Philadelphia Flyers vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Game 1 Preview

The euphoria of Wednesday's Game 6 win to advance to the second round has barely had time to wear off before the next round gets underway. The next opponent has been waiting for a week, and the Philadelphia Flyers will once again take to the road looking to turn the home ice advantage back in their favor.

The Flyers head to face the Carolina Hurricanes, the Eastern Conference's best team in the regular season. Carolina made quick work of the Ottawa Senators with a sweep in the first round.

Game 1 is set to begin at 8 PM.

How to Watch

Time: 8 PM
Location: Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC
TV: ABC
Radio: Rock 104.1 and the Rock 104.1 Free Mobile App
Streaming: ESPN+

Projected Flyers Lines vs. Hurricanes

Injury & Roster Updates

Lineup Updates: Garnet Hathaway comes back into the lineup. Alex Bump skated in place of Owen Tippett on Friday. Tippett has been banged up and taken several maintenance days. It's possible he is not available for Game 1. Consider him a game-time decision.
Starting Goalie: Dan Vladar gets the start for the Flyers. Vladar made 42 saves in a shutout win in Game 6. He is 4-2 with a 1.61 GAA and .937 save percentage in the playoffs.
Injuries
- Owen Tippett: undisclosed injury, game-time decision
- Nikita Grebenkin: upper-body injury, out since March 26
- Rodrigo Abols: fractured ankle, out at least two months from Jan. 21

Opponent Snapshot: Carolina Hurricanes

Penguins Projected Lineup vs. Flyers

37 Andrei Svechnikov - 20 Sebastian Aho - 24 Seth Jarvis
71 Taylor Hall - 22 Logan Stankoven - 53 Jackson Blake
27 Nikolaj Ehlers - 11 Jordan Staal - 48 Jordan Martinook
28 William Carrier - 77 Mark Jankowski - 50 Eric Robinson

74 Jaccob Slavin - 5 Jalen Chatfield
19 K'Andre Miller - 26 Sean Walker
4 Shayne Gostisbehere - 21 Alexander Nikishin

31 Frederik Andersen
32 Brandon Bussi

Special Teams
- Power Play: 13.3% (10th)
- Penalty Kill: 95.2% (1st)
Who’s hot?: Logan Stankoven has four goals. Taylor Hall has five assists and seven points. Sebastian Aho has three goals. Jackson Blake has four points.
Who’s in net?: Frederik Andersen gets the start for the Hurricanes. Andersen is 4-0 with a 1.10 GAA and .955 save percentage in four games in the playoffs.
Injuries: Alexander Nikishin and Nikolaj Ehlers were both banged up late in the series against Ottawa, but figure to be ready for Game 1. K'Andre Miller did not skate at morning skate, but is expected to play.

Keys to the Game

Clean Slate: It’s a new series, and the Flyers have to start fresh. The Hurricanes will be well rested, but could that lead to rust? The lack of a long layoff could play into the Flyers’ favor early.
Stay Physical: Carolina’s sweep of Ottawa featured four competitive games due to physical play. The Flyers got ahead of the Penguins playing a physical brand as well, and will need it again to remain competitive.
Shot Volume: The Hurricanes are known for constant puck possession and shot volume. The Flyers will need to counter that with great defensive play and get pucks to the net and around Frederik Andersen.

By the Numbers

This is the first time in franchise history that the Flyers and Hurricanes have met in the playoffs, including the years of the Hartford Whalers franchise.
The Hurricanes never trailed during the first round against Ottawa, scoring first in all four games. The Flyers scored the first goal in three of their four wins.
Goals by Period: The Flyers were outscored, 3-0, in the first period in the first round. They outscored the opposition, 9-4, in the second period and 6-4 in the third period. Carolina outscored opponents, 2-0, in the first, 4-4 in the second, and 4-1 in the third. Both teams also had one overtime win.

Quotable

"Honestly, not to sound cheesy, they buy in. We might not be pretty sometimes, but they're a very attentive group. I've got to be on top of my toes sometimes because they're listening to every word I say. Some days, I don't say the right thing, I've got to be careful. They're listening. They've bought in." - Rick Tocchet on his team following the first round.

X-Factors

Travis Sanheim: Defensive structure has been the name of the game for the Flyers, and there was no better demonstration of that than Sanheim. He was consistent throughout the first round and has been steady throughout this playoff run. He'll really need to be at his best against a Carolina team that can come in waves.
Sebastian Aho: The skilled forward has the ability to take over a game and come up with the clutch moments. Aho scored three goals in the first round, including two empty-net goals, but is always a threat to score or make a heads-up play with the puck.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.