3 Takeaways From Flyers’ Game 2 OT Loss to Hurricanes – Hockey Writers –

On the road, the Philadelphia Flyers built a 2-0 lead against a Carolina Hurricanes team that had never made it to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs before. That lead was squandered, however, forcing overtime. Late in the period, Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall scored the winner in the crease, putting his team up 2-0 in the series.

The Flyers nearly split Games 1 and 2, but now face a margin-for-error deficit heading back to Philadelphia. Here are three things you can take away from a loss.

Flyers Dominate Overtime

Following the Flyers’ two-goal lead, it looked similar to how they did in Game 1. Even though they weren’t playing, Carolina outplayed the Orange and Black. Despite a great performance by goalkeeper Dan Vladař, the home team fell behind at 11:21 in Period 3.

There were chances from the Flyers, but overall, they didn’t put much together in 55 minutes (their first two goals came within five minutes of the game). It wasn’t an effort to hang your hat on.

Then overtime happened. During that time, the Flyers outscored the Hurricanes 15-8, dominating at times. Better yet, it was the top guys making the difference—Matvei Michkov had his best postseason turnaround, and Trevor Zegras set up Travis Konecny ​​for a breakaway.

The irony of it all is that the Hurricanes won in overtime, though, on a seemingly innocent enough layup. Still, it was one of the few times in this series that the Flyers showed some life. Despite the loss, that was refreshing to see.

The Power Play Didn’t Take Enough Chances

The Flyers’ power play recorded a goal this time, but went 1-for-7 (14.3%). As the season approaches, you have to convert more than once with multiple attempts. But if you don’t take chances with the man’s advantage, that’s the result you should expect.

After Jamie Drysdale’s early power play strike, the Flyers didn’t do much. Michkov and Porter Martone arguably had the best looks—the latter’s first innings—but they couldn’t beat Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen.

Perhaps the biggest reason the Flyers have been successful has to do with their reluctance to take chances. Given the system they’re using, it makes sense—no one wants to go through the ice and lead to an opportunity to chase the other way, which could result in a goal.

But at least by my eye test, the Flyers’ power play was much better when attempting dangerous passes. You are less likely to get into those high risk areas using less risky methods. In Game 3, especially given the series deficit, it would be a good idea to open up the power play offense a little bit.

The Barkey Center Experiment

This was an interesting history. With Owen Tippett out, the Flyers tried 21-year-old Denver Barkey at center, instead of his usual wing.

While Barkey’s streak has been disrupted, with him also having an expected goal share of 32.2% at 5-on-5 per Hockey Stats, that doesn’t mean this was a failed experiment. If anything, he fit in well.

Barkey was mostly a linebacker at the junior level, but he had a lot of experience at center. Now, in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s like old times.

The obvious knock on Barkey’s fit down the middle is his size: 5-foot-10, 171 pounds. But he has a style of play that works there—high energy, three-point engagement, wins board battles, skates well, and has some skill.

They don’t play the same way, but look at Logan Stankoven. He’s been one of the best skaters in these playoffs, and he’s a 5-foot-8, 165-pound center. If he can do it, Barkey can, too.

If you look at things logically, Monday’s loss was probably a sword for the Orange and Black—four out of five wins for the Hurricanes would be a challenge. However, the team’s playoff probability was 3.8% at one point, according to MoneyPuck. Overcoming this hole is highly unlikely, for sure, but the Flyers at least showed some bite. Game 3 will be Thursday at 8 pm EDT.