PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers turned tenuous postseason hopes into a fashion statement when they wore T-shirts with “3.8%” on the sleeve to start their playoff run — a nod to their chances in March, per an NHL analytics and prediction platform.
Might be time for a new addition — courtesy of updated math — to their wardrobe.
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When Travis Konecny missed on a breakaway in overtime of a Game 2 loss at Carolina, the Flyers lost a chance to earn a split on the road.
Most sportsbooks have stamped the Flyers with the worst odds of any of the eight teams left in the NHL playoffs to win the Stanley Cup.
Can “60-1” fit on the other sleeve?
The Flyers indeed are the decided underdog headed into Game 3 against a Hurricanes team that remains unbeaten in the NHL playoffs, thanks two impressive home wins to open the second-round series.
Carolina swept that first-round series against the Senators and never trailed. That series started with a home shutout and then a 3-2 double-overtime win in Game 2. The Hurricanes started this series in similar fashion, first with a Game 1 shutout and then another 3-2 win in extra time on Taylor Hall’s score at 18:54 of OT.
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The Flyers host the next two games in the best-of-seven series.
The Flyers wasted a 2-0 lead in Game 2 before Konecny’s miss that became the hot topic — along with the 76ers’ blowout Game 1 loss to New York in the NBA playoffs — on the Philly sports scene.
“I should have finished that,” Konecny said.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet refused to pin the blame on Konecny and noted in a game that went that long, there were plenty of opportunities to win it.
“There’s a few other guys that had some really Grade A chances,” Tocchet said. “If you’re not getting chances, then you’d be concerned. We had a ton of chances. I’m sure he’s upset. But hey, we need him on Thursday night and hopefully he can connect on Thursday night.”
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The Hurricanes have played in the conference finals three times in the past seven years and are facing a young Flyers team gaining footing in the playoffs.
The Flyers became the first NHL team to make the playoffs after being 10 points out with 22 or fewer games remaining, securing Philadelphia’s first postseason appearance since 2020. Then the Flyers beat Pittsburgh in six games in the first round.
The Flyers have learned the hard way that even playing their best — Tocchet believed the Game 2 effort proved to them they can hang with the Hurricanes — might not be enough to outlast the top-seeded team in the East driven to break through and win the Stanley Cup.
The experience, if not the result, has been invaluable to a team that has an average age of just 27 and threw out a Game 2 line with three rookies in 19-year-old Porter Martone, 21-year-old Denver Barkey and 22-year-old Alex Bump. They have 25-and-under core players that include forwards Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras defenseman and Jamie Drysdale.
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“It really is huge for the development of the guys,” Tocchet said. “Imagine if we didn’t make the playoffs and these guys never got to experience it? I think going into Game 3, you’ll see more improvement.”
The Flyers are looking for some wins to come with their improvement as they prepare for their first home second-round playoff game since 2012.
“I know the kids were upset last game,” Tocchet said. “But they can’t be upset because they’re going to get another shot it, they’re going to get right back on the ice, and they have a lot of support from the organization and their teammates. I think that’s going to help their development, also.”
Flyers’ Cates out for rest of the series
Flyers forward Noah Cates was ruled out for the series after he was injured in Game 2.
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Cates had a career-high 18 goals and 47 points in 82 games this season and has added a goal and four points in the playoffs.
Here come the Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are 6-0 in the postseason and didn’t trail at any point in the first five wins. Yet coach Rod Brind’Amour doesn’t have to look hard for areas that need improvement, such as a power play that hasn’t produced anywhere near like it did in the regular season and a largely quiet start from the top line of Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov.
Carolina is 12th among 16 teams in the postseason on the power play. The Hurricanes were fourth in the regular season at 24.9%.
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“I think it’s just executing our plays,” Jarvis said. “I think sometimes you have a play, you run it, and then we have a tendency to kind of go a little wild and start moving a little too much. So just kind of getting back to what made us successful in the regular season, which was playing our positions.”
Jarvis broke through for his first postseason goal in Game 2, coming after Brind’Amour shuffled the lines to pair him with Nikolaj Ehlers and captain Jordan Staal.
Brind’Amour also has lamented the number of penalties his team is taking, leading to seven power plays for the Flyers in Game 2.
“I think there’s another level we’re going to have to get to,” Brind’Amour said, “and it’s there for us.”
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