The Carolina Hurricanes are already sitting in rarified air with their 7-0 start to these playoffs. They've gotten outstanding goaltending from Frederik Andersen throughout, and their offense is starting to become more than just one line. The team is clicking on all cylinders right now. It has them one win away from another sweep and a second straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Game 3: With the series in Philly for the first of two games, the Flyers came out buzzing for the home crowd. They hit two posts in the first few minutes and forced Andersen to make a few big stops. However, the Canes turned the period with a goal on the power play. Jordan Staal banked a missed shot off Dan Vladar's side. Jaccob Slavin's goal-saving play late in the period kept the lead intact.
Trevor Zegras scored early in the second to tie the game, but the Canes struck short-handed on Jalen Chatfield's first of the postseason late in the middle frame to restore the lead. Andrei Svechnikov added another on the power play, and Nikolaj Ehlers buried a breakaway in the third as the Canes skated to an easy 4-1 win in Game 3 to take a 3-0 series lead.
On the Other Side: Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are in an unenviable situation. It's the same one that the Ottawa Senators found themselves in last round. They can't generate much on offense, and what they are generating is either missing the net or being stopped. They're doing it without a few of their best weapons in the lineup. Now, they're down 0-3, and their next loss will be the end of their season.
It can't be ignored that one of the four teams to complete the reverse sweep was the 2010 Flyers. They accomplished the feat in the second round against the Bruins on their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Former Hurricane Michael Leighton was a big part of that turnaround, especially against Montreal in the conference finals. I'm not saying that they're the same, but the series isn't over yet.
What to Watch in Game 4
It's desperation time in Philly: When they took the ice for Game 3, I expected to see the same Flyers team that gave the Hurricanes fits in Game 2. Instead, outside of the opening half of the first period, they looked more like the group that was lapped in Game 1. Now, every game from here on is an elimination game for Philadelphia.
Desperate times will call for desperate measures, and the Flyers' frustrations started to boil over at the end of Game 3. The Canes just rolled with it until things got ugly at the end of regulation. Otherwise, they remained relatively even keel. I anticipate that the Flyers will do everything they can to provoke the Canes tonight. It'll be up to the Canes to play their game and take the high road.
The Canes' depth is finally shining through: During the first two games of this series, two-thirds of their goals and almost half of their points came from the Stankoven line. In Game 3, they didn't record a point, yet the Canes played one of their best games of the postseason because everyone else got in on the fun.
Thursday night felt like a big one for the Aho line. Along with Andrei Svechnikov getting his first goal in a multi-point effort, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis felt incredibly dangerous. It was also a big night for the Staal line, combining for five points. With or without Philadelphia's injuries, the Canes were going to be the deeper team. Now, they're finally acting like it.
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