Flyers-Hurricanes: Carolina beats Flyers 3-2 in OT to finish off a second-round sweep
The Flyers fought hard at home in Game 4, but it wasn't enough as Jackson Blake ended the series with the OT winner.
The Flyers' season is on the line when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 at 6 p.m. Saturday in South Philly. The game will air on TNT.
The Hurricanes lead the series 3-0 and would eliminate the Flyers from the playoffs with a win.
Here are three things the Flyers need to do in Game 4 to give themselves a chance to stay alive.
Rick Tocchet’s hard coaching lit a fire under Trevor Zegras in Game 3: "It’s been like that all year; he doesn’t pout"
Flyers' season ends with OT loss
The Flyers' season came to a heartbreaking end on Saturday night as Jackson Blake scored 5 minutes, and 31 seconds into overtime to win Game 4 by a score of 3-2, and eliminate the Flyers from the playoffs.
After Logan Stankoven and Alex Bump traded third-period goals, Game 4 at Xfinity Mobile Arena required bonus hockey. But the home faithful left disappointed after Blake scored his second of the night and third of the series.
The goal came after Jamie Drysdale's stretch pass was broken up around center ice by Jaccob Slavin, which sent the Hurricanes back the other way three-on-two. Taylor Hall found a trailing Blake, whose wrist shot from the slot handcuffed Dan Vladař, popped off his glove, and flipped over his shoulder and across the goal line ahead of a diving Drysdale's clearance attempt.
Game 4 is heading to overtime
The fate of the Flyers' season will come down to who scores the next goal, as 60 minutes were not enough to separate the Flyers and Hurricanes in Game 4.
The game will be the Flyers' third overtime game of the postseason, but the first in which they have faced elimination. The Flyers have been on both ends of the story so far, as Cam York scored the series clincher in Game 6 of the Pittsburgh series, while Taylor Hall broke their hearts in Game 2 in Raleigh.
We'll see if a new hero will arise for the Orange and Black.
Alex Bump ties it for the Flyers
Facing elimination and with just over 14 guaranteed minutes left in their season, the Flyers once again showed they will not go down without a fight.
After Logan Stankoven had given Carolina a 2-1 lead just over a minute and a half earlier, the Flyers responded via an Alex Bump goal.
Travis Konecny, whose struggles have been well-documented this playoffs, deserves full credit for making the play. He knocked the much bigger K'Andre Miller off the puck behind the net, went skate to stick, and fought through a hit from Jordan Staal to find Bump alone in front. The rookie made no mistake with a blistering shot over the shoulder of the helpless Frederik Andersen.
Stankoven gives Carolina the lead
The Flyers' season is officially in danger now that Logan Stankoven has put Carolina ahead 4:13 into the third period. Stankoven, who finished off a crisp passing play on the rush with Taylor Hall, now leads the playoffs with seven goals.
Flyers, Hurricanes trade chances
With things knotted up 1-1 late in the second period, both teams had great chances to pull ahead.
First, Garnet Hathaway was robbed by Frederik Andersen's outstretched pad on a two-on-one after receiving a beautiful backhand pass from Luke Glendening.
Then it was Carolina's turn with Mark Jankowski, who had just had a goal disallowed for goaltender interference, missing a wide-open net after Dan Vladař left a juicy rebound from a Sean Walker shot.
'Canes make Flyers pay for poor power play
The Flyers’ power play is still powerless. With a prime five-on-three opportunity to break the game open, the Flyers once again failed to score. Porter Martone had the best look on the five-on-three, but missed the net, and the unit as a whole had only one shot on goal.
Carolina scored two quick goals in succession immediately after, although Mark Jankowski's goal was waved off for goalie interference after a review.
Flyers even have fans in space
Astronaut Christina Koch is at Xfinity Mobile Arena for Game 4 between the Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes.
Koch, a Michigan native, was recently part of the Artemis II mission that completed a flyby of the moon. Her appearance on Saturday is no fluke or PR stunt, as Koch is a diehard Philly fan. Ariel Simpson recently dove deeper into Koch's fanhood, which even included watching Philly sports teams from space!
» READ MORE: Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch is a big Philly sports fan — and even watches games from space
First period analysis
Travis Konecny said it on Saturday morning, “If we can replicate that start, I think we’ll be in a good spot.” Like Game 3, the Flyers came out for Game 4 like gangbusters in the opening frame. But unlike Game 3, when the buzzer sounded, they had a 1-0 lead, thanks to a goal from Tyson Foerster, his first of the postseason and off a nifty feed by Trevor Zegras.
Part of the difference is that the Flyers were not only controlling their emotions, but also forechecking and making hits in smart moments instead of just hitting everything that moved. According to Natural Stat Trick, they allowed 17 shot attempts and 10 scoring chances, but Dan Vladař looked like his old self with his movements and calmness in net.
Both teams had power-play chances, with neither getting a goal — yes, the Flyers only had two shot attempts and neither needed Frederik Andersen to stop — but Oliver Bonk, making his postseason debut, popped up on the second power-play unit. Jett Luchanko also brought speed as he was inserted into the lineup in place of Matvei Michkov.
Finding Foerster
Tyson Foerster opened the scoring Saturday with his first goal and point of the playoffs, 7 minutes, and 50 seconds into the first period of Game 4.
Trevor Zegras found a cutting Foerster in the slot, and he skated right through the Logan Stankoven line and wristed one by Frederik Andersen to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead in a must-win Game 4.
