3 Flyers most to blame for Game 3 loss to Hurricanes

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3 Flyers most to blame for Game 3 loss to Hurricanes

Bryan Logan, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Fri, May 8, 2026 ·

4 min read

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The Philadelphia Flyers are on the brink of elimination in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Flyers suffered a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3, falling down 0-3 in the series.

As the Flyers lost a third straight game to the Hurricanes, the offense once again struggled to perform, scoring just one goal. The Flyers have scored just three goals in the series, and just eight goals in the last six games, as the Flyers have lost five of six. As they prepare for Game 4 and look to stave off elimination from the playoffs, three people need to shoulder the blame for the Flyers' loss.

Travis Konecny struggles again

Travis Konecny has disappeared in this series. He led the team this year in points, finding the back of the net 27 times while adding 41 helpers. His 68 points were one more than Trevor Zegras , and 17 more than third-ranked Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov . So far in the playoffs, he has a goal and three assists. In the seires, he has completely disappeared. In Game 1, Konecny had two shots and two penalty minutes, but no points. Then in Game 2, he had just one shot in 23:58 of ice time.

In Game 3, it was more of the same. He has two shots and a minus-1 plus/minus rating. His frustrations boiled over late in the third period, when he was called for slashing K'Andre Miller, roughing Miller, and then getting a ten-minute misconduct all in one play. It did not impact that game, but showed where he is at. If Konecny cannot get his head right for Game 4, he is going to have all-off season to figure it out.

Rick Tocchet is not making good decisions

Rick Tocchet made some lineup changes heading into Game 3, but they did not work out. Tocchet was also caught yelling at Zegras during the game, but the forward did score shortly after the interaction. Still, there are two areas in which Tocchet has to be questioned. The first comes in making adjustments to the special teams. The Hurricanes had nine powerplay opportunities, and that falls on the coach. The Canes were able to convert two of them. Then, he made no adjustments to the man-advantage unit. The Flyers went 0-5 on the powerplay, including failing to score on a 5-on-3 situation. Making matters worse, the team gave up a shorthanded goal.

Beyond his coaching of the special teams, his handling of Matvei Michkov has to be questioned. Michkov averaged 16:50 of ice time during the regular season, scoring a team-leading 28 goals. Further, he added 23 assists and was tied for third on the team with 51 points. He played just 9:29 in Game 3. His play time has continued to go down, while he was a scratch in Game 5 of the series with the Penguins. For a team that is struggling to score, not having a weapon on the ice is a poor decision.

Sean Couturier did not step up

Sean Couturier was not a massive scoring threat this year. He scored 12 goals and added 24 assists. Still, he was a solid defensive player and great on the faceoff. In Game 3, he took the draw 14 times, but won just seven of them. Further, he had just one shot in the game and one takeaway on the defensive end. He also committed a penalty early in the first period, but the Hurricanes did not convert.

Still, Couturier would have a minus-1 plus/minus rating and was not great on the draw. He went just seven of 14 at the faceoff dot. He won a face-off on the powerplay, but was on the ice for the mistake that led to Jalen Chatfield scoring a shorthanded goal, which proved to be the game-winner. While his play has not been deplorable, it is well below his norm, and if the Flyers are going to win, he needs to get back to his game.

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