Flyers Fight Hard, Fall 3-2 Against the Hurricanes in Game 2

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After scoring two quick goals in the first period, the Philadelphia Flyers (0-2, 4-4) dropped Game 2 3-2 in overtime against the Carolina Hurricanes (2-0, 6-0) at the Lenovo Center on Monday.

The Hurricanes took the 2-0 series lead with the win.

Jamie Drysdale and Sean Couturier scored for the Flyers. Nikolaj Ehlers, Seth Jarvis, and Taylor Hall scored for the Hurricanes.

The Flyers got off to a dream start, scoring not once, but twice in the early stages of the game. It was their first first-period goal of the postseason, and the first allowed by the Hurricanes. The game settled down a bit, and the Hurricanes eventually got on the board on the power play.

After 5 power plays given in the first period, there were another 5 in the second period. Each team had 5 power-play opportunities after the first 40 minutes of the game, but the penalty killing held strong in the second frame, keeping it a 2-1 lead going into the final period.

The Flyers took the lead into the final period, looking to close out their first win of the series. They had taken the lead into the final 10 minutes. However, Carolina eventually evened the score and had all of the momentum. Neither team scored in the final minutes of regulation, sending this game to overtime.

Carolina got off to a fast start in overtime, but the Flyers settled down and put forward a much better than expected effort. It looked like this game was heading to a second OT, but wth 66 seconds left, the Hurricanes ended it.

Here’s how we got to the final score.

Read More: Flyers-Hurricanes Game 2: Lines, Notes, & How to Watch

Flyers strike first​

The Flyers got off to a much better start in Game 2 than they did in Game 1. While they still did not look great, they seemed to have done a much better job matching the early intensity from the Hurricanes.

Philly was given a great chance just over 3 minutes into the game after former Flyer Sean Walker sent the puck over the glass, earning a delay of the game minor. The power play was a point of emphasis for the Flyers, and they made it work.

Noah Cates and Trevor Zegras each had great looks but could not score. A Hurricane stick knocked the puck free into the slot before Jamie Drysdale (2) came crashing in for the score, giving his team the 1-0 lead.

It was the Flyers’ first first-period goal of the postseason, and it wasn’t their only of the game. Just 39 seconds later, Cral Grundstrom (1), playing in his first playoff game with the Flyers, set up Sean Couturier (2) on the doorstep, who knocked it past Freddie Andersen for the 2-0 Flyers lead.

Hurricanes get one back​

The Hurricanes got their first chance on the power play following a Cam York holding call on Sebastian Aho. That would play in Carolina’s favor. The Flyers got off to a great start on the penalty kill, but a failed clear late in the two minutes extended the Canes’ time with the advantage. Eventually, Jackson Blake (5) set up Nikolaj Ehlers (1) for the one-timer right before the power play expired.

That made it a 2-1 game, but Philly still led.

All of that happened in the first 10 minutes or so.

4 minutes after the Carolina goal, Alex Bump drew a hold on Taylor Hall, putting the Flyers back on the power play. That power play was far less successful, with no offense generated.

Right after that penalty was killed off, Carl Grundstrom got two minutes for holding Shayne Gostisbehere. That one was killed off as well. However, in the following moments after the kill, the Flyers got called for too many men, putting them back on the power play.

The Flyers were able to get it to the first horn, leading 2-1, but trailing in shots 9-6.

Carolina had 1:05 left on the power play when the 2nd period picked up. The Flyers were able to kill it off, and even hit Zegras, who was serving the penalty, out of the box. He stopped, turned, and waited for Travis Sanheim behind him, who could not hit the net. Thus, ending the sequence of the too many men penalty.

Read More: Quick Fixes: How the Flyers Can Adjust for Game 2 vs. the Hurricanes

Scoreless second frame​

The Flyers got another power play chance. This time, it was early in the second period after Mark Jankowski was called for delaying the game with a puck over the glass. However, the Flyers did not have a really good chance.

There was one moment where Noah Cates could have gone to the slot and fired. Instead, dropped it back for Drysdale and basically killed the momentum. A few moments later, Seth Jarvis sprung a shorthanded breakaway and drew a tripping penalty on Rasmus Ristolainen, which gave the Hurricanes over 1:30 of power-play time.

