Late Goal Binge Lifts Flyers Over Devils, 6-3
The Philadelphia Flyers managed a feat on Tuesday night that no other team was previously able to accomplish this season. They trailed first against the defensively stingy New Jersey Devils -- who entered the game with a 20-0-4 record when scoring first -- and went on to win in regulation. The Flyers 6-3 win also marked the most goals scored against New Jersey in a game this season.
The Flyers got goals from Shayne Gostisbehere (11th of the season), Brayden Schenn (power play, 17th), Wayne Simmonds (power play, 21st), Nick Cousins (2nd), Jakub Voracek (9th) and Ryan White (empty net, 9th). Claude Giroux earned three assists to collect the 497th, 498th and 499th assists of his NHL career. Schenn, Simmonds and White all finished with two-point games, as did R.J. Umberger (two assists).
Gostisbehere's late first period goal extended his Flyers rookie skater and NHL rookie defenseman record point streak to 13 straight games. He tied Tom Bladon for second in goals by a Flyers rookie defenseman; Behn Wilson holds the record with 13 goals in 1978-79. Gostisbehere is fourth in points among Flyers rookie defensemen but, with 32 points in only 38 games played to date, is on the highest points-per-game pace. The top three are Wilson (49 points in 80 games), Bladon (42 points in 78 games in 1972-73) and Janne Niinimaa (44 points in 77 games in 1996-97).
Tyler Kennedy (power play, 1st), Jordin Tootoo (fourth) and Kyle Palmieri (21st) scored in a losing cause for the Devils. John Moore, Reid Boucher, Scott Helgeson and David Schlemko chipped in one assist apiece.
Winning goaltender Michal Neuvirth stepped up big repeatedly for the Flyers while the game was still up for grabs -- especially while the Flyers were killing penalties -- and finished with 21 saves on 24 shots. Cory Schneider stopped 20 of 25.
Tuesday's tilt was an often bizarre and penalty-laden content. The Devils scored one power play goal in seven opportunities (including a five-minute disadvantage and a 5-on-3) while the Flyers went 2-for-4.
Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas, who has put himself in the crosshairs of NHL officials, was tossed out of the game on a match penalty at 8:10 of the first period as he bumped Bobby Farnham at the blueline. Farnham gave it some salesmanship and it was hardly a violent play but it was enough to draw a reputation call as referee Greg Kimmerly ejected the Czech blueliner for a head shot. Had it been most any other player, it would more likely have been a simple two minute interference minor. Nevertheless, it was a silly play by Gudas with the puck nowhere nearby.
The Devils scored a would-be goal by Adam Henrique during the five-minute advantage but Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol challenged the call on the basis of Neuvirth being interfered with in the blue paint by Lee Stempniak. The replay delay was brief and Kimmerly and his officiating partners quickly overturned the original call.
As the New Jersey power play progressed, they came within a whisker twice of scoring -- once on a shot that hit the post and barely stayed out of the net another from point blank range that Neuvirth got part of his glove on to knock wide -- but then finally connected as Kennedy buried a 30-foot shot from the left side to give the Devils a 1-0 lead at 12:01.
The Flyers continued to get themselves into penalty trouble but kept the Devils at bay. At 17:23, after Giroux won a right circle offensive zone faceoff and Schenn got the puck back Gostisbehere in tight quarters at the point. Gostisbehere's point shot found its way home through a Simmonds screen. Schenn and Giroux got the assists as the Flyers tied the game. First period shots were 8-8.
Philly was the superior team in the second period, outshooting the Devils by a 10-6 margin. At 7:55, the Flyers took the lead at 2-1. The sequence started with a tough keep at the blueline by Gostisbehere. Giroux then backhanded the puck around behind the net. Simmonds then made a beautiful pass-out to Schenn moving past the hash marks in the left slot. Schenn then sniped a shot high to the glove side.
The Flyers went over 20 minutes between the latter half of the second period and the first half of the third period without a shot on goal. That became worrisome as New Jersey began to make a push.
