The Carolina Hurricanes have the opportunity to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday in Game 4 of their second-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers.
If they can do it, they would become the first team since the NHL moved to having the postseason comprised entirely of best-of-7 series to open with two sweeps to start a playoff run.
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Game 3 on Thursday was a close one until the Hurricanes’ advantage on special teams came up big, as a shorthanded goal from Jalen Chatfield gave Carolina a 2-1 lead it would not relinquish before Andrei Svechnikov buried his first of the postseason on a one-timer on the power play to make it 3-1.
Now, an overmatched (and banged up) Flyers team with its backs against the wall will take its best shot at forcing the series back to Raleigh.
Rick Tocchet’s crew will still be without key defensive forward Noah Cates, but it remains to be seen whether speedy winger Owen Tippett will be ready to draw back into the lineup for the first time this series or not. He’s been participating in morning skates, but has not been ready to go.
The Hurricanes announced on Friday that they would not hold a morning skate in advance of Saturday’s game, but that head coach Rod Brind’Amour would be available to the media a few hours prior to puck drop.
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In terms of the lineup, Philadelphia’s attempt to mix things up after Game 3 was well out of hand could force Brind’Amour’s hand to dress Nic Deslauriers to serve as a deterrent against his former teammates.
When the Hurricanes were in a similar spot against a chippy Ottawa team in Game 4 last round, Deslauriers drew in for a banged up Nikolaj Ehlers, and it certainly didn’t hurt to have the veteran enforcer’s presence in the lineup on that day.
Frederik Andersen will most certainly get the nod between the pipes again today. The Great Dane leads the NHL in the postseason with a .957 save percentage and 1.02 goals against average.
A win today would make for a guaranteed lengthy rest ahead of the Eastern Conference Final. The Montreal Canadiens’ win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night means that series will last at least until next Thursday, and it seems unlikely that one of those teams is going to rattle off three straight wins over the other now.
Here’s how to check out the action…
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Time: 6:00 PM EST
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
TV: TNT, TruTV with Alex Faust and Colby Armstrong on the call.
Radio: 99.9 FM the Fan will carry the broadcast from Hurricanes TV voice Mike Maniscalco and color commentator Tripp Tracy on the call.
Streaming: HBO Max app
Odds: Hurricanes -188/Flyers +155 Moneyline, Hurricanes -1.5 +134/Flyers +1.5 -164 Puckline, Total Goals O5.5 +118/U5.5 -144, all per FanDuel Sportsbook.
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