Game 3 of the Flyers Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Hurricanes comes home to Philly Thursday night. This game has major implications and could easily be considered the Flyers first “must win” of the post-season. The Flyers currently trail 2-0 after losing the first two games of this 2nd Round series in Carolina.
In Game 1 the Philadelphia hockey club looked as if they had been thrown to the wolves. Carolina is the #1 seed in the East. This is their 8th consecutive post-season appearance under head coach Rod Brind’Amour. The Canes swept their 1st Round series against the Ottawa Senators. They were laying in wait for the Flyers who took six games to eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers looked unsettled in the 3-0 Game 1 loss in Carolina.
Game 2 was a different story. The Flyers took an early 2-0 lead on goals by Jamie Drysdale and Sean Couturier less than five minutes into the 1st period. The Hurricanes scored one in the 1st and another in the 3rd to push this game to overtime.
The Flyers looked like a totally different team in this game as compared to Game 1. They often had Carolina on the ropes especially in the overtime period where they outshot the Canes 15-8. The Hurricanes were back on their heels resorting to dumping and icing pucks to relive the relentless pressure.
The Flyers did everything but close it out. Carolina scored the game winning goal 18:54 into sudden death. The Flyers were just that close to earning a split and stealing the home ice advantage. Instead they bring the series back to Philadelphia where their 1st game on home ice is a must win situation.
Of course it takes 4 wins to close out a 7 game series but only 4 teams in NHL history have come back from a 3-0 deficit. The Flyers were one of those teams. They pulled off the historic comeback against the Boston Bruins in 2010.
Injuries
Philadelphia is dealing with a growing list of injuries. Their hard hitting style which was so successful in Round 1 seems to be catching up with them a bit. Wednesday it was announced that they will be without center Noah Cates for at least the remainder of this series.
Owen Tippett who has yet to appear in the 2nd Round is listed as a game time decision for Game 3. Christian Dvorak, who is still sporting a major league shiner he acquired in the 1st round, is also now listed as a game time decision for Thursday night.
Those are just the injuries that we are aware of. It’s not at all uncommon during the post-season for athletes to play through injuries without disclosing them to the public or, more importantly, the opposition.
The organization has recalled center Jett Luchanko as the OHL Brantford Bulldogs season has come to an end. Luchanko was with the team at practice on Wednesday. It seems unlikely that the 19 year old center would draw into Thursday night’s line-up but that remains to be seen. Jacob Gaucher is also practicing with the squad.
A Pivotal Game 3 in Philly
This series just started on Saturday night and it seems just as the Flyer are getting settled in their backs are already against the wall. Game 3 in Philadelphia will have major implications.
Thursday night’s game is just shy of a do-or-die proposition. The young upstart Philadelphia Flyers have not been in the situation before, it will be interesting to see how they rise to the occasion.
Flyers MVP goaltender Dan Vladar stopped 39 of 42 shots in Monday night’s overtime thriller. On most nights if the Flyers can score three or more goals Vladar will take care of the rest.
The Flyers need to continue to run a tight ship in front of their own net, clear the porch, and cut off passing lanes. Carolina is crafty and crisp, they are sure to sting you if you allow them to move the puck laterally through the slot.
Coots
Flyers captain Sean Couturier has been a powerhouse again in this 2nd Round. He’s playing a great 200″ game. Always a strong defensive center he’s been great in the faceoff circle and has been creating tons of offensive chances.
Goal scoring is going to be key in this all important game 3. Some valuable Flyers sticks have gone a bit quiet and turning that around could make a huge difference in this pivotal challenge. Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny to name a few. These guys gotta light the lamp to give the Flyers a fighting chance.
The atmosphere on Broad Street tonight is sure to be electric. Everywhere you look Flyers fever is spreading like wild fire throughout the Delaware Valley. Look for that arena to be rockin’ tonight as Flyers Fans show the national audience once again that Philly is not just a great hockey town but it’s also Flyers Country through and through.
No matter which way this game goes tonight one thing is for certain, it’s going to change everything.
Flyers vs Hurricanes in Philadelphia Thursday May 7th 8:00 PM. If you’re lucky enough to be headed out to the game give yourself plenty of time to get there and get settled as the Phillies are at home tonight as well.
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