The Carolina Hurricanes wasted no time proving they were ready for the second round, blanking the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Saturday night in Raleigh.
Logan Stankoven continued his red-hot postseason, scoring twice to lead the charge. The rookie sensation, who found the net in all four first-round games against Ottawa, redirected a puck from the slot just 1:31 into the game to set the tone. Jackson Blake added a highlight-reel goal at 7:30, splitting two defenders before slipping the puck past Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar.
Frederik Andersen was stellar between the pipes, stopping all 19 shots he faced for his second shutout of the playoffs and seventh of his postseason career. The veteran netminder barely broke a sweat early on, as Carolina’s relentless forecheck limited Philadelphia to just nine shots through the first two periods.
The Hurricanes entered with a significant rest advantage, having swept Ottawa last weekend, while the Flyers were coming off an emotional Game 6 overtime win against Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Many wondered if the layoff would leave Carolina rusty, but the top seed in the Eastern Conference came out flying from the opening faceoff—a stark contrast to the regular season, where all four meetings between these teams went to overtime or a shootout.
Philadelphia, making its first playoff appearance since 2020, struggled to generate any sustained pressure. The Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play, managing just three shots with the man advantage. By the final frame, frustration boiled over into multiple scrums, resulting in 10-minute misconduct penalties for Philadelphia’s Trevor Zegras and Nick Seeler, as well as Carolina’s Blake and Shayne Gostisbehere.
Both teams were shorthanded. The Flyers were without leading goal-scorer Owen Tippett due to an undisclosed injury, while the Hurricanes missed defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who is sidelined with a concussion suffered in Game 4 against Ottawa.
Game 2 is set for Monday night in Raleigh, where the Hurricanes will look to build on this dominant start.