The Philadelphia Flyers closed out their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins with a thrilling overtime win on home ice. In the second round, they enter as huge underdogs against the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed, the Carolina Hurricanes.
Hockey Stats’ model has the Flyers’ chances of winning the series at 34%, and that’s assuming star Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers remains sidelined with a lower-body injury—one he’s expected to return from shortly.
So, the Flyers find themselves being universally doubted. Here are four keys to overcoming the odds and advancing to the Eastern Conference Final.
In Round 1, the Flyers made it their mission to limit rush chances, instead letting the Penguins beat them off the cycle. Despite having long sequences without the puck and appearing overwhelmed at times, this approach worked. Pittsburgh didn’t have the execution or the talent to win a series that way.
The Hurricanes are a different story. They consistently have one of the best cycles in the NHL, an aspect of their game that has arguably become more lethal this season. If you let Carolina have extended offensive zone time, the volume of shots they throw at the net will eventually become too overwhelming to withstand.
This isn’t a series where you can lean on a one-goal lead. The Hurricanes are terrific executors and have lots of playmaking and shooting talent. Preach clean zone exits, and don’t play to hang on for dear life.
The Flyers shouldn’t abandon their defense-first style until it proves to be ineffective, but they’ll have to take some risks in this series. You probably won’t be able to get away with letting the Hurricanes possess the puck as much as the Penguins did—there has to be some pushback.
Now, by taking risks, it opens up the rush game for Carolina. This would really hurt the Flyers’ 5-on-5 defense. But sitting back in the defensive zone is looking for trouble. Ideally, the Orange and Black come out swinging a bit.
When necessary, the Flyers have proven they can be successful in a back-and-forth environment. In fact, this showed in their 3-2 playoff-clinching win over these Hurricanes at the end of the regular season. Carolina was resting its key players, sure, but Philadelphia faced a 2-0 deficit, forcing a shift in play style. Evidently, it worked.
The Flyers have plenty of rush-creating traits on their team. Porter Martone‘s and Matvei Michkov’s vision, Owen Tippett’s speed, Trevor Zegras’ puck-carrying and skill, the defensemen’s puck-moving ability, and more can flourish in a series a little more catered to taking risks.
One way to throw the Hurricanes off their game is by embracing chaos—similar to Game 3 against the Penguins. Antagonize as much as possible, and it could work in your favor.
At the end of the day, the Flyers are underdogs for a reason. So, introducing randomness probably benefits them. The play shouldn’t stop after the whistle—the goal is to draw penalties, or at the very least, annoy Carolina.
It’s worth noting that some officiating groups like to take control and may call a tight game. Philadelphia will have to avoid crossing a line.
If the Flyers are going to pull this off, goaltender Dan Vladař will likely be the main reason why. He put up one of the best 5-on-5 save percentages in the regular season, yet his playoff performance has somehow blown that out of the water. He sacrificed just five goals at five-a-side hockey during the Penguins series—less than one per game.
The Flyers can’t leave him on an island, but he’s good enough to trust to hold down the fort when you’re trying to generate some offense.
Vladař has put up the numbers that he has partially because of the Flyers’ responsible defensive play. But he has also shown that he can survive when offense is more of a priority. Have faith in the guy who got you here.
With the Hurricanes sweeping the Ottawa Senators in Round 1, most hockey fans are expecting a similar fate for the Flyers in Round 2. But if they attack it right, things just might come up orange. The action starts on Saturday at 8 p.m. EDT.
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