Takeaways: Stankoven hits another level as Hurricanes dominate Flyers in Game 1

There’s being in the zone, and then there’s whatever realm of hockey greatness Logan Stankoven has unlocked this spring. The Hurricanes forward was sensational in Round 1 against the Ottawa Senators, scoring in all four games of his squad’s sweeping victory, and he wasted no time making his mark on Round 2 as he led Carolina to a 3-0 series-opening win over the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday night.

Just as he did versus Ottawa, Stankoven was the first to light the lamp in this series — he needed just 91 seconds to make his mark against the Flyers. He added another goal in the second frame to give Carolina a 3-0 lead, bringing his post-season goal tally to six through just five games.

We saw glimpses of his playoff clutch gene last year when Stankoven scored twice in Carolina’s playoff opener against New Jersey and also opened the Hurricanes’ scoring in Round 2 versus Washington. His strong start again this spring has proven to have plenty of staying power. With Saturday’s two-goal performance, the 23-year-old is now tied for the league lead in playoff goals with Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel and Minnesota’s Matt Boldy, with one fewer game to his name. 

Carolina extends unique streak 

Through five games of these playoffs, the Hurricanes are making post-season hockey look easy. They never once trailed through four games against Ottawa last round, and with their 3-0 victory on Saturday, they extended that streak to five straight games of playoff domination. And, just like their series against Ottawa, Carolina kicked off Round 2 against the Flyers with a shutout win. 

They’ve now outscored playoff opponents by a combined score of 14-5 through five matchups.

Philly learning on the fly (the hard way)

After ousting the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime of Game 6 Wednesday night, the Flyers had just two days to rest and reset for Game 1 of their second-round series against the Hurricanes — and it showed. 

A turnaround that quick is a tough ask for any team, but for a Flyers squad coming off such an emotional, turbulent return to playoff hockey, there’s no question it’s taken its toll. We saw it on the injury report, too, with forward Owen Tippett held out of Game 1 and now given a short runway to heal up and return to the lineup. 

There’s plenty of hockey ahead to right the ship, but not much time to ready the crew going forward. Game 2 is set for Monday night, giving them just one day to review film on this one and learn from it. 

And there’s a lot to learn. Top priority will be trying to get something — anything — going on the power-play. While neither side of this matchup excelled with the man advantage on Saturday night, with both the Flyers and Hurricanes going 0-for-4 on the power play, the Flyers’ unit clearly needs a lot of work. It’s been a weakness all season, registering a league-worst 15.7 per cent success rate. They scored just two power-play goals on 17 opportunities against Pittsburgh in Round 1. Carolina’s penalty kill allowed Ottawa just one power-play goal on 21 chances, and was just as stifling in Game 1 Saturday night. Through their first three power plays, Philadelphia couldn’t muster a single shot on goal. They finally registered two during their final power play of the night. 

Rest is best for Andersen 

There was no rest-versus-rust debate when it came to this matchup. Rest won out by a mile. Carolina entered Saturday’s contest on a full week’s rest, and no player benefited more than goaltender Frederik Andersen. The veteran netminder was at his best Saturday night, stopping all 19 shots he faced for his second straight series-opening shutout. That brings his post-season goals-against average to an otherworldly 0.90, while registering a .961 save percentage through five games. Pacing can be tricky for goalies in the playoffs — long breaks can mess with flow, while the intense schedule can bring too heavy a workload at times. So far, it’s looking like the Hurricanes’ conservative approach to Andersen’s playing time is paying off.