Top-Seeded Flyers Continue Quest For Stanley Cup: Schedule, More

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Philadelphia Flyers will continue their march through the postseason on Monday night when they begin the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the New York Islanders.

This Flyers team had seemed ticketed for a deep postseason run dating back to early 2020, going on a fiery streak leading up to the coronavirus shutdown which, in early March, placed them among the betting favorites to win the championship.

With the 76ers swept out of the opening round of the NBA playoffs on Sunday, the Flyers are now alone in carrying the torch of championship hopes for Philadelphia.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

The Flyers were in fourth place in the Eastern Conference when regular season play was suspended due to the pandemic in March. A fine playoff seeding indeed, had they held on, and a radical turn around from their 11th place finish in the conference last year.

When the NHL restarted weeks ago, they went straight into a seeding round robin for the top four teams in each conference. The Flyers won all three games against the best teams in hockey: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, and Boston Bruins, thus earning the number one seed for the first time in 20 years. It hasn't been since the days of Eric Lindros and John LeClair in 2000 that the Flyers were top seed (that season ended in infamy with another Lindros concussion and a Flyers loss to the New Jersey Devils in the East finals).

In the opening round, the Flyers defeated the 8th seeded Montreal Canadiens, four games to two. Like the Flyers, the Canadiens look far better than their regular season record would indicate, and gave Philly fans cause for concern after winning 5-0 in Game 2.

But the Flyers recovered, on the back of back to back shutouts from goaltender Carter Hart. It was their first playoff series victory since 2012.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Speaking of Hart, he is possibly the most important player on either side of this upcoming round two matchup with the Islanders.

Just 22, the Flyers first homegrown goalie of this caliber in a generation has been integral to the team outperforming expectations at every turn. Since the restart began, Hart has the highest save percentage of any qualifying goalie in the NHL at .943, and his goals against average of 1.71 narrowly trails only that of the stellar netminder he'll be opposing, the Islanders' Semyon Varlamov (1.67).

Despite their success, the Flyers' offense has not yet ramped up to the levels of dominance it enjoyed during the regular season. The team has scored 22 times since the restart, down at 14th in the league, their shots per game is just 25, which is 23rd overall, and their 10 percent powerplay conversion rating is 22nd.

A big offensive series against Varlamov would seem less likely; it's not how this team has been winning. Rather, close games, with a lot of control from the Flyers' defensive crew, and a reliance on high quality scoring chances, not a high quantity.

Yet still, the Flyers have all the pieces to dominate a series on the offensive end as well. The team was 7th in scoring in the regular season, and skaters like Sean Couterier, Kevin Hayes, and Travis Konecny are capable of taking a game over, if their lines can begin connecting the way were back in March.

"We all know there's another level we can get to," Konecny said on NBC Sports Monday.

THE REST

Should the Flyers defeat the Islanders, they'd advance to their first Eastern Conference final in a decade, since they lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. The winner of the Flyers-Islanders series will play the winner of the Lighting vs. Bruins series, which Boston already leads, 1-0.

The Flyers are eight wins away from reaching the game's biggest stage.

SCHEDULE

Game 1: Aug. 24, 7 p.m.

Game 2: Aug. 26, 3 p.m.

Game 3: Aug. 27, 7 p.m.

Game 4 — Aug. 29, noon

Game 5 — Aug. 31, TBD (if neccessary)

Game 6 — Sept. 2, TBD (if neccessary)

Game 7 — Sept. 3, TBD (if neccessary)