The Flyers got a whole two-day break between sending Pittsburgh home and getting the ball rolling again against Carolina. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday night in prime time but, as of this post, no other dates or times have been revealed for the next three games. Of course, that should be resolved once the remaining four series in round one conclude.
However, it’s always a good time to make bold predictions, right? So, having said all that, here are three bold predictions for the Flyers in their quest to once again see if they can win another round.
Flyers’ power play will click
Heading into Friday’s schedule, the Flyers find themselves twelfth in terms of power play effectiveness at 11.8 per cent. Colorado, Utah, Buffalo, and Ottawa are worse, with Buffalo clicking at just five per cent. So it’s incredulous to believe the Sabres are now jealous of the Flyers’ woeful man advantage efficiency. The power play is well versed in being terrible, and although they scored two power play goals against Pittsburgh, a lot of times it was killing the clock for two minutes.
Well, now might be the brief reprieve from such ineptness! Philadelphia are not exactly paling compared to Carolina’s power play in the playoffs (humming at, er, 13.3 per cent). And the fact the Flyers still have tired but relatively rust-free legs could mean they catch the Canes in first or second gear for most of game one. Combine that with the fact the Flyers’ youngsters now have a first-round victory under their belt and they might play a little looser five-on-four. An early power play goal could give them a boost of confidence the next time.
Nobody is expecting the Flyers to end up around 30 per cent. Put Philadelphia’s power play at around 20 per cent and it could be the difference between this series ending quick like most are suspecting, or the Flyers making it a far more interesting and longer affair.
Michkov and Martone lead the charge for the Flyers
Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone had a combined four points in round one. Michkov got the primary assist on Cam York’s winner in overtime in Game 6 while Martone put Philadelphia on solid footing with two game-winning goals in Game 1 and Game 2. So, how could they make an even more magical impact? Well, let’s say the pair put up individual, multi-point efforts in the opening two games in Carolina. A two-goal game (or hat trick) by either one or the other would certainly put a lot more doubt in Carolina’s coach Rod Brind’Amour’s head. Or if head coach Rick Tocchet pulled out all the stops and put the two of them on the same line, with one playing on their off wing. It could be fantastic, it could flame out instantly, but it would be something to watch.
Michkov and Martone are the two biggest factors for Philadelphia offensively, not just for this series but for the years to come. If they can get a few more points under the belts early, and can somehow help Philadelphia get a split heading back to Xfinity Mobile Arena for Game 3, that might be enough to stretch this series out a lot longer than anticipated. And also giving hope of what’s looming on the horizon for this dynamic duo.
Nick Seeler will drop the gloves with Nic Deslauriers
It didn’t look like there was a snowball’s chance in hell of it happening, but it was only two about two months for things to come full circle for the Flyers and former enforcer Nic Deslauriers. Flyers general manager Danny Briere did Deslauriers a solid at the deadline, sending him (and the locker room mask temporarily) to Carolina for a late-round draft pick. The idea being to give the veteran enforcer a chance at being a part of a deep playoff run for the Cup contender.
Now, Deslauriers will be facing his recent but former teammates. And while it’s all business on the ice, it’s hard to believe Deslauriers would be effective wanting to drop the gloves against guys he spent almost four seasons with in some cases. This could work in Philadelphia’s favor if Deslauriers is dressed on Carolina’s fourth line, especially against the likes of Tyson Foerster, Sean Couturier or Luke Glendening. Deslauriers wasn’t the quickest tough guy on the ice on most nights, so having him running around would be a Flyers asset.
There’s basically only two Flyers who could willingly decide to drop the gloves with Deslauriers. One would be Garnet Hathaway, but that all depends on if he’s in the lineup or not. Hathaway isn’t big, but he can dish it out as much as he can take it. The only other Flyer would be Nick Seeler, who isn’t quite in the heavyweight category Deslauriers is, but could also defend the Flyers if Deslauriers became unglued. It won’t be the deciding factor in this series, yet it could be an intriguing subplot to be mindful of.
We just know the last time these two dropped the gloves, we got a bout for the ages.
