Flyers Hurricanes Sweep NHL Playoffs Bump

Flyers swept out of the playoffs, lose 3-2 in overtime to the Hurricanes in Game 4

The Flyers lost 3-2 in overtime to the Hurricanes on Saturday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Jackson Blake scored the winner 5:31 into the extra period. The series is over. Carolina completed the sweep with eight straight playoff wins and just 10 goals allowed across the entire postseason.

The Flyers are done.

Disappointed? Sure. I wanted one more win. I wanted this team to take a game off the best team in the East just to prove they could. They took Carolina to overtime twice in this series and couldn’t finish either one.

That stings for sure but when I step back and look at the full picture of what this franchise just accomplished, I can’t be mad that we’re actually still writing about the Flyers in May.

Flyers had no business being here

The Flyers were supposed to be rebuilding. Nobody picked them to make the playoffs. Nobody picked them to beat Pittsburgh. Nobody picked them to win a first-round series in six games and advance to the second round against the one seed.

They did all of that with five rookies in the Game 4 lineup who had a combined 78 games of NHL regular-season experience between them. Not even a full season’s worth. Porter Martone was playing college hockey five weeks ago. Jett Luchanko was in juniors five days ago.

This team won 18 of its final 25 regular-season games after being eight points out of a wild card spot at the Olympic break. They went into Pittsburgh and stole the first two games on the road.

They survived a 3-2 scare against the Penguins and closed out the series in overtime on Cam York’s goal that sent his stick flying into the crowd. They sent Sidney Crosby home. They gave this city six years’ worth of hockey emotions compressed into three weeks of playoff action.

Carolina was just better. The Hurricanes haven’t lost a game in these playoffs. They held the Flyers to five goals across four games in this series. Frederik Andersen stopped 15 of 17 shots Saturday night and allowed just five goals in the entire second round. The Flyers’ offense dried up at the worst possible time and Carolina’s depth, pedigree, and defensive structure were too much for a team that was playing with house money from the start.

Vladar Was Incredible All Postseason

Dan Vladar made 37 saves Saturday night. In the playoffs, he posted a 2.18 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage, and two shutouts. The 28-year-old carried this team further than anyone could have expected. He gave the Flyers a chance to win every single game he played in these playoffs and the skaters in front of him couldn’t give him enough offensive support to finish the job against Carolina.

Vladar is in his first season of a two-year deal. The Flyers have their goalie. That’s not a question anymore. Whatever happens this offseason, Vladar proved he’s a legitimate number one who can steal games and carry a team in the playoffs. Build around that.

Flyers Offense Disappeared In Round 2

The Flyers scored 10 goals over their last seven games after putting up 11 through the first three playoff games against Pittsburgh. The top four goal scorers from the regular season in Konecny, Zegras, Tippett, and Michkov combined for four goals in the entire postseason and one of them was an empty-netter. That’s a devastating stat for a team that needed offensive production from its best forwards to compete with Carolina.

Tippett missed the entire second round with an undisclosed injury. Michkov was a healthy scratch twice and had zero goals and one assist in eight games while averaging just 11:50 per night.

Cates went down with a lower-body injury for the final two games. Dvorak was banged up and didn’t score a goal in the playoffs. The offensive depth that the Flyers needed just wasn’t there, partially because of injuries and partially because the guys who were available couldn’t finish.

The power play went 3-for-36 in the postseason. The league’s worst power play during the regular season was somehow even worse when it mattered most. That number alone tells the story of why the Flyers couldn’t beat Carolina. You don’t beat the best team in the East when your man advantage converts at an 8 percent clip.

The Kids Were Fearless

Bump scored in Game 4 to tie it in the third period. Martone scored in both Games 1 and 2 against Pittsburgh. Barkey scored a key goal in the first round. Luchanko was thrown into a playoff game five days after playing junior hockey and competed without looking overwhelmed.

These kids played with zero fear and gave this franchise a glimpse of what the future looks like. The Flyers’ core going forward is young, fast, and hungry. Michkov is going to figure it out. Martone is going to be a star. Bump, Barkey, Luchanko, all of them got playoff experience that is going to pay dividends for years.

The Offseason Starts Now

Danny Briere has work to do. Zegras and Drysdale are restricted free agents who need new deals. Ersson is an RFA too. Unrestricted free agency opens July 1 with the salary cap climbing $8.5 million and some dead money coming off the books. The center position is thin in this free agent class but the Flyers could address defense or backup goaltending.

The power play needs a complete overhaul. Three for 36 in the playoffs is organizational malpractice. The offensive depth needs to be upgraded. Tocchet’s system works defensively but the Flyers need more finishing talent to compete in the second round and beyond. Briere got Zegras via trade last offseason. Don’t be surprised if he gets creative again this summer.

The NHL Draft is June 26-27. The Flyers have assets, cap space, and a young core that just proved it belongs in the playoffs. The foundation is there. Now it’s about adding the pieces that turn a fun playoff run into a legitimate Cup contender.

Lets Go Flyers

I said before the Pittsburgh series that Flyers in 6. I was right. I said the Flyers would beat the Penguins and send Crosby home. They did. I predicted the Carolina series would be a different level of competition. It was. The Hurricanes were too good and the Flyers’ offense wasn’t ready for that kind of defensive structure.

I know Flyers Twitter will have something to complain about but for the rest of us, this season was a massive success for a franchise that was irrelevant 12 months ago.

The Flyers made the playoffs. They won a round. They gave this city playoff hockey for the first time in six years. They introduced a wave of rookies who competed fearlessly on the biggest stage.

The season is over. The sting of the sweep will fade. What stays is the foundation that was built and the belief that this team is heading in the right direction.

Join The Chase

unfiltered, opinionated, and certainly do not care if you like it or not.

TwitterFacebookInstagram

Read More

Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Back To Top

Discover more from The Liberty Line

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading