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Wrap: Flyers Grind out 3-2 Win vs. Wild, Phantoms Roll to 5th Straight Win |
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Wrapup: Flyers Grind Out 3-2 Win over Minnesota
In every game but one this season, the Philadelphia Flyers have led or have been tied within the third period, although they have only a 7-7-2 record to show for it. On Saturday night, playing the second half of a back-to-back set, the team erased a pair of one-goal deficits and went on to grind out a 3-2 win.
Two players who were healthy scratches on Friday -- defenseman Brandon Manning and left winger Michael Raffl -- figured prominently in the win. Manning scored the Flyers' first goal, while Raffl set up defenseman Michael Del Zotto for the goal that made it 2-2 late in the second period. Later, Raffl drew a penalty on Minnesota that produced the eventual game-winning power play tally by Brayden Schenn off a nifty feed by Wayne Simmonds.
Michal Neuvirth started in goal for the Flyers. After getting beaten to the short side on the game's first shot just 21 seconds after the opening faceoff, he battled to make six saves over the rest of the period despite sustaining a lower-body injury (believed to be a left knee sprain, although not confirmed by the Flyers) late in the period. He will be re-evaluated on Sunday.
One night after a very rough outing in Toronto, Steve Mason came in to play the remainder of the game. He stepped up big, especially in the third period, to turn back 19 of 20 shots and earn the win. Mason punctuated the win with a point-blank save on Eric Staal in the final five seconds.
"Yeah it’s something to build off of and it’s tiring being embarrassed, game after game, so we’re just trying to find something to build off of and we just have to keep working here. You get two points here and you focus on the next task at hand and that is exactly what I’m going to do here," Mason said.
Minnesota counterpart Devan Dubnyk was very sharp all game in stopping 33 of 36 shots. Dubnyk had little to no chance of stopping any of the Flyers' goals. Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund scored for the Wild.
Due to an unsuccessful challenge for offside on the Granlund goal, the Flyers did not have a timeout available late in the game when they were clinging to a one-goal lead. Nevertheless, they nursed the advantage through the final buzzer.
Said Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol, "You take what the game gives you. If you have to ice it you ice it. You have to work for the next play in that situation. I think we are far enough into the season that we know what we want to do in both situations.
"Whether it is a face off in the right dot or the left dot, we have our groups that we are comfortable with and those situations. You just have to go out and execute. It would be in some cases nice to have the luxury of a time out but we didn’t have that tonight. I thought we got our players adjusted to that and did a good job.”
The Flyers went 1-for-3 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill (both kills coming within the third period). The team was without captain Claude Giroux for much of the first period after he took a high stick in the mouth from Minnesota's Jason Zucker early in the first stanza. He returned in the latter stages of the period.
Schenn had one of his all-around games of the season. He recorded four shots on goal (on six attempts), was credited with five hits and blocked three shots in addition to notching the game-winning score. Radko Gudas led all Flyes with 22:27 of ice time and was credited with seven hits and a blocked shot.
As the game began, it took Minnesota all of 21 seconds to take a 1-0 lead. Niederreiter got open near the left post, took a centering pass from Charlie Coyle and beat Neuvirth high to the short side. Eric Staal got the secondary assist.
After getting back on the backcheck to break up a Minnesota rush, Claude Giroux got clipped up high by Jason Zucker's stick behind the net. There was no call on the play. Giroux, who dropped his stick and covered his face, skated right up the tunnel.
Dubnyk preserved the 1-0 lead with a stop on a vicious deflection at about the 8:10 mark.
The Flyers went to their first power play at 10:04 on a neutral zone interference penalty on Jason Zucker. Dubnyk made a good stop on Matt Read from the right slot in the latter part of the power play.
Philly tied the game on a heavily screened left point shot by Manning that initially looked like may have been deflected by Jakub Voracek but, on isolated replay, appeared instead to go in off Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare got the lone assist at 12:24.
"It was a broken play. Belly fanned on the puck. When I looked up they had bodies in front of the net and we did, too. I just tried to get it to the net," Manning said.
Immediately after the goal, Tyler Graovic broke through the Flyers defense and snapped Minnesota's fifth shot of the period on Neuvirth. The Flyers goalie was equal to this one. Miscommunication by Michael Del Zotto and Shayne Gostisbehere led to the chance.
Sporting stitches in his lip, Giroux returned to the bench during a TV timeout with 6:23 left in the period. With 5:24 left in the period, Neuvirth got up slowly and seemed to be favoring his left knee or his groin but finished the period.
