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Flyers Rescue a Point, Fall 4-3 in OT to Maple Leafs; Team Awards

April 7, 2016, 11:47 PM ET [356 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
A terrible first period and three killer breakdowns nearly spelled disaster for the Philadelphia Flyers but they rallied to rescue a point against the Toronto Maple Leafs before falling, 4-3, on a controversial overtime power play goal.

On Toronto's game-winning goal by Jake Gardiner. Brooks Laich , who had one skate inside the crease, set up a heavy screen, jumping up and obstructing Steve Mason's view.

According to NHL Rule 69:

[If] an attacking player plants himself within the goal crease, as to obstruct
the goalkeeper’s vision and impair his ability to defend his goal, and a goal is
scored. ....Goal is disallowed. The announcement should be, “No goal due to interference with the goaltender."


Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol was not happy about the call on the final play but did not want to dwell on it.

"I mean, I think it’s goalie interference on the winning goal, but you know, that’s a moot point at this point in time,"" Hakstol said.

"We weren’t sharp enough. We gave up a couple of easy goals; we had a little bit of a push back. It was a sloppy period, both directions, and we weren’t sharp enough. What’s the reason, I don’t have a reason for that. They flew last night and probably landed about two in the morning. We did the exact same thing. These are tough games to play but we’ve got a lot on the line. Our intensity level was excellent through the second and third, but the two easy goals we gave up in the first turned out to be too big of a hole for us."

The Flyers themselves lost a would-be tying goal to a goaltender interference play in the second period where Giroux was knocked to the ice and his momentum carried him into the crease.

Toronto scored their first goal on a play where Claude Giroux had a broken stick and went off for a line change, with the Flyers only having four players on the ice until it was too late and then getting their coverage overloaded to one side to create a slam dunk for William Nylander. Their other two regulation goals were breakaway goals by Colin Greening and Michael Grabner scored over Mason's glove.

The Flyers got a Brayden Schenn goal in the opening minute of the second period to temporarily cut the gap to 2-1 after their poor opening period. Philly mounted a two-goal comeback in the third period on goals by Andrew MacDonald and Wayne Simmonds -- the latter coming at 19:02 with Mason pulled for an extra attacker.

For the first time in awhile, the Flyers got a decent but not stellar goaltending performance from Mason. He was blameless on all four Toronto goals but, unlike most recent games, every breakdown ended up in the net. Mason finished with 22 saves on 26 shots.

Jonathan Bernier was very good for Toronto. The Flyers outshot Toronto by a 33-15 margin after the first period and buzzed around the net constantly. There was little he could do on any of the three Philadelphia goals.

“I think we had to put our foot on the gas a little bit,” said Schenn. “We knew Toronto would give us a good test tonight. Obviously we’d like to have that first period back, but like I said, it’s nice to get the one point out of it and go from there.”

By virtue of rescuing a point from Thursday's game, the Flyers still control their own playoff destiny heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Trailing both the Boston Bruins (5-1 winners over Detroit on Thursday) and Red Wings by one point, there are still multiple ways the Flyers can get into the playoffs.

"Tell us two months ago we’d be in this positon we would take it. We played really good in the second and third period," said Giroux.

Here are the scenarios for Saturday:

1) If either the Red Wings (on the road against the New York Rangers) or Bruins (home against the Ottawa Senators) lose in regulation on Saturday, the Flyers are in if they pick up two points over the weekend. That can be done with a win of any kind against either the Pittsburgh Penguins (at home on Saturday) or New York Islanders (road) on Sunday. It could also be done with regulation ties in both games.

2) If one of the Red Wings or Bruins picks up one point on Saturday and the other wins, the Flyers would need at least three points (i.e., a win and an overtime/shootout loss) over the weekend to get in.

3) Regardless of how the Red Wings and Bruins fare, if the Flyers beat both Pittsburgh and New York, they are in the playoffs.

Conversely, if both the Red Wings and Bruins win on Saturday and the Flyers lose -- by any means -- to the Penguins, Philadelphia is eliminated regardless of what happens on Sunday.

If so, the Flyers have no one but themselves to blame.

The Flyers got out of the gates fast with the game's first four shots and first two scoring chances through a Philadelphia icing at 4:18. Mason made his first save on a right circle snap shot by Michael Grabner at 4:45.

Simmonds had a breakaway but got pokechecked by Bernier at 3:18.

The Leafs took a 1-0 lead at 5:28 on their second shot of the game. Giroux went off for a line change and the Flyers had just four skaters on the ice until it was too late. To compound the issue, both Nick Schultz and Mark Streit were on the right side of the ice, with Simmonds over the middle and no one on the left.

Mason came out to challenge Martin Marincin on the right side. Meanwhile, Nylander broke to the other side untouched, took a pass from Marincin and finished off his sixth goal of the season ahead of Mason's desperation dive across the net. Colin Greening got the secondary assist.

