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

Flyers have to clean up their breakouts

If the Flyers want to win, they’re going to have to clean up their defensive zone breakouts. Pittsburgh was good at checking to defend breakouts. But their aggression is no match for the Hurricanes’.

That said, the Flyers will need to be much cleaner. Yes, the Flyers are a dump-and-chase team. But they dumped more pucks than I think they would have liked. Carolina will be an even more difficult challenge for the Flyers.

The Flyers have some good skating defensemen. Using them to exit the zone with possession may be the key to success. Obviously, Jamie Drysdale is the first player that comes to mind. I may go as far as to say he is my X-Factor for the series.

Still, guys like Drysdale, Travis Sanheim, and Rasmus Ristolainen will play an important role in keeping possession for the Flyers. If they can maintain control and fight off the Hurricanes’ forecheck, they can give themselves a chance to set up in the offensive zone.

It goes beyond the blueliners. Owen Tippett will have to use his speed. Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov will need to use their creativity. It will have to be a team effort, but the more controlled zone exits and entries the Flyers have, the better their chances are of winning the series.

Take advantage of opportunities

We’ve talked about how good the Hurricanes are at suppressing shots. Frederik Anderson has been nothing short of fantastic for Carolina, allowing 5 goals over 4 games played this postseason, and a shutout in the mix.

The Hurricanes’ checking will be a nightmare for the Flyers. Even if everything is cleaned up, it’ll still be difficult for the Flyers to consistently get out of the zone and set up possession. Opportunities will be few and far between.

When the Flyers get their chances, they have to capitalize.

This was a theme against Pittsburgh, and not in a good way. The Flyers had many, many good chances against the Penguins, but could not finish. It’s the reason why the series went to 6 games, when it very well could have been ended in Game 5, or even by Game 4.

There almost seemed to be a sense where the Flyers were trying to be too perfect, where, in reality, settling for just good and getting pucks to the net and creating chaos would have worked, especially against Silovs.

With Freddie Anderson or even Brandon Bussi, the same strategy could work. Yes, the Flyers have to be perfect against Carolina. But in this case, perfect isn’t holding on to the puck waiting for a one-of-one opportunity. Perfect is taking advantage of the good opportunities and making things happen in the chaos.

The Flyers cannot get too cute against Carolina. If they have a good opportunity, they have to take it.

Flyers need Dan Vladar to keep doing his thing

The Philadelphia Flyers do not make the playoffs without Dan Vladar. They do not beat the Penguins without Dan Vladar.

Goaltending has been the key for the Flyers, not only in Round 1 but throughout the whole postseason push. In Round 1 against the Penguins, Vladar had 2 shutouts, 1.61 GAA, and a .937 SV%. He came up big for the Flyers when they needed him the most.

The Hurricanes have the second-most shots per game in the league during the regular season with 32.2. They’re averaging 33.8 so far in the postseason, which is the most.

The Flyers’ defense looked solid against the Penguins. Their top pair of Sanheim and Ristolainen looked legitimate, and York and Drysdale have made plenty of strides. Sean Couturier looked rejuvenated, and Luke Glendening and Noah Cates have been great defensive forwards as well. Still, with the offensive talent that the Hurricanes have, their hands will be full.

Dan Vladar was forced to be the hero for the Flyers more often than most are comfortable with. He came up big for the Flyers throughout the entire series in Round 1. Whether you want to hear it or not, the Vladar will be put in similar situations against Carolina.

If the Flyers get the same performance from Vladar in Round 2 as they did in Round 1, they will have a chance to win the series.

Read More: Flyers Practice: Lines, York’s Stick Returned, & Getting Ready for Carolina

The post ‘We’re Here to Win’: How the Flyers Can Win or Lose the Series vs. the Hurricanes appeared first on Philly Hockey Now.