Later, Neuvirth, with an attacker right in his face, fought off a point shot. Shots were 13-6 Flyers through the first 15 minutes of the game. As time ticked down to the final minute, Gostisbehere was beaten off the rush. With partner Del Zotto coming over to help out, Neuvirth stopped Coyle.
Shots in the first period were 17-7 in the first period.
Mason came out to start the second period. Shots were 2-2 through 6:38 when Staal low bridged Voracek in the neutral zone, drawing a tripping minor. Philly went to its second power play. The Flyers generated heavy pressure but could not take the lead.
The Wild took the lead at 11:22. After an initial Mikko Koivu backhander hit the crossbar, Granlund potted the rebound. The Flyers challenged the ruling for an offside at the blueline to no avail, and were charged a timeout.
With 2:45 remaining, Del Zotto crashed the net and pass from Raffl went in the net off his skate. The play was reviewed briefly in Toronto and the goal was allowed.
"There was a turnover by them. I got the puck and I knew I had to make something happen after a poor play by me on the second goal against. Raffl had the puck in the middle of the ice and he got some speed and went wide with it. I was determined to get to the front of the net and he made a great play to me and it went in," Del Zotto said.
Second period shots were 12-7 Flyers (29-14 overall in the Flyers' favor).
Mason had an early period shot nearly go through him into the net. At 3:57, Voracek was called for roughing Dumba behind the Wild net. Minnesota applied heavy pressure but the Flyers held on.
At 8:09, Del Zotto went to the net, seeking his second goal of the game but Dubnyk denied him. Philly went back to the power play at 8:31 as Koivu was called for tripping Raffl behind the net. Raffl gave it a bit of salesmanship.
The Flyers cashed in quickly. Schenn, moving right and wide open in front, took centering feed from Simmonds. Voracek got the secondary helper on Schenn's third goal of the season at 8:43.
Mason reeled in a tough point shot at 10:02 of the third period. A TV timeout ensued.
Bellemare was called for a chintzy interference penalty for pushing Koivu to the ice away from the puck at the 11:35 mark. Mason stepped up to track a tough shot through traffic with no rebound. With 5:23 left, he snared a partially blocked Chris Stewart shot out of the air. After an ill-advised Voracek pass (with an open shooting lane) intended for Travis Konecny was picked off, Mason stopped the counterattack.
With 1:14 left and Dubnyk pulled for an extra attacker, Mason absorbed a Dumba point shot. The Wild called timeout. Afterwards, Mason made a vital blocker save and later froze a carom off the end boards with 23.1 seconds left. Mason made a spectacular win-preserving save on Staal in the final seconds.
“Resiliency: We talked about that since day one. A lot of comeback wins. It shows a lot of character in our group, especially after last night’s disappointing three periods. We needed that 2 points and we were able to get them. We can’t be complacent on them. We need to keep building. Move forward and carry that on to Tuesday," Del Zotto said.
Shots in the third period were 13-7 in the Wild's favor (36-26 in the Flyers' favor overall).
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AHL: PHANTOMS ROLL TO FIFTH STRAIGHT WIN
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms remained undefeated for the month of November as they blitzed the Toronto Marlies in a 7-2 blowout win at the PPL Center on Saturday night. The Phantoms improved their record to 7-3-1 overall.
Two goals and an assist by Taylor Leier, including a breakaway tally, led the way offensively for Lehigh Valley. Cole Bardreau, Greg Carey, Colin McDonald (seventh goal of the season), Radel Fazleev (first AHL goal) and Jordan Weal (power play) rounded out the scoring. Scott Laughton collected three assists and earned first-star honors.
In goal, Anthony Stolarz stopped 22 of 24 shots to earn the win. With the injury to Michal Neuvirth in Saturday's Flyers-Wild game, Stolarz (6-2-0, 2.39 GAA, .927 SV%, one shutout) could be recalled on Tuesday.
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FLYERS TRADE STRAKA TO DEVILS
A healthy scratch for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in every game thus far, Petr Straka was traded by the Flyers on Saturday to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a conditional pick in either the 2017 or 2018 NHL Draft. Straka appeared in three NHL games with the Flyers during the 2014-15 season but has spent much of his pro career to date shuttling in and out of the doghouse of coaches Terry Murray and Scott Gordon or else dealing with injury.
It was somewhat surprising when Straka accepted a restricted free agent qualifying offer from the Flyers in the 2016 offseason but he clearly was no longer part of the organization's plans.
Now he will have an opportunity for a fresh start.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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