The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Wednesday that center Noah Cates will miss the rest of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes with a lower-body injury.
The team returns home for Game 3 on Thursday night after dropping the first two games in Raleigh, per the report. Cates, 27, has one goal and three assists in eight playoff games this postseason, the report says, coming off the best offensive season of his five-year NHL career when he had 18 goals and 29 assists for 47 points in 82 games.
The report notes Cates averaged 16:20 of ice time per game and highlights his value beyond offense. During the regular season, the Flyers allowed 1.67 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 with Cates on the ice, per the report, underscoring his reputation as one of the club’s top defensive forwards.
Coach Rick Tocchet praised Cates’ consistency and said the team will follow a familiar approach. “I mean, he’s been Mr. Consistency all year. Does a lot of things for us,” Tocchet said. “But like I said, it’s no different than other teams. Next man up. You’ve heard the drill before.”
Tocchet added that the Flyers remain solid down the middle despite the loss, noting the Hurricanes’ depth at center. The coach said rookie Denver Barkey, 20, has seen more time at center and that Trevor Zegras will be moved back to center “to get him going,” per the report. Sean Couturier remains among the club’s centers, and Christian Dvorak is listed as day-to-day with an injury but is expected to play in Game 3, the report says.
The Flyers have struggled to generate offense against Carolina’s defense and goaltending, getting blanked in Game 1 and scoring two goals in Game 2. Tocchet urged a more direct approach to create chances: “I think to help some guys out that are struggling against Carolina, they’ve got to have a shot-first mentality. You’ve got to be able to make a play around them,” he said. “I think some guys are overpassing and that’s the one thing Carolina’s good at. They make you overpass. But if you throw pucks at the net, beat their aggressiveness, you’re going to get chances.”
