NHL playoffs: Hurricanes look to take 2-0 lead to Philly, Flyers look to bounce back
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Carolina Hurricanes won their fifth postseason game in a row Saturday night with a 3-0 shutout over the Philadelphia Flyers, who advanced to the second round for the first time since 2020 by eliminating the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
The Hurricanes pounced on the Flyers with a dominating first period. Philadelphia struggled to apply any pressure on Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen.
The Flyers managed nine shots through two periods and managed just two through four power plays on the night.
The Hurricanes played their trademark style of suffocating defense and stellar penalty killing, as the Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play.
Veteran forward Nikolaj Ehlers, hampered by a lower-body injury in the Carolina Hurricanes' first-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators, returned to the lineup Saturday night.
The Hurricanes became the eighth team in the past 50 years to allow five or fewer goals combined through their first five postseason contests.
Philadelphia Flyers look to bounce back
Philadelphia Flyers coach Rick Tocchet says his team must adjust quickly after losing the opener of its second-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Flyers skated on Sunday, with Tocchet saying his team has to react quicker to the Hurricanes' aggression and speed. He also says this team has "got to figure it out quickly" because more performances like Game 1 won't change the series against the Eastern Conference's top seed.
"You can't have three or four games like that," Tocchet said before the team's practice. "You've got to figure it out quickly. Tomorrow night, we want 21 guys wanting the puck. That's the mindset."
It didn't help that regular-season goals leader Owen Tippett didn't play because of an unspecified injury. He is considered day to day.
Tippett, who scored 28 regular-season goals and brings needed speed to the lineup, skated Sunday. But he spent part of that session working with goalie Aleksei Kolosov at one end of the ice while the rest of the team worked at the other end.
