The Flyers need to find an answer for Carolina’s Hall-Stankoven-Blake line and fast

RALEIGH, N.C. ― Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, and Jackson Blake might be Carolina’s second line in name, but they’re not playing like it.

In the first round against Ottawa, that line dominated, combining for 16 points across three games, out-shooting their opponents 29-13, according to Natural Stat Trick. They generated 14 high danger chances and allowed just four, carrying a 76.51 expected-goals percentage.

» READ MORE: Flyers can’t weather Hurricanes’ early storm, lose 3-0 in Game 1

Stankoven scored a goal in each of the four games against Ottawa, and Hall racked up a team-high seven points. Even after a week off, the trio picked up right where it left off, and presented a big matchup problem for the Flyers.

Less than two minutes in, Stankoven tipped in a point shot from defenseman Mike Reilly, and then Jackson Blake torched both Matvei Michkov and Travis Sanheim for a beautiful goal on the rush. Stankoven also scored the Canes’ third goal of the game in the second period, while temporarily on the ice with Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov.

“We had about four three-on-three battles in the first period that we lost,” coach Rich Tocchet said. “Somehow, Stankoven came out of the pile with the puck and got a chance at the net. Just can’t happen, but when you’re playing a confident line like that, you’ve got to make sure that you’re in front of them, and you’ve got to make it a tough night.”

The trio’s regular season stats might not look very intimidating on the surface — Stankoven put up 44 points, Hall 48, and Blake 53 — but they dominated in terms of puck possession. In the regular season, the line held an expected-goal share of 54%, and outscored opponents 34-23, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Stankoven is a smaller player at just 5-foot-8, but he’s relentless on the forecheck and along the boards, and is a key cog in what makes Carolina such a challenging team to play against.

“[Stankoven’s] always created opportunities,” Rod Brind’Amour said postgame. “He puts in the work, so the confidence has always been there because of that. We always seem to judge people on production. I get it, but he’s been playing like this all year.”

Hall is a former Hart Trophy winner, and the 34-year-old’s career has gone through so many ups and downs, including with Rick Tocchet in Arizona. But he’s reinvented his game once again to fit in with the Hurricanes, and uses his speed and puck skills in addition to a bit of physicality to help drive play on that line.

“[They’re] making those little plays, which makes it easier on me,” Blake said. “Especially [Stankoven] and [Hall], they’re working so hard and being junkyard dogs out there, they’ve been awesome and really fun to play with.”

» READ MORE: The Flyers weren’t just dominated in Game 1. Carolina wouldn’t fall for their baiting, and that’s a bad sign.

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Blake is no slouch on his own, leading the group in points in the regular season and ranking as one of the league’s best possession forwards during his two NHL seasons. With how well that line is playing so far in these playoffs, shutting them down will be a key point of emphasis for the Flyers moving forward.

Noah Cates’ line often draws the Flyers’ shutdown defensive assignments, and he was on the ice for two of the Hurricanes’ three goals in Game 1. But their defensive game plan for those three is still a work in progress.

“They make plays to the middle, they support off each other super well,” Cates said. “Obviously, we’ve got to take care of them, be harder against.”