Flyers’ Christian Dvorak expected to play Game 3 against Hurricanes

The Philadelphia Flyers are dealing with a rash of injuries among their forwards ahead of Thursday night’s crucial Game 3 in their second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, but there is good news on at least one front.

Head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters Thursday morning that he expects center Christian Dvorak to play. While it will ultimately come down to how he feels in pre-game warmups, but Tocchet added that “he’s a warrior.”

Dvorak, a veteran pivot who signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia over the summer before agreeing to a long-term extension in-season, put up 51 points in 80 games in the regular season but has just three points, all assists, in eight Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.

While Dvorak’s inclusion in the lineup is good news for the Flyers, the team will not have Noah Cates, as the exceptional defensive forward who broke out offensively this season was ruled out for the series earlier this week. They will not have Owen Tippet, either, Tocchet told reporters Thursday, but Tippett has not been in the lineup for either game this series.

The Flyers, down 2-0 in the series, have their backs against the wall ahead of Thursday night’s Game 3 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. They also have the opportunity to win a pair of games on home ice and send the series back to Raleigh tied at two games apiece.

The Hurricanes dominated in Game 1, winning by a 3-0 margin that could have been more, as Carolina showed no sign of rust following a week-long layoff and outplayed Philadelphia in every facet of the game.

That was much less the case on Monday night in Game 2, when the Flyers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, and while they were badly outplayed as the Canes pushed to tie the game, Philly was the better team in overtime until Taylor Hall delivered the game-winner for the home team.