There is always a worry during the Stanley Cup Playoffs that a long break leads to rust.
The Carolina Hurricanes had a week between games, and this was certainly a concern among the Canes faithful.
It did not take long to see that head coach Rod Brind’Amour had the Hurricanes ready to play.
Carolina started the first period of Round 2 right where they left off in Ottawa. Philadelphia looked like a team in the middle of a five-game road trip in early December.
Just a minute and a half into the game, the Canes’
early jump paid off. Shayne Gostisbehere got the puck deep, and Taylor Hall controlled the puck below the goal line. A one-timer from Mike Reilly was tipped by none other than Logan Stankoven, and the Hurricanes were off and running.
Carolina did not let up after the goal. The Canes continued to control the play, allowing just one Flyers shot through the first 14 and a half minutes of play.
Seven minutes in, the Hurricanes embarrassed the Flyers on 200 feet play to take a 2-0 lead. Reilly gathered the puck behind the Philadelphia net and quickly moved it up the boards to Hall on the half wall. Hall moved it to a streaking Jackson Blake in the neutral zone, blowing the doors off Matvei Michkov. Blake got it past Dan Vladar, and the top was about to pop off the Lenovo Center.
At the 12:28 mark, Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler grabbed the stick of Jordan Martinook and brought it up to his face, fabricating a high-sticking penalty on the Canes’ alternate captain. Puck don’t lie, and the Philly power play was fruitless. Carolina did not allow a shot on goal, but generated a shorthanded shot and forced the rare five-on-four icing.
The teams seemed to settle during the second period, but Carolina continued to control the play. An early power play for the Flyers did not produce much of anything as they failed to register a shot on their third-straight man advantage.
About nine minutes into the second, the Canes had their second power play attempt. It was a soft call, perhaps a makeup call from the first, but the Hurricanes had their second man advantage. Like the first period chance, Carolina had good puck movement and some decent chances, but could not capitalize.
As the penalty expired, Philadelphia sprang loose from the penalty box on a breakaway. One of the best defensive plays you will see during a breakaway was executed to perfection by K’Andre Miller. He swept the puck away without drawing a penalty.
The Flyers had some of the best chances in the wake of that killed penalty, but the Hurricanes were ready for each attempt. It took until the 10:16 mark for Philly to register their first shot of the second period.
Philly built some momentum after that, but it was short-lived. With just over four minutes to go, Seth Jarvis’s pressure on the puck forced a turnover in the Flyers’ end. Andrei Svechnikov gathered the puck, got it back to Jarvis, and he dished it to a streaking Stankhoven for his second goal of the game.
Late in the period, the collective breath of the Caniacs was held as Svechnikov went down to the ice, gripping his knee in pain. Tyson Foerster, who was not involved in the battle along the boards, slashed Svechnikov in his right knee, and in the tangle went down.
Svechnikov skated under his own power to the bench, and the Canes went on the power play to close out the second period.
The Flyers killed off the penalty to start the third, and despite a push, could not break through to make it a game.
After the halfway point of the third, the game got a bit rougher as Philly’s frustration boiled over. The high point of the extracurriculars was between Blake and Trevor Zegras. After their back-and-forth, there was not much more between the teams that crossed the line.
There were 12 penalties in the third, with a Svechnikov cross-check with five minutes to go that gave Philly one last shot to close the gap.
Frederik Andersen and the Carolina defenders were up to the task, and Andersen finished with his sixth career playoff shutout. On the penalty kill, the Hurricanes were exceptional. It was not until the six-on-four in the waning minutes of the third that Philly was able to tally their first shots on goal during a power play.
This was not the most impressive performance by the Carolina offense, but every single player bought in on the defensive end. When the Flyers pressed, Andersen answered the call. His busiest period was the third, and he turned away each shot with ease.
With the win, Andersen is now the franchise leader in playoff wins. His 24 wins pass Hurricanes Hall of Famer and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Cam Ward’s record.
One of the best performances was by Reilly. In his first game since April 14, he recorded two assists and was a critical part of Carolina’s great defensive effort.
The Sparkplug Line led the way once again. The Canes’ second line had five points and, once again, were the best trio on the ice.
One more note: Carolina has not trailed for a single second during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Hurricanes are back in action on Monday, May 4, at 7:00 PM.
1st Period
Logan Stankoven (5) 01:31
M. Reilly (1), J. Blake (4)
Jackson Blake (2) 07:30
T. Hall (6), M. Reilly (2)
2nd Period
Logan Stankoven (6) 16:16
S. Jarvis (3), A. Svechnikov (1)
