What Went Wrong: Flyers Rocked by Hurricanes

A lot of amazing thing had been happening in Philadelphia sports in recent years. The Eagles have become a juggernaut, winning a pair of Super Bowls. The Phillies reached the World Series in 2022, and served as a top force in the National League. The 76ers have had quite a few good seasons with Joel Embiid leading the way.

And then there's the Flyers. The Flyers served as the defacto Black Sheep of the city, but it's not for a lack of trying. The effort was there. The playoff appearances? Not so much. 2018 saw them whacked by Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, and since then, years of disappointments, with the lone playoff appearance coming in that 2020 bubble. That would change this year. It looked like it would be another bad year for the Flyers, but a winning tear in March and April would result in the Flyers finishing third in the Metropolitan Division, locking in their first playoff appearance in six years. The Flyers had to deal with the aforementioned Penguins, who were a lot older than their last playoff meeting. Philly managed to take care of the Penguins, despite appearing to lose control after winning the first three games, but Cam York's OT goal placed them in the Elite Eight.

One problem: they were on a collision course with the Carolina Hurricanes.

"Canes in 4" was the ultimate buzz phrase when that series was made official. I didn' t buy it. I mean, yeah, the Hurricanes look damn good and they entered this round having yet to trail in this year's playoffs, but they weren't going to sweep the Flyers, right? Well, the Canes did trail for the first time in this series. But that was the only positive for the Flyers. Blanked in Game One. Had Carolina on the ropes in Game Two but lost in OT. Smacked in Game Three, and while Game Four was another good one, the Flyers lost in OT. That's that.

But I can't really slight the Flyers in this. The only thing that went wrong for Philly is that they were just no match for the Hurricanes. That's all.

The points were kinda spread out, but the numbers were not high for the Flyers in this year's playoffs. Trevor Zegras (I still can't believe he's not a not a Duck anymore) led the way with six points (2G/4A). Rasmus Ristolainen, in his first playoff appearance, had five points (G/4A), and while Cam York had his series clinching OT goal, that and an assist were all he had in 10 playoff games. Of course, the player everyone is talking about is Porter Martone, 19-year-old Porter Martone. He's been showing out for about a month now, and regarding his numbers: two goals, three assists, five points total. Even better: both goals were game winners. Again: he's only nineteen years of age. He's young enough to be Sidney Crosby's kid. Let that sink in.

Honestly, I truly think that the Philadelphia Flyers do have a lot to be proud of this season. Their first playoff appearance in six years, and not only that, they advance. Their series win was against their in-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins. This run has seen key moments from Porter Martone, Cam York, Trevor Zegras, and goaltender Dan Vladar, who had two shutouts and a 2.18 GAA in net during this run. The Flyers truly had an amazing season, better than expected, and their offseason will be interesting. If they make the right moves during this offseason, we could see another good campaign next season, maybe a return to perennial playoff team status!