With just a tick over a minute remaining on the man-advantage, Dan Vladar made a great stop on a Jackson Blake rifle. Travis Sanheim made an incredible stick stop to keep the one-goal lead for his team, helping kill off the penalty.

Whether it was a Flyers regression or a Hurricanes progression, Game 2 started to look much more like Game 1 as far as the Hurricanes’ puck possession. The Flyers got a much-needed breather after the Hurricanes got caught with too many men on the ice, putting Philly back on the power play.

They did not score on the power play, but to the credit of Philadelphia, it looked like a power play.

Another penalty was called, this time it was on the Flyers, a high stick from Denver Barkey. With 5:50 to go in the second period, the Hurricanes got their 5th power play of the game. The Flyers got that kill, followed by a power play of their own after Adnrei Svechnikov caught Dvorak with a high stick.

10 total power plays in the first 37 minutes or so of the game.

Dvorak nearly scored, as his shot hit the glove of Andersen but off the post. Again, the Flyers looked good, but could not get one to go.

Carolina nearly tied it with Svechnikov out of the box, but instead, the game went into the second intermission with the Flyers still leading 2-1. That’s thanks to Dan Vladar’s 16-save second period.

60 minutes was not enough​

The Flyers entered the third period with a 2-1 lead, looking to close it out and hand the Hurricanes their first loss of the postseason and Philly’s first win of the series.

Andrei Svechnikov got caught with his second high stick to Dvorak, giving the Flyers a big power play early in the third period. Martone had a good look in close and collided with Andersen with no call. Philly had a chance with Andersen down on the ice, but the puck went around the boards and out of the zone.

It was a wasted opportunity for Philly.

The period went on, and the Flyers’ legs looked a little better than they did in the 2nd period. Still, it was not quite at the intensity brought by the Hurricanes.

With just under 8 minutes off the clock in the period, Emil Andrae was called for roughing on William Carrier. That gave Carolina a massive power-play opportunity, but the Flyers were able to get the big kill.

It felt like it was coming since the first period, but the Hurricanes finally evened the score. Alex Bump got beaten at the blue line as the Hurricanes entered the zone. Ehlers (2) dropped the puck off for Seth Jarvis (1), who ripped the shot off Vladar’s glove and into the goal to tie the game.

The Flyers had been defending the Hurricanes well, but their two goals in the first 5 minutes of the game were never going to hold. Carolina made it a new game and took all of the momentum back.

Logan Stankoven crashed into Dan Vladar, earning a penalty. But Vladar’s retaliation made it 4-on-4.

Nobody scored at 4-on-4, as both teams pushed to take the lead, but this game needed more.

Flyers lose it in overtime​

Overtime against the Hurricanes for the Flyers was a scary task. You could see Philly slowly lose its legs as the game went on, and the Hurricanes kept going strong. Of course, on the 26th anniversary of Keith Primaeau’s 5OT-winner, the word overtime could be scary to anyone.

Despite blowing the third-period lead, the Flyers battled to get the game to OT. The Hurricanes had outplayed the Flyers following Couturier’s goal and forced Philly to play hard in return. That they did.

The Hurricanes dominated the opening stages of overtime, not giving the Flyers a chance. Philly got a couple of great chances around 5 minutes into the period. A great possession for the Flyers hemmed Carolina in the defensive zone. That led to a long shift for Svechnikov, ending with his third penalty of the game, this time a hooking call.

The Flyers had a power play with a chance to end the game on their 7th opportunity with the man-advantage. Again, many great chances, but they could not get one to go. 3 shots on 7 power plays.

All things considered, the Flyers put forward a much better effort in overtime than anticipated. The Flyers had an offensive awakening in overtime, probably because the Hurricanes were getting tired, but Andersen wasn’t. He was putting on a goaltending masterclass.

It looked like the game was headed to a second overtime, but Taylor Hall (3) pushed the puck over the goal line after it was knocked free from Vladar’s glove, giving the Hurricanes the 3-2 win.

What’s next​

The series returns to Philadelphia on Thursday when the Flyers host the Hurricanes at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Read More: Big Decisions: Have the Flyers Found a Center with Denver Barkey?


The post Flyers Fight Hard, Fall 3-2 Against the Hurricanes in Game 2 appeared first on Philly Hockey Now.

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