Foerster has struggled for much of the playoffs after returning late in the season from an upper-body injury that caused him to miss 49 games, but his lethal shot is still a big weapon that's finally being put to use.
Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen 'Ignite the Orange'
With no tomorrow promised, the Flyers called on two members of their Cinderella 2010 Cup Final team to "Ignite the Orange" ahead of Game 4.
While it might seem a weird choice on the surface, both players were part of the 3-0 series comeback against Boston in 2010, something the 2026 Flyers hope to replicate starting with a win on Saturday night.
Rick Tocchet's men would become just the fifth team in NHL history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit if they were able to accomplish the feat.
Luchanko and Bonk in; Michkov out
Down 3-0 in the series, the Flyers need a spark ... or some new blood.
Rick Tocchet will insert rookies Jett Luchanko and Oliver Bonk into the lineup Saturday after both took line rushes during warmups. Both players will make their NHL playoff debuts, with Luchanko having played eight career NHL games, and Bonk just one. Luchanko is slated to play right wing on a line with Denver Barkey and Carl Grundström, while Bonk will be on the third pair with Nick Seeler. No pressure guys, it's just an elimination game.
With Luchanko and Bonk coming in, Matvei Michkov and Noah Juulsen will take a seat for the must-win Game 4. It will mark the second time Michkov, who has one point and is a minus-three in eight playoff games, has been scratched this postseason. The 21-year-old did not play in Game 5 of the first-round series against Pittsburgh.
Flyers' prospect pool ranks highly
While the Flyers may be facing elimination, the future remains bright.
Saturday provided another reminder of that as the team came in at No. 10 in McKeen's annual 2026 prospect pool rankings. This largely falls in line with recent rankings for the Flyers, including the Athletic's, where the Flyers ranked eighth.
Flyers fans won't have to wait long to see many of these prospects either, as three of McKeen's top 10, led by Porter Martone, are lineup regulars, while Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk, and Carson Bjarnason are knocking on the door heading into next season.
Porter Martone's Mother's Day message to his mom
Sunday is Mother's Day, and perhaps it's a good thing the Flyers don't have a game scheduled — at least for the team's youngest player.
Porter Martone is still a teenager and was playing college hockey two months ago, so it shouldn't be surprising that his mother, Angela Martone, gets emotional when watching him play. And her commitment to not cursing is nearly as impressive as her son's hockey ability.
The NHL shared that clip on social media earlier Saturday, but it's just part of a nine-minute video showing the relationship between the Flyers' rookie and his mom, who teaches and coaches hockey at a Catholic school in Ontario — hence the no cursing.
The Flyers need more from Travis Konecny
Travis Konecny walked into the Flyers’ press room in Voorhees with his head held high and shoulders back on Saturday morning.
So it’s no surprise that when he was asked where the mindset is for the team heading into Game 4 of their Eastern Conference second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, a game they could potentially be eliminated in, the alternate captain quickly responded: “Great. We’re having a blast. Hanging out. Another opportunity tonight.”
It echoed what coach Rick Tocchet had said less than 30 minutes prior, when he called it an exciting game.
Owen Tippett out again for Game 4
One problem has plagued the Flyers across three coaching staffs
It probably won’t be fixed by Saturday, but it is kind of ridiculous that the Flyers’ power-play woes have continued across three coaching staffs. It stunk with Alain Vigneault. It reeked under John Tortorella. And now, after another regular season at the bottom, it is sinking their postseason with Rick Tocchet.
They are now 1-for-16 on the man-advantage against Carolina (6.3%) and 3-for-33 (9.1%) in the postseason, which is the worst among the remaining teams.
Mistakes happen, like Jamie Drysdale losing the puck that led to Jalen Chatfield’s shorthanded goal. But there are fundamental issues with zone entries, with the Hurricanes often stacking the blue line. The Flyers have also been missing reads, which leads to a lack of interior play, not to mention the team’s struggles against pressure and inability to move the puck quickly enough.
It’s Always Sanny
It’s no surprise that Travis Sanheim entered Friday ranked No. 10 in the NHL in ice time during the postseason. The defenseman has skated more than 26 minutes a night after averaging a little above 24 minutes during a regular season that saw him set career-bests in goals (11), shooting percentage (11.6%), and plus-minus (plus-12).
According to Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, the defenseman came into camp as one of the Flyers’ fittest guys, and his game has just gotten better since he suited up and won silver for Canada at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. The 30-year-old continually works on his craft, setting the tone for the younger guys.
Known as a strong skater, Sanheim has shown it in the playoffs. He has effectively closed off opponents and was shoulder-to-shoulder with the speedy Jackson Blake before he scored on a weird play in Game 1 for the Hurricanes.
Flyers-Hurricanes Game 4: Start time, channel, how to stream
Tonight's Game 4 between the Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes will air on TNT at 6 p.m.
Back to call 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.
Flyers-Hurricanes full playoff schedule
Game 1: Hurricanes 3, Flyers 0
Game 2: Hurricanes 3, Flyers 2
Game 3: Hurricanes 4, Flyers 1
Game 4: Hurricanes at Flyers, Saturday, 6 p.m. (TNT)
Game 5*: Flyers at Hurricanes, Monday, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 6*: Hurricanes at Flyers, Wednesday, May 13 (TBD)
Game 7*: Flyers at Hurricanes, Saturday, May 16 (TBD)
* - If necessary