”

“I ran into a gentleman last night, and he said, ‘Hey man, I hear your job is on the line.’ And I told him, 'No, Shomari Figures is going to be OK. Your voice is on the line,'” Figures said.

Some Democrats noted that the state’s segregationist past isn’t that long ago, and it was districts created under the Voting Rights Act that gave rise to Black representation after centuries of disenfranchisement.

“How long are we going to have to repeat history before we realize that all people deserve to be respected and deserve to have the feeling that they are valued?” asked Democratic state Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, who is Black.

Republicans in the South Carolina House distributed a proposed new U.S. House map Thursday. It would give the GOP an improved chance at winning the only seat currently held by a Democrat.

The proposal would take Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn out of the 6th District he has represented since 1992 while splitting the district into four different ones. Clyburn's current district is made up of nearly 50% Black voters and in the 2024 presidential election, greater than 60% of residents voted for Democrat Kamala Harris.

The proposed map also would split the Democratic stronghold of Columbia and its redder suburbs into four different districts.

The state House on Wednesday approved a resolution giving lawmakers permission to return after the May 14 end of their regular work to continue consideration of a redistricting plan. But the Senate on Thursday delayed a decision on the resolution, because members wanted some idea of what the new districts could look like, Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said.

After the House plan was released, Massey cited continued concerns. He said as many as four districts could become competitive, requiring substantial support for Republican candidates and hurting down-ballot races for the party.

“If we get too cute with this, we could end up losing seats,” Massey said.

The state’s primary elections are June 9.

Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina, and Lieb from Jefferson City, Missouri.

A demonstrator holds up a sign outside the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala., on Thursday, May, 7 2026. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler)

Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, speaks during a rally after a special session of the state legislature to redraw U.S. Congressional voting maps Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)