Philadelphia Flyers vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Preview of the Second Round

It’s a quick turnaround for the Philadelphia Flyers, off to the second round after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. The opponent that awaits them has been waiting for a week. The Carolina Hurricanes were already off to the second round last Saturday, completing a sweep of the Ottawa Senators.

Carolina was steadily the top team in the Eastern Conference throughout the season, so the Flyers will absolutely have their hands full with this challenging opponent. But they can attempt to build on what they accomplished in the regular season, where all four meetings between the two went beyond regulation.

To get you ready for the second round, here’s our comprehensive series preview.

Flyers vs. Hurricanes: Forwards

It’s somewhat difficult to gauge how these two teams truly match up as the series prepares to begin. The first meeting of the season between the two teams was in the first week of the regular season back in October. They met twice in a weekend back-to-back in mid-December. And when they met in the second-to-last game of the season a few weeks ago, Carolina comfortably sat their top players.

The Flyers forward group has depth, but really needs to find that offensively. The Flyers scored 16 goals in the six games against the Penguins, and six of those goals were by defensemen. So their top forwards need to start coming through with more regularity. The lack of production from Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Matvei Michkov, and Tyson Foerster leaves a lot to be desired, especially against a top team like Carolina.

Much like the Flyers, the Hurricanes’ top forwards didn’t really get going offensively either. Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall, and Jackson Blake had more of an impact than top-line players Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis. Sebastian Aho started to put up better numbers later in the series.

From a four-line perspective, the Hurricanes absolutely have the deeper forward group. But they also managed just 11 goals in the four games, so the finishing wasn’t there for them either. Still, the amount of possession they have and shot volume that they generate helps them maintain control of games in long stretches, something that would be a clear disadvantage for the Flyers.

Flyers vs. Hurricanes: Defensemen

This series may be about the best unsung defenseman. Jaccob Slavin has been a pillar of the Carolina defense and takes up big minutes. Travis Sanheim has equally proven that he can handle such a role as well.

The depth on the blue line is good for both teams – Rasmus Ristolainen, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, and Nick Seeler for the Flyers and Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Walker, K’Andre Miller, and Alexander Nikishin for Carolina.

Carolina plays such a style that their defensemen are successful by possessing the puck. It’s an aggressive style of defense that applies pressure and helps get the puck back in their control. The Flyers will have to be quick with their decisions to avoid one-and-done entries and turning the puck over.

Flyers vs. Hurricanes: Goaltending

Based on the first round numbers, this goaltending matchup features two of the top netminders of the first round.

Dan Vladar was 4-2 with a 1.61 GAA and .937 save percentage. Frederik Andersen was 4-0 with a 1.10 GAA and .955 save percentage.

If you include regular season performance, the Flyers have the slight advantage here. Vladar was more consistent over the course of the regular season and had better numbers than Andersen. Vladar was 29-14-7 with a 2.42 GAA and .906 save percentage in the regular season. Andersen was 16-14-5 with a 3.05 GAA and .874 save percentage.

If there’s one aspect the Flyers hold the advantage, it’s this one. Vladar’s consistency and continued success into the playoffs can be the one thing that shifts this series into their favor.

Flyers vs. Hurricanes: Special Teams

If you go by the playoffs alone, neither team really stands out on the power play. The Flyers had an 11.8 percent success rate, the Hurricanes were at 13.3 percent. But in the regular season, the Flyers finished last in power play again with a 15.7 percent success rate, and the Hurricanes were fourth at 24.9 percent.

The penalty kill certainly has the potential to be a difference-maker in the series. Carolina had a 95.2 percent success rate against Ottawa. The Flyers were at 84.2 percent against Pittsburgh.

The power play could be especially important to this series. The Hurricanes outscored Ottawa, 11-5, in the series. Ottawa was 1-for-21 on the power play, an average of over five opportunities per game. Allow that many opportunities, and you have to take advantage. If the Flyers can draw penalties and then get the power play to somehow click against Carolina’s even more aggressive penalty kill, that could also be a ticket to success.

Headliners

• Travis Sanheim: Defense is going to be especially important in this series. Sanheim was outstanding against the Penguins, contributing at both ends of the ice. That will almost certainly be needed again. The Hurricanes may not have a legendary star like the Penguins with Sidney Crosby, but their top two lines are collectively dangerous, all three members serving as a threat. Sanheim will certainly get his minutes and they will need to be impactful once again.
• Sebastian Aho: The superstar of the Carolina offense, Aho possesses an insane amount of skill and can be impactful at both ends of the ice and in all facets of the game. He’s been able to create clutch moments, he’s relied upon to push the offense, and he’s tough to get off the puck once he has it. 

X-Factors

• Matvei Michkov: The matchup against the Penguins didn’t seem like the best for Michkov. Against Carolina, Michkov will need to be more impactful offensively. And after sitting out Game 5 and picking up his first playoff point on the game-winning goal in Game 6, the 21-year-old could be turning a corner and ready to make an impact.
• Logan Stankoven: Easily the most impactful player on Carolina’s roster in the first round, Stankoven had the scorer’s touch against Ottawa. It’s easy to look at Carolina’s top line and place a lot of focus on it. The second line was actually better for Carolina and can easily be once again.

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