Game 3 Adjustments: How the Flyers Can Get Back into the Series

Game 3 brings an even bigger challenge for the Flyers. They’ll be without Noah Cates, one of their best penalty killers. Philly will also be without Owen Tippett, one of their best short-handed playmakers.

With an already depleted group of penalty killers, staying out of the box will be a critical part of the Flyers’ quest to get back into the series.

Flyers have to limit their mistakes; No extra opportunities

As we mentioned in the last section, Carolina is a very opportunistic team. They make things happen for themselves and take advantage of it. We just mentioned that the Flyers cannot give the Hurricanes as many chances on the man-advantage.

The next step would be cleaning up 5-on-5 play. Philadelphia cannot make as many mistakes as they have in Games 1 and 2.

Playing against the Hurricanes can be a little chaotic. They are everywhere on the ice. A mix of speed, power, and aggression makes their checking nearly unbeatable, and again, they force mistakes and capitalize.

The Flyers won’t have many chances. When they have them, they have to capitalize. They did that early in Game 2, but it sort of disappeared as the game went on. It did not hurt the Flyers until the end, because they played relatively mistake-free in the middle chunk of the game. However, when they did make mistakes, the Hurricanes made them pay.

Do not allow the Hurricanes any extra opportunities. If they can clean up mistakes, Game 3 could be a good one.

Flyers have to pick up where they left off

Overtime of Game 2 was probably the best the Flyers have looked since Game 2 of the series against the Penguins. Philly started slow, probably strategic after their Game 6 overtime win in Round 1. When the Hurricanes started to show fatigue, the Flyers turned it up.

Yes, the Flyers lost the game, but there was plenty to like about their overtime effort. They had their foot on the gas. Philly was able to get cleaner zone entries and pick apart the defense a bit.

That led to more offense, more shots, and a lot better-looking attack. For the first time all series, it was the Flyers putting the pressure on the Hurricanes instead of the other way around. Obviously, the Hurricanes won’t be worn down when Game 3 begins. But, Philly now knows that this team is beatable.

So, they have to take the positives from the overtime period and move forward with them. The Flyers had better-controlled entries in overtime on Monday. But when they were chasing pucks into the zone, they were stronger along the boards.

For the most part, the Flyers did a better job taking the good looks instead of overcomplicating things and looking for perfection. It seemed like they were playing with a lot more confidence in overtime.

If the Flyers can pick up where they left off in Game 3 and play with a little more confidence, they have a good chance at getting back into the series.

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