It was always expected to be a tough series for the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes showed exactly why.
Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake scored within the first 10 minutes of the game, which included Stankoven’s goal-streak extending tally just 91 seconds into the game. The 23-year-old then added the backbreaking third goal late in the second period of a costly turnover from Noah Juulsen.
Frederik Andersen made 19 saves to earn the shutout, whereas Dan Vladař stopped 20 of 23 shots en route to the loss.
FIRST PERIOD
Despite being off for a week, the Hurricanes didn’t miss a beat, as they jumped to a quick 1-0 lead just 1:31 into the game. Stankoven scored his 5th goal of the playoffs, extending his goal streak to 5 games, after deflecting a seemingly harmless Mike Reilly point shot right in front of Vladař.
The Hurricanes’ second line struck again at the 7:30 mark after Blake was shot out of cannon and finished off his breakaway attempt. Blake first got past Matvei Michkov before making a quick move on Travis Sanheim and despite missing his initial shot, he got his stick on it at the end of the play to sneak it past Vladař.
Everything that was said about Carolina before this series started was on full display right off the hop. Their forechecking was relentless, all 4 lines made it difficult for the Flyers to generate anything, and they took a lot of shots and suppressed just as many defensively.
The Flyers killed an early penalty but failed to do much of anything with their two power play opportunities, which was always going to be a problem against a unit that went 20 for 21 during their first round sweep over the Ottawa Senators.
The period came to a close with the Hurricanes holding a 2-0 lead and a 12-4 edge in shots. The Flyers’ two best chances came from fourth liners Sean Couturier and Garnet Hathaway, continuing their trend from the first series.
SECOND PERIOD
In a period that didn’t carry much offensive threat, the Hurricanes cashed in on one of their few real dangerous chances after a costly Juulsen turnover at the 16:16 mark.
The veteran defensemen’s pass attempt hit Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis then corralled the puck before finding Stankoven for the one-time finish for his second of the night and sixth of the postseason.
With the period coming to a close, Tyson Foerster slashed Svechnikov along the boards, which was originally called a major penalty but reduced to a minor after a quick review.
Unfortunately for Vladař, the Flyers were unable to help him out, as the Hurricanes marched into the intermission with a 3-0 led on the scoreboard and a 21-9 edge in shots.
THIRD PERIOD
With the period flying by, things got chippy just past the midpoint, which resulted in matching 10-minute misconducts for Blake and Trevor Zegras. Travis Konecny and Taylor Hall got into it as well before the referees intervened with minor penalties for the pair.
The Hurricanes came out of it with a power play, and at the tail-end of their man advantage, both Nick Seeler and Shayne Gostisbehere received 10-minute misconducts as they joined Zegras and Blake in their respective locker rooms.
The Flyers received a late power play with just under 5 minutes to go. They pulled the netminder for the extra attacker and managed just one shot on goal, but it was their first one in 4 attempts.
They were able to get some more chances with the net empty but couldn’t solve Andersen, as he cruised to a relatively easy shutout victory.
UP NEXT
The Flyers and Hurricanes will face off in Game 2 on Monday night at 7:00pm at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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