For the seventh time in eight years, the Carolina Hurricanes are playing the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their opponent this time around is another unique one, facing the Philadelphia Flyers for the first time in the postseason for the division crown, and with a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals on the line.
The Canes needed just four games to advance through the first round against Ottawa, while the Flyers took a 3-0 series lead against the Penguins before finally finishing the job in overtime in Game 6. As we did during the Ottawa series, there are going to be keys to this new series that will be critical in seeing the Hurricanes advance to another conference finals.
1. It's time for the Canes' top line to get rolling
Don't let the three goals for Sebastian Aho fool you. He might've finished second to Taylor Hall in goals against the Senators, but two of them were into the empty net in Game 4. Otherwise, it was a quiet series for the Hurricanes' top line in the first round. Aho added a goal in Game 2, and both of Seth Jarvis's points came on the aforementioned empty-net goals. Andrei Svechnikov was pointless.
No production from your top line is not a good recipe for success if the Hurricanes want to go far. They'll have a chance to change that against the Flyers. My only concern? The trio combined for just four points during the three games they played against Philadelphia, though Jarvis scored two goals, including the overtime winner in the first meeting, which Aho set up.
2. The power play needs to show up, too
There were two sore spots for the Hurricanes during the opening round. The first was their performance in the dot, which was expected against the Senators. The second was the disappearance of their power play. It had been so lethal over the last few months of the regular season, but it failed to generate much against a subpar penalty kill.
The Canes struck just twice on 15 chances, including a pair of wasted 5-on-3s. Logan Stankoven scored both of the team's goals with the man advantage, leaving the top unit without a goal. I think this goes hand-in-hand with the first key. If the top trio can show some signs of life, the power play should come with it. It's worth mentioning that Philadelphia ranked 22nd on the kill this season.
3. Do to Zegras what you did to Stutzle, Tkachuk
Three players in the NHL had at least six points against the Hurricanes this season. Pittsburgh's Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson had seven each, and they were just eliminated by the Flyers. The other was Trevor Zegras. In four games, Zegras had three goals and six points, recording at least one point in each contest. It's safe to say that he had the Canes' number.
The Canes did a phenomenal job of keeping Ottawa's biggest threats in check, allowing just one assist to Tim Stutzle, while holding Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux, and Shane Pinto without a point. If they want to succeed against the Flyers, they need to do the same to the Flyers' top scorers, but Zegras will be the one to keep a close eye on.
4. Which hot goalie keeps their momentum going?
With two of the stingiest five-on-five teams in the league, this feels like a series that will focus on defense and goaltending, and the netminders will be front and center. Andersen didn't face a ton of adversity against Ottawa, while Vladar showed a human side during both of Philadelphia's losses. In two starts this season, Vladar only allowed four goals to Carolina.
5. Lean on your experience against an inexperienced group
As I mentioned at the start, the Hurricanes have made the postseason eight years in a row, and they've advanced to at least the second round during seven of them. The Flyers' series win over the Penguins was their first since 2020, which was also the last time they made the playoffs. It's safe to say that the experience edge leans heavily in the Canes' favor.
The Flyers used 21 players during their opening series. For 11 of them, it was their first-ever NHL playoff game. Meanwhile, everyone on the Canes' roster had been to the playoffs at least once before, either with the Canes or elsewhere. Jordan Staal alone has almost as many playoff games as the entire Flyers roster. The Canes have been here before. They need to act like it.