Flyers on the brink after losing Game 3 to Hurricanes; Philly looks to avoid playoff sweep at home

The Flyers had an odd-man rush with a chance to tie the game inside of four minutes in the third period.

But 28 seconds later the Hurricanes doubled their lead.

The Flyers’ chance, which was set up by a nifty feed from Alex Bump to Denver Barkey, was negated by a goaltender interference penalty by Cam York, who lost his bearings and ran into the legs of Frederik Andersen. Barkey’s shot hit the post on the play but Andersen had been knocked over before that.

The Flyers looked poised to receive a five-minute power play late in the second period after Taylor Hall plastered Travis Sanheim from behind and into the boards with a vicious hit.

But after a lengthy review the boarding penalty was reduced to a two-minute minor penalty. 

If that wasn’t a bad enough break, the Hurricanes scored shorthanded just 11 seconds later.

The question entering Game 3, aside from how the Flyers, already without Owen Tippett, would compensate for the loss of Noah Cates, was whether they could pick up where they left off in overtime in Game 2.

That was answered on the first shift with none other than captain Sean Couturier, who looks like his Selke Trophy-winning days, setting the tone with a block of a ring-around attempt by Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen before ending up with the Flyers’ first shot of the game.

But while they came out with more speed and gumption — and had Porter Martone hit the post and a Rasmus Ristolainen slapshot cleared off the goal line by Jaccob Slavin — they still trailed at the end of the opening frame.

Carolina’s Logan Stankoven is an exact model of who the Flyers might like Denver Barkey to become at center. Stankoven, at 5-foot-8 and 165 pound, was initially penciled in as a winger after dominating the WHL at center. When he arrived in Carolina, Rod Brind’Amour gave him a look at center, and he’s thrived to start the playoffs.

“Barkey had the characteristics last night of moving his feet and hounding the puck,” Tocchet said Sunday. “That’s what Stankoven does. ... He has tree trunk legs, and Barkey could eventually have bigger legs, but when it comes to moving your feet, and a dog on a bone, and all that stuff, those guys are similar.”

Stankoven’s line has dominated puck possession so far across two playoff series, and those results are showing up on the scoresheet. Stankoven has scored six goals in six playoff games, including two in Game 1 against the Flyers. Barkey said he hopes to study and develop a similarly threatening shot this summer.

Late in Game 1 against Carolina, desperate for a spark on offense, the Flyers moved Denver Barkey to center Alex Bump and Matvei Michkov.

Rick Tocchet said later that he thought Barkey was the team’s best player, and, impressed, Barkey stuck at center in Game 2. Now, with Noah Cates sidelined for the rest of the series, Barkey’s going to get more runway in the middle as the Flyers progress.

It was actually team president Keith Jones who initially planted the seed to Tocchet to try Barkey at center.

Let’s start with the bad news. Once again, Owen Tippett is a no-go. The forward, who practiced on Wednesday in Voorhees and skated in the Flyers’ optional morning skate on Thursday, has not played since Game 6 of the opening round due to an undisclosed injury.

The good news is that Christian Dvorak was also on the ice for morning skate after he did not practice on Wednesday. According to coach Rick Tocchet, he will play, although it will depend on warmups.

“He’s a warrior,” Tocchet said.

The news is not good for the Flyers.

Down two to nothing in their Eastern Conference second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, they will be without center Noah Cates the rest of the way.

Seen being wheeled on a cart by head athletic trainer Tommy Alva while holding what appeared to be a grey Aircast walker boot after Monday’s 3-2 overtime loss at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., coach Rick Tocchet told reporters on Wednesday that Cates will miss the rest of the best-of-seven series with a “lower-body injury.”

With center Noah Cates out and Christian Dvorak listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury — he’s “dealing with some stuff,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said — the Flyers recalled another in Jett Luchanko on Wednesday.

Luchanko and Brantford’s season came to an end on Monday with a Game 7 loss to Barrie in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference finals.

Tocchet said that while there is always a possibility that Luchanko, the Flyers’ first-round pick in 2024, would slot in as the playoffs roll on, it sounded like it would only happen if there are other injuries on the roster. Dvorak is “a good possibility” for Thursday's Game 3, according to the bench boss, and Trevor Zegras will move back to center. Captain Sean Couturier and Luke Glendening — the only right-shot pivot — are also options to move up from the fourth line.

The Phillies and Flyers both play tonight in South Philadelphia, but fans driving to the games should prepare to hurry up and wait.

The entrance ramp to I-95 North and the exit ramp from I-95 South on Front Street will both be closed tonight due to ongoing construction.

“We won’t be able to to get it open for Thursday,” said PennDot spokesperson Brad Rudolph, noting that there was “some subsurface work” at the top of the ramp that must be completed. As a result, some congestion is expected.

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No, this is not about Matvei Michkov. Before the game on Monday, coach Rick Tocchet spoke openly about the Flyers needing to start Game 2 on time. He didn’t want his players to sit back and take it from the Hurricanes as they did in Game 1, when the home team ran amok and not only put the Flyers on their heels with their aggressive forecheck but set the tone that it would be a fast and furious night.

“It’s no different than say, going to a fastball pitcher [where] you need a couple of fastballs that [help you] get the timing,” Tocchet said. “Maybe that last game, for some of our young guys and some of the veteran guys, that pace, we needed to see it and live it, and maybe it’ll slow down for a few guys.”

The Flyers were one win out of a playoff spot before hosting the Boston Bruins on April 5 and were looking for a boost to help them get to the postseason.

That’s when Lauren Hart took the ice. But instead of singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” the anthem singer performed “God Bless America.”

The Flyers went on to beat the Bruins, 2-1.

Tonight's Game 3 between the Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes will air on TNT at 8 p.m.

Calling tonight's game is Alex Faust alongside Jennifer Botterill and Colby Armstrong.

TNT's pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m., hosted by Liam McHugh and featuring Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist, Anson Carter, and Paul Bissonnette.