Flyers' Cup chances touted by Jones, Hartnell entering East Second Round

The Philadelphia Flyers are coming off their first Stanley Cup Playoff series victory since 2012, and two former Flyers who are now hockey analysts said they have the potential to go on a lengthy postseason run.

"It's the most balanced team since the one that went to the Stanley Cup Final (in 2010)," NBC Sports analyst Keith Jones said. "A lot of it has to do with depth at every position, including goaltending. That's the one thing I look at. Most importantly, their blue line is much improved. With any young, developing defense, it takes some time for that to come together. That time has arrived."
The Flyers eliminated the Montreal Canadiens by winning 3-2 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Friday and will play Game 1 of their second-round series against the New York Islanders on Monday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS). Jones and NHL Network analyst Scott Hartnell said this Flyers team has the potential to go deep into the playoffs because of an emerging young group of defensemen, quality depth throughout the lineup and strong goaltending.
Speeding the growth of the young defense corps was an offseason trade for defenseman Matt Niskanen from the Washington Capitals. With nearly 1,100 games of NHL experience in the regular season and playoffs, plus a Stanley Cup championship with the Capitals in 2018, his voice and presence has helped Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers -- each age 24 or younger -- develop into key pieces for a Cup contender.
"He plays the game like a professional by being in the right place all the time," Jones said of Niskanen. "He communicates on the ice, which makes it easier for everybody out there. He sees the game well, so the directions he's giving to the guys he's playing with are direct and accurate. And he really calms things down based upon the amount of high-quality performances that he's been involved in in his career."
Hartnell said he believes the addition of second-line center Kevin Hayes has had a significant impact on and off the ice. Hayes had a goal and an assist in Game 6 against the Canadiens, but his infectious personality and positive attitude have been just as important.
"He brings a lot of value on the ice," Hartnell said. "He loves to hang onto the puck, loves to control it. He's a fun player to watch because he can bring two or three guys to him and find that open guy and he's got that long reach. Penalty-killing, he's been real good, seems like it's almost a threat when he's out there because his hockey smarts (are) right up there. And the one thing is the coaching staff, they say he's a really good guy in the locker room. You can see the enjoyment he has playing and being around the guys. Everything he does there really brings the team together. When you have a solid hockey player and a guy that makes it fun at the rink, business is business on the ice, but a lot of time off, especially in the bubble, he's making things fun for the boys."
Also making things fun has been the rapid development of goalie Carter Hart. The 22-year-old had a .936 save percentage and two shutouts in six games against the Canadiens in his first playoff series.
Just as impressive was his mental strength. His shutouts came in Games 3 and 4, after he had been pulled from Game 2 after allowing four goals on 26 shots. He made 31 saves in Game 6 after nearly being pulled from Game 5.

"I've played with goaltenders that had early success, like Jim Carey in Washington, where he won a Vezina (Trophy, in 1996) and that success went away quickly," Jones said. "Carter does not appear to have any of those issues that Jim Carey had as far as becoming the goaltender that he teased us he would be. I do believe a lot of that is his mindset and his attitude and how passionate he is for the game and how much he loves to play."
Jones spent the final three of his nine NHL seasons in Philadelphia, and also does broadcast work for the Flyers. Hartnell played seven of his 17 NHL seasons in Philadelphia and lives in the area. Each understands the unique pressure that comes from playing the position in the city, and each is confident Hart is equipped to handle it.
"You can tell by a guy's play he wants to be in the net, he wants to be that guy and he looks so calm being out there," Hartnell said. "It's fun to watch him play. And how the guys play in front of him, it's just night and day from the past goaltenders in Philly."
Jones said he believes a turning point for the Flyers was their loss 5-3 loss to Montreal in Game 5, saying it was a needed bump in the road that helped them win Game 6 and will benefit them as they advance in the postseason.
"It was a very important game for them," Jones said. "It was very important that they got a wakeup call. There's nothing worse than going through a first round where you start to think you might be better than you are. I think it was the healthiest of games for the Flyers that the Canadiens brought an A-quality effort and forced the Flyers into some uncomfortable situations. If they hadn't, I think the Flyers would have had a real good chance of going out in the second round. This will improve their chances greatly based upon one game in that series."
How deep can this group go? Hartnell played on the team that lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 Final and said this one has the chance to be the first Flyers team since 1975 to lift the Cup.
"You've got a bunch of young defensemen and some young forwards that are hungry to make their mark in Philadelphia," he said. "You get that combination of guys that believe in each other, you get a goalie that gets hot at the right time ... that's a pretty good recipe for success. I believe in them."