Preview: Round 2, Game 3 at Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA - With two wins in tow, the Carolina Hurricanes head north looking to push the Philadelphia Flyers to the brink of elimination in Game 3.

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When: Thursday, May 7

Puck Drop: 8:00 p.m. ET

Watch: TNT, truTV, HBO Max; SN, CBC, TVAS

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

Series: 2-0 CAR

The Series So Far...

• Game 1: Logan Stankoven (2G), Jackson Blake (1G, 1A) and Mike Reilly (2A) led the way offensively while Frederik Andersen recorded a 19-save shutout in a 3-0 win.
• Game 2: Taylor Hall's OT winner completed the comeback as the Canes erased an early two-goal deficit for their sixth straight win this postseason.

Seeking Seven...

• With Monday's victory, the Canes became the seventh team since 2000 to start a postseason 6-0. It's the third time the club has recorded a playoff winning streak of that length or more at any point in a playoff run.
• Should the Canes take Game 3, they would tie the longest postseason winning streak (7) in franchise history, which came in 2006 en route to Carolina's first Stanley Cup.

On Hall-iday...

• Taylor Hall's torrid start to the postseason continued on Monday with his first career playoff overtime goal. At 34, he's the franchise's fourth-oldest player to score a playoff overtime goal behind Ron Francis (39, 2002), Paul Stastny (37, 2023) and Scott Walker (35, 2009).
• Leading the team with nine points (3G, 6A) as the only player with points in all six games, Hall now boasts the franchise's longest postseason-opening point streak. Only three players in franchise history have had a longer point streak at any point of a playoff year (not limited to the start of the postseason).

In Net...

• As long as Frederik Andersen says he's ready to roll, it seems as though it's his net to lose. The veteran Dane is 6-0 this postseason and leads the league in GAA (1.02) and save percentage (.958), while co-leading in shutouts (2).
• Brandon Bussi would be the next expected option in the event Andersen needs a break. The first-year backstop wrapped up the regular season on a heater, following up his first set of consecutive losses (0-3-0) with a 6-0-1 run and allowing two or fewer goals in four of those wins.
• Pyotr Kochetkov also remains waiting in the wings. Although he made two conditioning loan starts with Chicago (AHL) following multiple lower-body surgeries this winter, his last NHL action came on Dec. 20.

On The Other Side...

• After suggesting that his team wasn't "mentally prepared" for Game 1, Head Coach Rick Tocchet was much more pleased with his team's performance in Game 2.
• "We played a good hockey game," he said, before going on to note his team's improved energy: "Mentally and physically, I just thought we had more energy and I think we believed that we can compete with this team."
• Jamie Drysdale and Sean Couturier scored the team's first goals of the series, helping the Flyers become the first team to lead the Hurricanes in a game this postseason.
• Special teams play was the story in Game 2. Each club tallied a power-play goal in the first period but wound up going 1-for-7 (PHI) and 1-for-6 (CAR) at the end of the night.
• Speaking post-game, Tocchet praised the looks his team generated on the man advantage, but said that the final touch was somewhat lacking: "You've got to make the play. We had three times where, if we just get it over their stick, our guy gets a tap-in. You've got to make a play..."
• Injury Report: Christian Dvorak was labeled "more day-to-day" after not skating on Wednesday, but the team's other practice absence, Noah Cates, has been ruled out for the series with a lower-body injury. On a positive note for Philadelphia, Owen Tippett did skate with the team after missing the first two games, while 2024 first-rounder Jett Luchanko was recalled to the active roster.

Injury Updates...

• Defenseman Alexander Nikishin (concussion) was knocked out of the first-round series finale. He has not participated in a second-round game yet, but has been practicing with the team, and Rod Brind'Amour said on May 5 that he has been cleared to return.

What Are We Wearing?

• The Canes will wear their WHITE uniforms for the contest. They will wear white for every road game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to practice on Friday before the puck drops for Game 4 on Saturday.
• Next Game: Saturday, May 9 | Round 2, Game 4 at Philadelphia | 6:00 p.m. ET | How To Watch
• Next Home Game (if necessary): Monday, May 11 | Round 2, Game 5 vs. Philadelphia | Time TBD | How To Watch | Tickets | Parking