The Carolina Hurricanes have used the last few days to heal and practice following their opening-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators. It has allowed Alexander Nikishin to recover from his concussion, and Nikolaj Ehlers appears close to a return as well. Meanwhile, on the other side of the division bracket, in-state rivals have been going to war.
After jumping out to a 3-0 series lead, including a pair of wins in Pittsburgh to open the series, the Philadelphia Flyers struggled to close out their series against the Penguins. They dropped Game 4 at home, and a crazy bounce in Game 5 sent the series back to Philly with Pittsburgh holding the momentum.
It didn't seem like anyone wanted to score a goal in Game 6, and no one did through 60 minutes, sending the game into overtime for the first time in the series. Pittsburgh dominated the extra session, but they still had no solution against Dan Vladar. With time winding down, Cam York put his shot around a screen and off the post to finally finish the job, sending the Flyers into the next round.
As was the case in the first round, this is a first-time postseason opponent for the Hurricanes. They've never crossed paths with the Philadelphia Flyers at this time of year. At the trade deadline, you'd have been crazy to think that this was remotely possible. Yet, here we are as we await the official word on when this series will begin.
These two played a lot of hockey against each other this season, and it's not just because they are in the same division. All four meetings required extra time. The Canes won the first clash in October in overtime before sweeping a weekend home-and-home with a pair of shootout wins in December. The Flyers beat the Canes in their penultimate game in the shootout to clinch a playoff spot.
It's like we're experiencing deja vu. As we did before the Ottawa series, we know who the opponent will be, and we know that the first two games will be at the Lenovo Center. It's just unclear when that will be. Part of that depends on the series in the Atlantic Division. Both series are going at least six games, with Buffalo and Montreal each holding a chance to end their series on Friday.
Here's how I think this could all shake out. If both teams finish their opponents on Friday, there's a good chance that Game 1 will be on Sunday, even if Utah and Vegas have to play Game 7 on Sunday. If one or both require a Game 7, we're likely looking at a Monday or Tuesday start. Take all of this with a grain of salt. Obviously, we won't know the situation until the league puts something out there.
It's nice to have the guesswork behind us. Now, the Carolina Hurricanes can go all-in on preparing for a very fast and talented Philadelphia squad. There are no easy opponents in the postseason, and the Flyers will be a handful to defend. We saw that all season. Hopefully, the team has used this downtime to get their minds right as they refocus their attention on their next big challenge.