Mason had to be quick to kick out his right pad and deny Brooks Laich from the doorstep at 6:22. Shots were 6-4 Flyers at a TV timeout at 7:28.

Gostisbehere made a diving play to deny a pass on a 2-on-1 rush for Toronto.The rush fizzled out. With 9:13 left, Mason stopped a close range backhander by Nylander, deflecting the puck into the safety netting.

The Leafs momentarily had an odd-man attack down low but the Flyers recovered and Radko Gudas finished Greening off with a big hit behind the net.

The Flyers had trouble getting out of their own zone with about six minutes left. Ryan White painfully blocked a T.J. Brennan shot but the Leafs regained the puck. Finally Mason came up with a Nylander high slot shot with traffic in front.

With 4:57 left, Greening split the defense and scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0, chipping the puck over Mason's glove for his seventh goal of the season. Nylander, who collected a Voracek turnover on a cross-ice pass and then made a lead pass to Greening, got the primary assist. Lindberg got the secondary. The shot was Toronto's 10th of the first period.

At 17:44, Sam Carrick went off for interference. Voracek had a side angle shot. Gostisbehere fired a center point shot on net that Bernier handled. The second unit failed to get a shot.

Shots in the first period were 11-11.

The Leafs got a quick shot and an offensive zone faceoff just 18 seconds into the period. The Flyers won the ensuing faceoff, went the other way and scored. Couturier carried up the left side, backhanded the puck at the net and Schenn tipped it upstairs to narrow the gap to 2-1 at. Couturier and Sam Gagner got the assists on Schenn's 26th of the season.

The Flyers went back to the power play at 1:26 as Tobias Lindberg clipped Brandon Manning with a high stick and received a double minor. With 1:57 left, after Giroux made some slick moves and then knocked the puck from the ice over to Voracek, slid into the crease as Voracek shot it into the net. The play was waived off for incidental contact, and the Flyers bench issued a challenge. The call was upheld and the Flyers lost their timeout.

Philly's top unit generated some furious pressure as play resumed but could not find an equalizer.

At about the eight-minute mark, Giroux deflected a puck just wide of the net. Bernier would not have had a chance had it been on net. Three minutes later, the Bellemare line had an excellent forechecking shift in the Toronto zone.

Toronto scored its second breakaway goal of the game at 9:17. Simmonds turned a puck over to Grabner, who sped off on a breakaway and scored glove-side for his ninth of the season.

Voracek got a hooking penalty at 12:04. The Flyers killed it off.

With 3:46 left, Schenn was the first to get to a bouncing Gudas rebound but could not get it in the net. With players crowding in, Bernier fell on the rebound. Simmonds and then Giroux had scoring chances on ensuing shifts but couldn't pot a goal.

Marincin went off for high-sticking at 18:34. Giroux and then Simmonds (on the followup) had great chances in close by Bernier denied them. In the waning seconds, Couturier deflected a shot on net.

Shots in the second period were 15-5 Flyers; 26-16 Flyers through 40 minutes.

At 1:05 of the third period, Streit carried in up the left side and wristed a shot on net. Bernier made a routine save Gostisbehere's backchecking disrupted a near breakaway. The Bellemare line had a flurry in deep about five minutes into the period but White tucked the puck wide after winning a battle for the loose puck around the net.

The forechecking Bellemare line created a scoring change that resulted in the Flyers cutting the deficit to 3-2 at. A Bellemare centering pass intended for White went out to MacDonald in the deep slot. His shot went through a White screen. VandeVelde got the secondary assist on MacDonald's first of the season at 8:33.

Philly came right back with a Schenn scoring chance after the goal and the Giroux line applied heavy pressure again on its next shift. Shots were 10-4 Flyers at the midpoint of the period. With 8:53 left, Bernier denied Schenn from the bottom of the left circle off a rush. A TV timeout ensued.

The Flyers were not able to get much going over the next few minutes. Mason snared a side-angle shot for a faceoff with 3:27 left. After two more fruitless shifts, Streit took an icing with 1:31 left.

The Flyers won the draw and Mason was pulled for an extra attacker as the play came up ice. With 57.4 seconds left, Simmonds deflected home a Streit point shot for his 30th goal of the season. Gostisbehere got the secondary assist at 19:02.

The game went to overtime. Shots were 18-8 Flyers in the third period; 44-24 through regulation.

Mason had to make a stop off an early Giroux turnover. MacDonald received a marginal tripping penalty on Grabner at 1:35. Toronto got a 4-on-3 power play. Gudas got a shot block and clear. Toronto scored to win the game with 2:09 left. With Laich right in Mason's face, at the edge of the crease, there appeared to be light incidental contact as Gardiner fired the puck into the net.

