The Philadelphia Flyers are heading back home down 0-2 in their second round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. Game 1 was all Carolina, with Philadelphia looking completely outmatched. But on Monday night, the Flyers put up a strong effort, even taking a 2-0 lead within the first five minutes in Game 2. Despite looking like the better team for most of the game, the Flyers lost 3-2 in overtime after a goal by Taylor Hall.
Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet is not losing faith in his team, citing the amount of time they were counted out this season. If anything, Game 2 showed they are capable of getting to the Hurricanes and can give them problems. There are four distinct areas the Flyers can work on to make this a competitive series: the power play, getting faster, Owen Tippett returning from injury, and keeping the Hurricanes on their toes.
How the Flyers can overcome 0-2 deficit against Hurricanes
Improve the power play
Game 2 should have given the Flyers a wake up call. It was far from a pretty game overall, as the referees were not afraid to blow the whistle for penalties. The Flyers received seven trips to the power play, and they were only successful on one of them, which was Jamie Drysdale's game-opening goal. After that, they went 0-for-6. To make matters that much worse, the Flyers were only able to get three shots on goal on all seven extra skater advantage situations. You are not winning hockey games putting up that shot total.
The Flyers simply need to be more aggressive on the power play. Put the puck on net way more than they did on Monday. We understand setting up plays, but a team can't waste six-of-seven opportunities. This game shouldn't have even gone to overtime if the Flyers were able to capitalize on these power play chances.
To win this series against a formidable foe like the Hurricanes, they need to be more successful on the power play.
Utilize speed to their advantage
Entering the playoffs, the Flyers were among the youngest teams in the field,. To make it into the playoffs, the Flyers called upon their young players to help them clinch a spot in the final days of the season. Whether it was Porter Martone signing out of Michigan State, or calling up Alex Bump and Oliver Bonk, the Flyers were proven right to be that aggressive.
If Game 2 proved anything, it's that their speed can be a problem for the Hurricanes. They need to continue using that to their advantage if they want to get back in the win column. With their young players getting a feel for playoff hockey, it should only help them out.
Owen Tippett's return
If there is one player the Flyers missed so far in this series against the Hurricanes, it's Owen Tippett. Just before the series started, it was determined that Tippett would be sidelined due to an undisclosed injury. He was then ruled out for Game 2, even though he was spotted in practice days prior.
Not having Tippett in the lineup is huge for the Flyers, considering he was their best scorer in the regular season. Tippett recorded 28 goals on 220 shots, both team-highs. Tippett's shots significantly led Travis Konecny, who had the second-most with 168. In the playoffs, Tippett scored one goal and recorded one assist in the sixth-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
While the production hasn't really arrived in the playoffs, the Flyers would be better off with Tippett in the lineup. Maybe that does happen for Game 3.
Continue to give Hurricanes adversity
It's hard to take a win even if you're down 0-2, but there is one thing the Flyers can say, and that's that they have given them adversity.
In the first-round, the Hurricanes weren't presented much of a challenge by the Ottawa Senators, who they swept in four games. The Hurricanes didn't trail in that entire series. While the Flyers couldn't get on the board in Game 1, they were able to end a historic run for the Hurricanes by scoring early in Game 2. From there, the Flyers gained that confidence that they could beat a team that many considered the favorites in the series.
Let's not forget that in overtime, the Flyers outshot the Hurricanes 15-8, and they had some good chances. The most notable one was a Konecny breakaway, which he fanned on.
The Flyers can take solace in knowing that they can slay the proverbial giant in the Hurricanes. They just have to clean up their game a bit. But they now know they can frustrate the Hurricanes.
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