Opening the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Rick Tocchet's Philadelphia Flyers are in Raleigh on Saturday night for Game One against Rod Brind'Amour's Carolina Hurricanes.
Game time is 8:00 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised nationally on ABC.
On Wednesday, a Cam York overtime goal sent the Flyers to a 1-0 clinching victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Six of their conference quarterfinal series. The Flyers posted 98 points during the regular season.
The Hurricanes have been off for a week after sweeping the Ottawa Senators in the first round. During the regular season, the Hurricanes won the Eastern Conference top seed with 113 points. Across the entire NHL, only the Colorado Avalanche (121 points) had a superior record.
During the four-game regular season series between the Flyers and Canes, each and every game was decided beyond regulation. The Flyers went 1-0-3 in those games. They suffered an overtime loss and two shootout defeats before winning via shootout on the penultimate night of the regular season. The win clinched a playoff spot for Philadelphia.
The Flyers took a one-day respite after concluding the Pittsburgh series. On Friday, the team practiced at the FTC in Voorhees before leaving for North Carolina.
On the injury front, the Flyers have several banged up players. However, they have their full roster available to play if called upon to suit up. On the Carolina side, Carolina hopes defenseman Alexander Nikishin will be ready to start the series in the lineup. Forward Nikolaj Ehlers is progressing and may be able to return at some point in the series.
Here are the RAV4 Things to watch in Game One.
1. Puck possession
On a year-in and year-out basis, the Hurricanes are the NHL's top-ranked team in puck possession metrics. If there is not a lane for a clean entry, the Canes chip the puck in softly and win more retrieval battles than they lose. Meanwhile, Carolina is very dangerous in transition.
For the Flyers, smart puck management is Job #1 when playing the Hurricanes. The Canes are a high-volume shooting team but they are also excellent and hemming other teams in deep with a swarming forecheck.
The Flyers had a team speed and pacing advantage in the first four games of their series against Pittsburgh. Philly was the better 5-on-5 team when considering the series on the whole.
They won't have a 5-on-5 edge on paper against Carolina. What Philly has working for themselves is a deep lineup in which Tocchet can roll his lines. Philly will need to take good care of the puck to be able to avoid protracted defensive zone shifts or quick strike counters by Carolina.
In terms of shot suppression, the Flyers blocked an average of 14.94 shots per game in the first round to Carolina's 14.90; virtually identical. During the regular season, the Flyers ranked 9th with 14.76 blocks per game, Owing in large part to how much they keep the puck for themselves, Carolina had the NHL's fewest blocks per game at 11.14 per game. This is a prime example of the differences between regular season and playoff hockey.
2. Tone setters
Every playoff series takes on its own personality. Players who are dominant in one round may struggle in the next or vice versa. In Round One, team captain Sean Couturier was arguably the team's most consistent tone setter on the forecheck and in puck battles.
From an offensive standpoint, the Flyers scored by committee in the first round. Fourteen different players scored at least one goal in the six games. No one had more than two (Porter Martone and Travis Sanheim). Martone and Sanheim led Philly with three points apiece, with Martone scoring game winning goals in each of the first two games of the series.
On the Carolina side, former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall turned back the clock with seven points (2g, 5a) in the sweep of Ottawa. Small but highly creative forward Logan Stankoven struck for four goals across the four games and regular season scoring leader Sebastian Aho (80 points) notched three goals against Ottawa. Jason Blake, who gave Philly fits during the regular season, had a goal and four assists.
Meanwhile, the dangerous Andrei Svechnikov (31 goals, 70 points in the regular season) did not record a point against Ottawa. The Flyers need to make the Russian forward's frustration continue. On the Philly side, Matvei Michkov was pointless -- and a healthy scratch in Game Five -- until setting up York for the series winning overtime goal in Game Six. Tyson Foerster did not record a point in the six games.
On the blueline, the Flyers' top pairing of Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen was downright stellar during the stretch drive right through the first round. That must continue against Carolina for the Flyers to have a shot at upsetting the favored Hurricanes.
3. Between the Pipes
During the regular season, Dan Vladar captured the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the Flyers' team MVP. His value went far beyond his stats but was best underscored by his 29-14-7 record. He consistently gave the Flyers a chance to win. Vladar was even better in the Pittsburgh series, with two shutouts including a 42-save gem in Game Six.
Veteran Frederik Andersen was nearly flawless in the Ottawa series for Carolina. He yielded just five goals across the four games, posting a .955 save percentage.
In case of injury or a rare out-of-hand game, Samuel Ersson could be called upon to relieve Vladar. Otherwise, it's Vladar's net. Meanwhile, it Andersen falters or gets banged up, Brind'Amour will not hesitate to call upon Brandon Bussi (31-6-2 record, 2.47 GAA, .895 save percentage) to take over in goal.
During the first round. Pittsburgh made a mid-series switch in goal. If the Flyers can force Brind'Amour to consider a change in starting goalie, it means Philly is ahead in the series.
4. Discipline and special teams
The Flyers' power play ranked last in the NHL during the regular season. They found a one-game oasis (2-for-3 in Game Three) but otherwise came up blank in the other five matches. The Flyers actually had some power play success against the Hurricanes in the regular season but the playoff series is a greater challenge.
Philly's PK started and finished the Pittsburgh series very strong. THe made a tactical adjustment after the Penguins scored a combined three power play goals in Games Three and Four.
Carolina was 20-for-21 on the penalty kill in the Ottawa series. They were 2-for-15 on the power play in the series. During the regular season, the Hurricanes ranked fourth on the power play (24.9 percent) and 11th on the PK (80.5 percent).
