Flyers’ panic meter after falling into 0-2 hole vs. Hurricanes

While the Philadelphia Flyers advanced in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Carolina Hurricanes following their opening round series win over the in-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins, the Hurricanes have proven to be a much more difficult opponent to contend with.

Not only did the Hurricanes shut out the Flyers by a 3-0 final score in Game 1 of the series, but they also rebounded from a 2-1 deficit in Game 2 of the series, not only tying the score but later winning in overtime thanks to Taylor Hall banging home a loose puck in front of goaltender Dan Vladar.

Now, the series shifts back to Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4. Just what should the concern level for the Flyers be as they try to avoid a three-game series hold against the defensively stingy Hurricanes?

The Flyers return to the friendly confines of home

Despite the odds being more against them now than at the beginning of the series, the Flyers have a clear home-ice advantage when they play in front of their home fans. Playoff hockey in front of the Philadelphia faithful has always been listed among opponents as among the most intimidating places to play, and the atmosphere will no doubt be loud and rocking.

Additionally, the Flyers have won two of three home games thus far in the postseason.

Philadelphia’s power play is experiencing a power outage

However, something concerning for the Flyers through the first two games of the series is that they’ve managed just a single power-play goal despite multiple chances. They had six chances with the man-advantage during Game 2, and scored just once while totaling three shots. They had several looks against Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen during a power-play chance in overtime, but failed to score.

According to head coach Rick Tocchet, he doesn’t have a good explanation as to why they’re struggling when a Hurricanes player is in the box.

“I don’t know the answer,” Tocchet said via the Philadelphia Enquirer. “You’ve got to make the play. We had three times where we had, if we just get it over, the guy gets a tap-in. … It was good, I thought, the first couple early, and I thought we had some looks there, but we had a couple times where we passed up a shot, but that’s just confidence.”

Something else that should be of concern to the Flyers is that once the Hurricanes have a series lead, they rarely relinquish it. Former Flyers forward Rod Brind’Amour, who was traded in 2000 to the Hurricanes in exchange for Keith Primeau, has done a fantastic job as head coach of the club that he led to their first and only Stanley Cup victory 20 years ago in 2006.

The Hurricanes are known as one of the most defensively stingy teams in the NHL, clamping down on the opposition and rarely giving them any room to move. They smell blood in the water, and it will be a daunting task for the Flyers to win four games – especially now that they already trail by two.

Panic Meter: 3.5/5

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