Round 2 Preview: Canes vs. Flyers

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes' road to a Stanley Cup continues with a second-round matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers.

It will once again be uncharted territory, as the two sides meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the very first time.

The Canes arrive at the matchup after a clean sweep of the Ottawa Senators in Round 1. Allowing just four goals in five games, the series was a story of astute goaltending from Frederik Andersen, goal-scoring from Logan Stankoven's line, and a 20-for-21 performance on the penalty kill.

The Flyers punched their ticket to Round 2 after defeating their cross-state rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in six games. After initially taking a 3-0 series lead, the orange and black faced some adversity before eventually closing things out in Wednesday's Game 6. Goaltender Dan Vladar had a standout showing for Rick Tocchet's team.

A full series schedule will be announced by the NHL in the coming days.

PURCHASE ROUND 2 TICKETS | VIEW PLAYOFF HUB | ROUND 1 RECAP

Revisiting The Regular-Season Meetings...

• October 11: Seth Jarvis scored in overtime and 10 different skaters recorded a point as the Canes topped the Flyers 4-3 at Lenovo Center.
• December 13: Carolina erased a two-goal deficit and held strong in a shootout, knocking off the Flyers 4-3 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
• December 14: For the second night in a row, the Canes took down the Flyers in a shootout, this time by a 3-2 final in Raleigh.
• April 13: Missing several lineup regulars toward the end of the regular season, the Canes picked up a crucial point in Philadelphia to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference despite a 3-2 shootout loss.

On The Other Side...

Just two months ago, popular hockey website MoneyPuck.com gave the Flyers a 3.8% chance at making the playoffs. With a 26-21-11 record coming out of the Winter Olympics, the team sat sixth in the Metro and were eight points back of a Wild Card spot, with four other teams in front of them.

The small glimmer of hope became a rallying cry for the group, as they turned on the jets over the final six weeks of the season.

Going 18-7-1 in their final 26 games, Philadelphia fought its way back into the mix, punching its ticket to the postseason against the Canes in their second-last game of the regular season.

Their first trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2020, their mid-season turnaround can be credited to stellar defense and goaltending. Giving up an average of just 2.38 goals per game after Feb. 24, that number ranked the fewest among all Eastern Conference teams.

Last summer's free agency signing, Dan Vladar, has become the team's go-to in net. His 12 wins post-Olympics were tied for the most among all NHL netminders, and he rolled that right over into a strong first round, where he posted an outstanding .937 save percentage against the Penguins.

Additionally, the unit received a shot in the arm in late March when 2025 first-round pick (sixth overall) Porter Martone turned pro following his season at Michigan State and made an immediate impact. Turning in 10 points in his first nine NHL games, the 6-foot-3, 214 lbs. forward is as dynamic as they come.

The Special Teams Story...

Carolina's Power Play In The Regular Season: 24.9% (4th)

Carolina's Penalty Kill In The Regular Season: 80.5% (11th)

Carolina's Power Play In Round 1: 2-for-15 (13.3%)

Carolina's Penalty Kill In Round 1: 20-for-21 (95.2%)

Tim Gleason's penalty kill was the story of the first round, holding an Ottawa team, which had a top-10 power play for most of the season, to just one goal.

Turning in an eight-for-nine performance in the series finale, Jaccob Slavin played 24:45 while shorthanded in the series, second-most among all defensemen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Philadelphia's Power Play In The Regular Season: 15.7% (32nd)

Philadelphia's Penalty Kill In The Regular Season: 77.6 (22nd)

Philadelphia's Power Play In Round 1: 2-for-17 (11.8%)

Philadelphia's Penalty Kill In Round 1: 16-for-19 (84.2%)

When it comes to Philadelphia's successes this season, special teams play isn't high on the list. The Flyers' power play ranked dead last among all teams over 82 games, and their penalty kill finished in the bottom third of the league.

But it's the playoffs, and anything can happen.

Trevor Zegras was the standout on the team's man advantage, leading the team with 10 power-play goals this season. The next closest Flyer had four.

During their four-game season series, Philadelphia held Carolina to just two power-play goals on 13 tries.

