Playoff hockey returned after a week-long hiatus in Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes welcomed the Philadelphia Flyers to town for the first game of their best-of-seven clash in the second round. Both teams are riding highs, albeit several days apart. The Canes completed their sweep of Ottawa last Saturday up north, while the Flyers finished the Penguins in six games on Wednesday.
Nikolaj Ehlers was back in the lineup after missing Game 4 with a lower-body injury, but Alexander Nikishin wasn't quite ready to return from his concussion. Mike Reilly took his spot in the lineup. The Flyers opened the series without leading goal-scorer Owen Tippett. Frederik Andersen drew the start for the Canes, while Dan Vladar stood opposite him for the Flyers.
The Canes showed no signs of rust to start. In his Carolina postseason debut, Reilly immediately joined the fun, having his shot tipped by Logan Stankoven 91 seconds in, giving Stankoven his fifth goal in as many games to get it started. Jackson Blake added to it, finishing a beautiful chance around Vladar and doubling the lead. Add two successful kills, and the Canes led 2-0 after 20.
For a while, the sides appeared content with where the game stood. The Canes kept throwing shots at Vladar. The Flyers' best chances were snuffed out by the defense. All it took was an errant pass to extend the lead. Noah Juulsen's pass hit Andrei Svechnikov's skate, allowing the Canes a 2-on-1. Seth Jarvis found Stankoven for his second of the night, extending the lead to three after two.
Things got chippy during the third period, leading to both teams losing players for the final few minutes. The Flyers played their best period of the night, but Andersen refused to let anything through. The Canes dug in for one last kill at the end with Vladar on the bench to ice away the remaining time. When the horn sounded, the Canes skated off with a 3-0 win and the series lead.
Stankoven, Andersen make a little history in Game 1
The Conn Smythe Trophy won't be handed out for over a month. Through five games, Logan Stankoven has put himself in the early conversation. Time off didn't prevent him from finding the back of the net again, doing so in the first two minutes to become the youngest player in NHL history to open the playoffs with a five-game goal streak. He wasn't done there, adding another in the second.
If anyone else on the team is deserving of frontrunner status, it's their netminder. Frederik Andersen wasn't tested much through two periods, but the Flyers outshot the Canes 10-2 in the third. It didn't matter. Andersen was perfect once more. The win was his 24th in the playoffs with Carolina, passing Cam Ward for the most in franchise history. His fourth shutout tied him with Ward for the most, too.
The game didn't lack chipiness as things explode in the third
It's not a ground-breaking statement to say that this game was poorly officiated from start to finish. From high-sticking penalties being called because a player grabbed their opponents' stick and hit themselves in the head to soft slashing and cross-checking penalties, this crew was not good. However, the Canes didn't let that affect their dominant night.
Things reached a head in the third, with Jackson Blake and Trevor Zegras in the middle of it all. The two exchanged various infractions before Zegras chicken-winged Blake and cross-checked him while he was on the ice. Both were given the gate with under nine minutes left, and Nick Seeler and Shayne Gostisbehere followed soon after. It's a minor miracle that the penalty minutes ended at 34 apiece.
Additional Thoughts
Of course, the Stankoven line deserves praise. They scored all three goals, though the third goal of the night came about with two-thirds of the top line on the ice. Seth Jarvis picked up the primary helper, and Andrei Svechnikov finally got on the board with the secondary apple. Also, major kudos to Mike Reilly, who stepped in for Alexander Nikishin and picked up two assists in the first period.
The Flyers' offense sorely missed Owen Tippett tonight, but they'll need more from their top scorers if they have any hope of succeeding. I thought Sean Couturier played a great game, leading the team with five shots. However, Zegras didn't record a shot, nor did Matvei Michkov or Porter Martone. I don't expect that to become a constant throughout the series. It was a big story tonight, though.
Up Next: The league did us a solid and released the schedule for the remainder of the round right before puck drop. Game 2, as expected, will be on Monday night in Raleigh. The remainder of the series follows closely what we saw in the first round. The teams will get two days off before Games 2 and 3, with the series shifting to Philadelphia on Thursday and Saturday.