Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal features the Hurricanes leading the Flyers 2-0, taking place in Philadelphia at 8 p.m. ET. This match is crucial for the Flyers to keep the series competitive.
Key points
Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal
Hurricanes lead the series 2-0
Game scheduled in Philadelphia
Puck drop at 8 p.m. ET
Critical match for Flyers' competitiveness
Carolina HurricanesPhiladelphia FlyersStanley Cup Playoffs
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Imagn Images
There's a bit of a scheduling change in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday night, as the only game on the slate is Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal between the Hurricanes and Flyers. It shifts to Philadelphia with Carolina up 2-0 for an 8 p.m. ET puck drop, and clearly this is it for us to see a competitive series.
For the foreseeable future in these playoffs, short of a team being eliminated, we get two games per night. This one reconnects with the Avalanche-Wild Western Conference series on Saturday.
I have not gotten to this series yet for whatever reason â the numbers were pretty rigid for the first two in Raleigh. While Carolina largely dominated in Game 1, the Flyers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period of Game 2 on Monday. That terrific start came after coach Rick Tocchet said his guys weren't "mentally prepared" in their Game 1 loss.
"Mentally and physically, I just felt we had more energy. And I think we believed that we could compete with this team," he said. "We had a sour taste after that game. We had better energy [Monday]."
But the Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis tied it at 11:21 of the third with his first goal of the playoffs, and Taylor Hall's third of the postseason won it at 18:54 of OT. Â It was Jarvis 20th career playoff goal, making him the third player in franchise history to reach the mark. Hall set a Hurricanes/Whalers record for longest playoff-opening point streak at six games (it was his first career playoff OT goal). Only three players in franchise history have had a longer point streak at any point in a single postseason. Hall is -115 for a point tonight.
Q&A
What time does Game 3 between the Hurricanes and Flyers start?
Game 3 starts at 8 p.m. ET.
What is the current series score between the Hurricanes and Flyers?
The Hurricanes lead the series 2-0.
Where is Game 3 of the Hurricanes vs. Flyers being played?
Game 3 is being played in Philadelphia.
Why is Game 3 important for the Flyers?
Game 3 is crucial for the Flyers as it represents their last chance to make the series competitive.
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Once it got to extra time, it sure felt like Philly (which had one OT power-play chance) lost its chance for the upset â although it largely dominated possession in the extra period with 15 shots. One that didn't count as a shot was when Travis Konecny badly missed wide on a breakaway chance. That's unacceptable: "I should have finished that," Konecny said after the game.
The Flyers did have the second-most wins (23) following a loss among all NHL teams during the regular season, behind only Edmonton (24).
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Carolina had not trailed at all in these playoffs until Monday and was trying to become the fourth team ever to go six straight games to start a postseason without doing so. But that ended about four minutes in on Jamie Drysdale's second goal of the playoffs for Philly. Sean Couturier scored 39 seconds later, but Dan Vladar couldn't hold the edge.
Vladar was still great with 40 saves and hasn't allowed more than three goals in any of his eight playoff starts with 1.89 GAA and .929 save percentage. So, there will be no goalie change for Game 3 -- although he is 1-6-1 with a 3.47 GAA in eight career starts vs. the Hurricanes including playoffs. The Czech goalie was a bit better at home during the regular season at 13-6-6 with a 2.39 GAA and .903 SV. Vladar just isn't getting enough offensive help.
The Flyers are 1-for-11 on the power play in the series, for example, and haven't scored more than two goals since Game 5 of the first round vs. Pittsburgh. This despite the team having seven goals from defensemen during the playoffs, second-most among any club. There are two key forwards injured in Noah Cates and Owen Tippett.
Cates was seen in a walking boot after Game 5 and has been ruled out for the series -- a big loss. He played all 82 regular-season games and finished with 47 points and a team-best plus-26 rating. Cates has four points in these playoffs.
Tippett was hurt at the end of the last round and hasn't played in this series. He has two playoff points after 51 during the year. Another top-six forward in Christian Dvorak (51 regular-season points, three in playoffs) is banged up, too, but likely to play.
The Flyers own an all-time record of 9-9 in Game 3 when trailing 2-0 in a best-of-seven series, including a 4-3 mark when playing Game 3 at home. Philadelphia has gone on to win a series when facing a 2-0 hole on three occasions. I'm not seeing that happening here. The Hurricanes can take a 3-0 series leadmultiple times in a single postseason for the first time in franchise history.
Monday was Carolina's eighth multi-goal comeback win in their team history. The Hurricanes have won their first two OT games of a postseason for the fourth time and first since 2023. when they won the first three. Â Including playoffs, Carolina is now 18-1-1 in its past 20 games vs. Philadelphia.
Frederik Andersen, the +600 second-favorite for the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, extended his streak of allowing two or fewer goals this postseason to six games. Only nine goaltenders in NHL history have started a postseason with a longer run. Andersen is now 12-4 with a 1.92 GAA in his career in second-round games with Carolina. He has an eight start overall winning streak vs. the Flyers with the last loss in 2021.
The Hurricanes' six-game playoff-opening winning streak is tied with several other clubs (including the 2026 Avalanche) for the second-longest such run since 1990. The 2024 Rangers, 2008 Penguins and 1994 Rangers all won seven in a row. Only that '94 New York club won the Cup. Carolina is the fourth team ever to open the playoffs 6-0 with two or fewer goals allowed in each game.
Carolina split two regular-season games in Philadelphia, with both going to a shootout. That's really all I am hoping for here but added some protection at +1.5. The Flyers were 2-1 on home ice in Round 1 vs. rival Pittsburgh. Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter.