In Net...

Carolina: Frederik Andersen, Brandon Bussi, and Pyotr Kochetkov

Entering Round 1, it felt like a true coin flip between Andersen and Bussi for the first game of the series. The veteran option got the decision and never looked back.

"Zilla" was an absolute rock over four games, giving up a total of just five goals, with just three coming at even strength. While Rod Brind'Amour continues to say that the team feels confident if they do turn to Bussi at some point, the net is Andersen's to lose as Round 2 begins.

Philadelphia: Dan Vladar and Sam Ersson

The Flyers' MVP of Round 1 was their backstop, the 28-year-old Vladar. Highlighted by a 77-minute shutout in the deciding Game 6, it was the first time in his career that he was the team's starter for a full playoff series, and he proved along the way that he was worthy of the spot. His .937 save percentage over six games ranks fifth-best among all goalies in Round 1.

The only question mark regarding the subject is his health. Banged up a few times during the series against the Penguins, is he fully healthy? Does that matter?

Zooming out to take a look at his full body of work, his 52 starts this season were 22 more than his previous career-best of 30, and his .906 save percentage during the regular season tied the best year of his career, which he previously turned in during the 2021-22 season with Calgary.

Players To Watch...

Carolina: Logan Stankoven

Making history in Round 1 by becoming just the second player in NHL history to score a game-opening goal in three consecutive games to start playoffs, the second-year Hurricane was the driving force of the offense.

With his line of himself (4G, 1A), Taylor Hall (2G, 5A), and Jackson Blake (1G, 3A) combining for 16 points in the four games, they'll look to continue their success into the next round.

Philadelphia: Travis Konecny

Leading the Flyers with 68 points during the regular season, Konecny also co-led the team's forwards in Round 1 with four points. Only defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (5) had more.

With all four of his points coming at even strength in the series against Pittsburgh, the 10-year Flyer is a threat, whether it's five-on-five or on special teams. He's never one to shy away from the physical part of the game either, something Carolina will have to be prepared for once again.

Injury Reports...

Defenseman Alexander Nikishin suffered a concussion in the team's Game 4 win over Ottawa on Saturday, Apr. 25. He returned to practice with the team in a no-contact jersey on Wednesday, Apr. 29. Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour said he is "hopeful" the 2020 third-round pick will be good to go for Game 1.

Forward Nikolaj Ehlers missed Carolina's Game 4 win over Ottawa with a lower-body injury. He has not practiced with the team since the injury, but Brind'Amour said he is also "hopeful" that last summer's free agent signing will be ready when the series starts and expects him to rejoin the team "shortly." Nic Deslauriers, whom the Canes acquired from the Flyers ahead of the trade deadline, played in Ehlers' place.

How They See It...

Rod Brind'Amour looking back on his team's first series...

"There were a lot of real positives. Winning in every game is huge. The way we played, I thought, was really consistent, from start to finish of every game. It was just the same, and everybody was dialed in. You're not always going to win those games, but it gives you a chance to win every night. Obviously, that's what happened."

Jordan Martinook on what impressed him most about his team in Round 1...

"So many different things. Just the resiliency and sticking together. I feel like there were a lot of times in the series where you could have been like, 'Okay, it's not going our way right now.' Everybody just kept going. There were no lulls, there were no breaks. Everybody was playing for each other. It was just a team series win, which is awesome to have."

Jalen Chatfield offering what he liked about the penalty kill to start the postseason...

"I just liked how resilient we were and how sharp we stayed throughout. When you kill that many times, especially in one game and one period, you get a little more tired. You might mess up the system and the structure, but we stuck with it. We didn't complain when we had to kill. We went out there and got the job done. Every time we hopped over the boards, if it was a good call or a bad call, whatever, we just had the mindset that we were going to kill it. I think we were just really consistent with that."

Where To Watch Every Game...

Can't make it to Lenovo Center, or looking for a place to watch the road games in the series? Visit any Carolina Ale House in the state to watch the Canes throughout the playoffs.

Each game of the series will be broadcast nationally. When they become available, the complete schedule and broadcast info can be found at the top of this article.