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

The three Canes combined for all three goals in Saturday’s Game 1, with Stankoven scoring twice and Blake once. Stankoven has scored in all 5 playoff games so far and has 6 total.

Combined, they have 10 goals and 21 total points in 5 playoff games. They have been completely dominant against every opponent.

If the Flyers want a chance to win, they have to slow them down. It’s plain and simple. That would be matching the Dvorak or Cates lines against the Stankoven line. However, the problem is the Hurricanes have 3, if not 4, really good lines. It’s going to have to be a full team defensive effort.

No matter what, they have to find a way to slow them down.

Flyers need to take advantage of their chances

Heading into the series, we expected the Flyers to have a limited shot total. So their 19 shots in Game 1 were no surprise. What came as a sort of surprise was their lack of goals.

Yes, chances were limited, but that’s not to say they did not have any. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers had 2 high-danger chances, compared to the Hurricanes’ 5. Simply put, chances will be few and far between, so the Flyers have to capitalize.

One area in particular that the Flyers have to improve is the power play. Against a team like Carolina, you have to take advantage of your chances up a man. Philly had 4 on Saturday, and did not score on either.

When it was a 6-on-4, the power play looked better, but that was with a two-man advantage, and it still did not look great. This goes back to something we said before the series started: looking for the good, not perfect, chances.

If they keep looking for the perfect shot, they’re not going to get any chances. So, when they get power plays, they have to take the good chances.

Flyers need to stay out of the box

Here we go again…

The Flyers have to stay out of the penalty box if they want a chance to beat the Hurricanes. They avoided the worst on Saturday, allowing no goals on 4 power plays. That won’t always be the case, as we saw against Pittsburgh.

When the penalty kill was not, you know, killing penalties, the Penguins won games. The same thing goes for the Hurricanes. There is just too much talent on this Carolina team to give up power plays.

Not to mention, the Flyers’ chances are already going to be limited. They won’t have any chances to win the series if they give the Hurricanes more chances than they need.

Towards the end of Game 1, the officials were not letting anything slide. There were 4 misconducts handed out, and 8 minor penalties called. That should be a warning that the officials are not having any of the extracurriculars.

The Flyers have to be smart and maintain their discipline in Game 2 if they want to give themselves a chance.

Read More: ‘We’re Here to Win’: How the Flyers Can Win or Lose the Series vs. the Hurricanes

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