The play was reviewed. The goal was allowed to stand. Shots in OT were 2-0 Toronto; 44-26 Flyers for the game.

Philadelphia featured two lineup changes. Michal Neuvirth returned ahead of schedule to serve as Mason's backup. Scott Laughton returned to the starting lineup, while Nick Cousins was scratched.

Additionally, Anthony Stolarz was returned to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms to get some playing time after backing up Mason for nine games. Ray Emery remains as the third-string goaltender for the rest of the season. Recently signed Alex Lyon is also with the team. His entry-level contract does not permit an AHL assignment this season.

************

FLYERS PRESENT TEAM AWARDS

It was my honor and privilege to be asked to present the 2015-16 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award on behalf of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. This year's recipient was Wayne Simmonds.

The following is the press release the Flyers issued to announced all the winners of this year's awards.

The Philadelphia Flyers presented their 2015-16 end-of-season awards Thursday night before the start of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Wells Fargo Center.

Bobby Clarke Trophy (Most Valuable Player) – Claude Giroux

Claude Giroux won his fourth Bobby Clarke Trophy as the team’s most valuable player, as voted by a panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. He previously won the award in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2013-14, and becomes the second player in franchise history to win the award four times, joining Eric Lindros. Giroux leads the Flyers in scoring with 22 goals and 44 assists for 66 points in 76 games. He has been has been nearly a point-per-game player over the last 38 games beginning with the January 7 contest at Minnesota. In that time, he has 10 goals and 27 assists for 37 points. Giroux has more points over the past five seasons than any other NHL player (116-250-366).

Barry Ashbee Trophy (Outstanding Defenseman) – Shayne Gostisbehere

Shayne Gostisbehere received the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the team’s outstanding defenseman, as voted by a panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. Gostisbehere becomes the 22nd different Flyer to be honored with the award, and the first rookie since Norm Barnes in 1979-80. Gostisbehere has 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points on the season. The 16 goals are a franchise record for a rookie defenseman; he is currently seven points short of the franchise scoring record for a rookie defenseman, established by Behn Wilson in 1978-79 (13-36-49). Each of Gostisbehere’s 16 goals has either tied a game, given the Flyers a lead, or has been the GWG. Gostisbehere had a 15-game scoring streak from Jan. 19 to Feb. 20 that set three records – two Flyers records and an NHL record. Only Eric Lindros, Bob Clarke and Brian Propp have had streaks longer than Gostisbehere’s in franchise history.

Gostisbehere is the youngest Flyer ever to win the Barry Ashbee Trophy, doing so two weeks before his 23rd birthday. The previous youngest winner was current Flyers assistant coach Gord Murphy, who was a few weeks past his 23rd birthday when he won the award in 1990.

Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy (Most Improved Player) – Brayden Schenn

Brayden Schenn was selected by his teammates as the Flyers’ most improved player from the previous season. Schenn has established new career highs of 25 goals and 31 assists through 77 games, good for 56 points. He has 18 of the 25 goals and 41 of the 56 points over the course of 43 games since January 1.

Yanick Dupre Class Guy Memorial Award – Wayne Simmonds

The Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) selected Wayne Simmonds as this year’s recipient of the Yanick Dupre Class Guy Memorial Award. This award is presented annually to the Flyer who best illustrates character, dignity and respect for the sport both on and off the ice. The award honors the memory of Yanick Dupre, who died on August 16, 1997 at the age of 24 after a 16-month battle with leukemia. Dupre played parts of three seasons with the Flyers (1991-92, 1994-95 and 1995-96), recording two goals and 16 penalty minutes in 35 games. He was originally drafted by the Flyers in the third round (50th overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.

Gene Hart Memorial Award – Shayne Gostisbehere

The Philadelphia Flyers Fan Club selected Shayne Gostisbehere as the winner of the Gene Hart Memorial Award. This award is given to the player who demonstrated the most “Heart” during the season as voted on by members of the Fan Club at their monthly meetings. The award honors the memory of longtime Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart. For 28 years, Hart called the organization’s most thrilling moments, and in the process, helped spawn generations of devoted fans. Hart’s contributions to the sport were recognized with his induction into the Flyers Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997. The Flyers Fan Club will also donate $2,000 to the charity of Gostisbehere’s choice.

Toyota Cup – Claude Giroux

Claude Giroux has won his fourth consecutive Toyota Cup as the Flyer who accumulated the most points associated with being selected as a “Star of the Game.” Five points were awarded for being selected First Star, three points were awarded for a Second Star performance and one point was awarded for a Third Star selection. Giroux was named first star five times this year, second star eight times, and third star once for a total of 50 points. Toyota will make a $5,000 donation on Giroux’s behalf to the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.
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