In Game Two of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Rick Tocchet's Philadelphia Flyers are in Raleigh on Monday night to take on Rod Brind'Amour's Carolina Hurricanes. The Flyers trail in the series, one game to zero.
Game time is 7:00 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
In Game One on Sunday, goaltender Frederik Andersen and the Canes shut out the Flyers, 3-0. Early first period goals by Logan Stankoven (5th of the playoffs) and Jackson Blake (2nd) staked Carolina to a quick 2-0 lead in a dominant opening 20 minutes.
The Flyers stabilized things defensively a bit in the second period. However, they still had trouble getting to the inside offensively. A late second period turnover resulted in Stankoven's second tally of the game (6th), and a three-goal deficit.
Right off the bat in the third period, the Flyers had a shorthanded 2-on-1 opportunity. Andersen slammed the door. As the third period progressed, Philly had a few more scoring chances but they were unable to muster a goal. Thus ended a frustrating series opener.
On Sunday, Flyers head coach Tocchet said that he anticipates making some lineup changes -- both in personnel and combinations -- in Game Two. Above all, he wants his team to move its feet more consistently and adjust to the pace of play that Carolina throws at its opponents.
On the injury front, the Flyers have several banged up players. Most notably, the nagging lower body injury that affected Owen Tippett during the Pittsburgh series worsened enough for the speedy winger to miss Game One against the Hurricanes. Tippett remains day-to-day.
In Game One, both Christian Dvorak and top defenseman Travis Sanheim were rocked by heavy hits. Both are expected to be available for Game Two.
Here are the RAV4 Things to watch in Game Two.
1. Pace of play
No team in the Eastern Conference -- and possibly the entire NHL -- plays at a faster pace than Carolina. Opponents need to make quick decisions on where to go with the puck, whether it's on an exit opportunity, navigating the neutral zone, or trying to make a play in the attack zone.
The Flyers cannot be indecisive or panicky against the Carolina pressure. On the few flaws in the Hurricanes' game is they yield a significant volume of counterattacks (including odd-man rushes). However, opponents need to be very decisive and quick about it because the back pressure arrives in a flash.
2. Move your feet
Two of Carolina's three goals in the series opener were the direct result of egregious Flyers turnovers: one by Matvei Michkov and one by Noah Juulsen. What the two plays had in common: the Philly player was stationary and threw the puck away into a dangerous area. If the Carolina forecheck brings heavy pressure and there is no skating room, it's better to hold on and deal with a 50-50 battle than to send a blind backhand up the wall (the Michkov play) or put a weak pass attempt through the middle (the Juulsen play).
Without Tippett in the lineup, the Flyers lack forwards who can beat Carolina off the rush or force their defense to back into their own zone. That does not mean, however, that there are no opportunities for clean entries or quick retrievals. They cannot be done at a glide or a standstill, scanning for options. The best pace the Flyers set so far in the playoffs was Game Two of the Pittsburgh series. Philly needs to find that level again.
3. Hard ice vs. soft ice
In Game One, the Flyers repeatedly settled for uncontested ice along the perimeter. That made life pretty easy for Andersen. Flyers captain Sean Couturier and rookie winger Denver Barkey were two of the few Philly players who drove to the "hard" areas for the majority of Saturday's game. When Philly did get the puck into shooting lanes, they too often got blocked or missed the net. That's a recipe for getting shut out: too many hope plays, not enough wins in the trenches.
By holding the puck rather than forcing plays, lanes eventually open up. There are plays where soft ice is created in areas where plays can be made but it takes a process to get there. A perfect example was Porter Martone's goals in Games One and Two of the Pittsburgh series. One was scored by keeping possession and skating a bit higher. The other was a play where the defense was bunched down low and there was open space to collect a rebound for a quick shot from the slot.
4. Special teams
The Flyers were 0-for-4 on the power play but 4-for-4 on the penalty kill in Game One. In the Pittsburgh series, it was sufficient for the Flyers to break even on special teams because they had the five-on-five advantage for the majority of the series (especially in Games One to Four). Against Carolina, the Flyers are at a 5-on-5 disadvantage. That means it's an absolute must for the Flyers to scratch out a couple power play goals, kill their own penalties and hold their own at even strength.