The Flyers staged their sixth successful penalty kill after Cousins went off for holding. Neuvirth made three big stops during the kill. At the 9:24 mark, however, Tootoo's shot from the right half boards found its way through traffic and beat the screened.
Still shotless, the Flyers then promptly exploded for a pair of goals on four shots over a 50-second span.
With the Flyers on gift power play after a marginal interference call on Travis Zajac against Giroux in the Flyers' zone, there was a scary moment as a puck nearly got poked past Gostisbehere outside the New Jersey blueline for a shorthanded odd-man rush. Instead, Gostisbehere poked the loose puck to Giroux, who regained the offensive zone. Now the Flyers had numbers on the Devils. Precision passing from Giroux to Schenn and Schenn to Simmonds set up a tap-in from the right side of the crease at 12:22.
At 13:12, the Flyers lead grew to 4-2 moments after Sergey Kalinin nearly tied the game for the Devils. After the Devils coughed up a puck, Schneider denied an Umberger chance from inside the right circle but the loose puck went right back to Umberger, who made an alert shovel pass to Cousins in point blank range on the left side of the net. Cousins buried a 10-footer for his second career NHL goal. White got the secondary assist.
The Flyers put a 5-2 stranglehold on the game at 17:44. Umberger made a strong play to get the puck to Voracek and trigger a two-on-one rush with New Jersey forward Palmieri having to stand in as a defenseman. Rather than passing to Giroux, Voracek looked Schneider off and then fired a wrist shot home from the right circle.
New Jersey got back withing two goals at 17:44. Palmieri beat Gostisbehere to the inside off the rush and fired a left circle shot from the hash marks past Neuvirth to trim the gap to 5-3. However, the Flyers almost immediately restored their three-goal cushion as White found the net from the neutral zone with Schneider pulled for an extra attacker to create a 6-3 final.
Shots in the third period were 10-8 in the Devils favor; 26-24 Flyers for the game.
The Flyers' will have two nights off before their road trip continues in Montreal on Friday and Toronto on Saturday.
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FLYERS ALUMNI: UPCOMING GAMES
The Flyers Alumni Team has a series of fundraising games upcoming around the Delaware Valley. Here are the next six games on the schedule.
Feb. 20, 2016: 4th Annual Center for Autism Winter Classic (Ice Works, Aston, PA, 8:15 p.m.). Each year, the Flyers Alumni Team takes on the CFA Puzzlers to raise money for the work the Center does on behalf of autism education and support. Last year, the event raised $28,428. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information,
click here.
Feb. 27, 2016: Checkmates IBD Benefit (University of Pennsylvania Class of 1923 Arena, Philadelphia, PA, 7:30 p.m.) The Flyers Alumni Team will once again raise money for the support of the department of gastroenterology and hepatology at Thomas Jefferson University. For more information,
click here.
March. 6, 2016: Willis Foundation Benefit (Flyers Skate Zone, Voorhees, NJ, TBD). Last year's game and meet-and-greet at the Skate Zone raised proceeds for the Willis Foundation and Historic Philadelphia. More information to come.
March 12, 2016: Junior Achievement of Delaware Game (Fred Rust Ice Arena, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, TBA). Last season's game was a big hit, raising approximately $125,000. For more information,
click here.
March 26, 2016: Benefit for Police Officer Jesse Hartnett (N.E. Philadelphia Flyers Skate Zone, Philadelphia, PA, 3 p.m.): The Alumni will take on the Philly's Finest hockey team will raise money on behalf Philadelphia police officer Jesse Hartnett who, on Jan. 7, was traveling in his police cruiser when a lone shooter approached and opened fire on the driver's side of the vehicle, firing 11 shots; three of which struck officer Hartnett. The Alumni recently added this game to the schedule to show support and raise funds to provide assistance for the officer's needs.
April 3, 2016: 12th Annual Goals for Giving Benefit: The Power of the Game (Northeast Philadelphia Flyers Skate Zone, Philadelphia, PA, 1:30 p.m.): Last year's event alone raised over $107,000. Over the past 11 years, the NHS Goals for Giving Hockey Benefits have raised about $506,000 to directly support the programs and services. For more information,
click here.
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