Flyers’ Cinderella playoff run ends with a heartbreaking 3-2 OT loss

Danny Brière tried to change the mojo.

Normally, standing in the Flyers’ suite in the press box when Lauren Hart sings “God Bless America,” on Saturday, the general manager was instead standing outside the suite in the press box. Superstitious? Well, he’s not the only one who wanted to change things up. President Keith Jones swapped his usual seat to Brière‘s right for the one on his left, tucked against the wall.

Although their playing days are done, they wanted to do their part, while coach Rick Tocchet was also changing things on the ice. In were rookies, forward Jett Luchanko and defenseman Oliver Bonk, making their playoff debuts, and out were Matvei Michkov and Emil Andrae.

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Despite all the changes and a resilient, hard-fought effort, the Flyers lost 3-2 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes. They were eliminated from the postseason via a sweep in the Eastern Conference’s second round by Carolina, which became just the fifth team in NHL history to start a postseason 8-0.

Just over five minutes into an overtime that was dominated by the visitors, Jamie Drysdale’s stretch pass up the boards was picked off by Taylor Hall. He fed the trailer, Jackson Blake, and his wrister popped off the glove of Dan Vladař and over the goal line.

The goalie slammed his stick on the post in frustration, but the faithful did not allow their hometown squad to dwell on the loss long as they gave them a standing ovation and chanted “Let’s Go Flyers.” They chanted as the team consoled each other on one end while the Hurricanes celebrated on the other. They chanted during the handshake line, and they did it some more when the Flyers went to center ice, raised their sticks, and clapped in appreciation for the fans.

Things started well for the Flyers, however. As Travis Konecny said on Saturday morning, “If we can replicate that start, I think we’ll be in a good spot.” Well, like Game 3, the Flyers came out like gangbusters in the opening frame. And this time, when 20 minutes had elapsed, they led 1-0.

But the biggest point of emphasis wasn’t that they had taken the lead; it was who scored because, if the Flyers wanted to get back into the series, they needed Tyson Foerster to get going. He did so with a snipe 7 minutes, 50 seconds into the game. notching his first career playoff goal and point in the process.

The play started with Carl Grundström laying a hit on Blake in the neutral zone, causing him to cough up the puck to Travis Sanheim. The defenseman rotated the puck across to Cam York, who banked it off the boards to Porter Martone. The 19-year-old caught it, smartly gained the blue line, and fed Trevor Zegras, who was flying past him and Carolina defenseman Jalen Chatfield.

With his footwork, Zegras was able to create space by curling towards the boards and buying time before hitting Foerster with a saucer pass over the stick of Logan Stankoven, who was turned around. Known for his shot, Foerster zinged it past Frederik Andersen as Martone went to the net.

In the second period, the Hurricanes tied the game, and temporarily took the lead 28 seconds later.

Off a face-off deep in the Flyers’ end, Hall won it against Christian Dvorak, sending it to the wall. He tracked it down himself, passing it back to his defenseman, K’Andre Miller, who shoved it deeper into the zone.

The puck bounced around and ended up on the stick of Blake, who curled up the boards before curling toward them again for a shot on goal that squeaked through. At the time of Blake’s shot, which came from just above the half-wall, it looked like Vladař was double-screened with Nick Seeler on Blake, and Dvorak and Hall cutting through his line of sight.

Not long after, Mark Jankowski poked the puck away from Jett Luchanko, making his playoff debut after Brantford of the Ontario Hockey League was eliminated from their playoffs on Monday. The Hurricanes broke out, and eventually Jankowski beat Vladař from above the slot; however, coach Rick Tocchet and his video staff — they were 6-1 entering the night —opted to challenge it. And the NHL’s situation room confirmed that Hurricanes forward William Carrier, who had backed up into Vladař, impaired his ability to play his position in the crease.

And the hockey gods did what they do best — taketh and giveth.

Once again, the Hurricanes broke out, with it turning into a three-on-two as Alex Bump got stuck flat-footed high in the Hurricanes’ end. He ended up losing his guy, Stankoven, who tapped the puck in backdoor off a beautiful cross-crease pass by Hall that snuck past three players.

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It gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead less than five minutes into the final frame. But 1:39 later, Bump made up for his miscue with his second goal of the postseason and first since his debut in Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Initially, it looked like the Hurricanes were going to get the puck out of their own end, but Dvorak hounded Miller as he carried the puck behind the net, and Konecny came barreling in, knocking him off it. With two Hurricanes on him along the end boards, Konecny made a terrific play, kicking the puck up to his stick with his left skate and sending a sharp pass right onto the tape of Bump in the slot to tie it at two.

Forward Jack Nesbitt and defenseman Spencer Gill also joined the Flyers before the game after their junior teams were eliminated from the postseason.