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Wrap: Flyers, Mason Shut Out Avs, 4-0, on Trade Deadline Eve |
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WRAP: FLYERS, MASON SHUT OUT AVS, 4-0, ON TRADE DEADLINE EVE
Making his 216th appearance in a Flyers' uniform, Steve Mason surpassed Doug Favell for third on the Flyers' all-time games played list for goaltenders. An impending unrestricted free agent who has been the subject of trade rumors, Mason went on post a 33-save shut out as the Flyers defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 4-0, at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night in the final game before the NHL's trade deadline on Wednesday.
The Flyers built a rare for this season 3-0 lead in a dominant first period. They were outplayed in the second stanza but extended the cushion to four goals, and then preserved the lead the rest of the way.
"The difference is that tonight, we had the same type of start we have had the last couple of nights, tonight we had some rewards from it. That’s a nice way to start a hockey game, when you have a good effort to come out of the gates," Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said.
"I liked our third period, the only thing we can do is do a better job of taking care of the puck in the second, beyond that it was a good win. Those are the only things we’ll look at when we look back at it. I’m guessing there’s six or seven turnovers in the middle portion, which is a lot in the second period where you don’t want to give a team like that a chance to get back into the game, they had a push at the end of the second, it was apparent, they weren’t going to pack their bags and go home, that’s the number one thing we have to clean up."
Mason read plays well and came up with numerous big saves but the NHL cellar-dwelling Avalanche's own offensive struggles -- getting shut out for the 10th time this season and scoring only 120 goals as a team to date -- also came into play on open chances that were either shot wide of the net or directly into Mason.
For once, the Flyers were able to convert a strong start into a commanding lead. Wayne Simmonds scored shorthanded and power play goals in the first period. He momentarily appeared to finish off a power play chance for a natural hat trick but went right to the referee and made sure Jakub Voracek was credited with the goal. Jordan Weal added a deflection goal in the second period. Team captain Claude Giroux was credited with a pair of assists.
Said Simmonds, “The first goal I was kind of driving to the net and Mac made a great play. We had a three on one and I tried sending the puck to Coots and it went off their D’s stick and in and the second goal was a great play by [Claude Giroux] and [Shayne Gostisbehere], up top. Ghost had a great shot and I was able to tip it in. Obviously, the third goal wasn’t mine. Jake tried to play the puck across to me but it went off their D and in so I’m not going to take credit for what’s not mine."
Joked Voracek, "I hope it’s the last time I get booed after I score. Let’s put it that way. Like I said, I thought Simmer had it, but he told me he didn’t touch it so I was like, ‘Oh my God! This is going to be interesting.'"
Weal's goal was challenged by the Avalanche bench was upheld after replay.
"They thought that it might have been off sides. I couldn’t really tell. Simmer seemed to think it was all right. We saw it on video and it was close, but it feels that that one went in," Weal said.
Special teams was critical to the Flyers' victory. Philly went 2-for-3 on the power play (and looked dominant even on the power play that did not result in a goal). The Flyers were also 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, including Simmonds' shorthander that proved to be the game-winning goal and helped the team relax and control the first period.
Jeremy Smith stopped 22 of 26 shots in a losing cause for the Avalanche.
In the faceoff circle, the Flyers won 52 percent of the draws. Sean Couturier led the way with a 9-for-14 performance (64 percent). Radko Gudas blocked four shots among the 16 total the Flyers blocked and was credited with seven hits in a strong night over 21:18 of ice time.
Michael Raffl left the game late in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Per Flyers general manager Ron Hextall, he will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.
Even with the win, the Flyers realize they are still in an uphill climb for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
“I’m sure we’re going to be saying that probably every game that they’re must wins. It’s hard to make up ground with 3 point games, 4 point games, with people playing each other so often," Mason said.
"For us we just have to focus on one game at a time and understand the importance of each regardless of who we’re playing whether it’s conference, out of conference, and just kind of have a slow approach.”
Getting the trade deadline out of the way first will be helpful. The Flyers return to action on Thursday, hosting the Florida Panthers.
“I think it’s always the same story every year," Giroux said. "You don’t know what is going to happen and you have ideas of what might happen. At the end of the day you want to know what your team is going to be and it’s going to be fun.”
1ST PERIOD
Michael Raffl was unable to finish an open scoring chance from the left slot in the opening minute. After Colorado countered on an odd-man rush, Mason picked Nathan MacKinnon cleanly with the glove. At 1:41, Smith denied a turnaround shot by Brayden Schenn off a cross-ice feed from Mark Streit.
The Avalanche got the game's first power play as Claude Giroux was sent off for an offensive zone stick slash at 2:30.
After an early shorthanded rush by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Chris VandeVelde, the Flyers scored a shortie late on the kill on a 3-on-2 counterrush. Taking a pass from Andrew MacDonald, Simmonds' right circle shot deflected off Francois Beauchemin's stick and through Smith's legs for his 26th goal of the season and second shorthanded goal of the season. MacDonald got the lone assist as the Flyers took the 1-0 lead at 4:04.
With 13:04 left in the period, Smith plucked a perimeter shot by Jakub Voracek. A TV timeout ensued with shots 7-3 in the Flyers' favor.
Bellemare forced a turnover on the forecheck and VandeVelde snapped a shot on Smith at the 7:44 mark. At 7:58, Giroux drew a holding penalty on Fedor Tyutin along the boards. Philly went to the power play and cashed in to make it 2-0.
Scoring his second goal of the game, Simmonds set up shop in front of Smith and re-directed a Shayne Gostisbehere center point shot home. Giroux got the secondary helper at 8:07 on Simmonds' 26th goal of the season and 13th power play marker.
The Flyers went back to the power play at 10:11 as Joe Colborne went off on a neutral zone trip. Simmonds momentarily appeared to complete a natural hat trick by getting open near the left post, taking a pass from Voracek on the tape and tapping it into the net at 10:35 to build a 3-0 lead. However, the puck never touched Simmonds' stick, going in off Beauchemin. As a result, Voracek was credited with 17th goal of the season. Brayden Schenn and Claude Giroux got the assists.
Mason held on to a drive from outside the blueline at the 12:44 mark. Shots were 13-5.
At 12:50, Gabriel Landeskog dropped the gloves with Sean Couturier. In a fairly long bout, Couturier got the better of the fight.
Mason denied a bang-bang chance for Rene Bourque at the net, but Mark Streit was called for hooking on the play. The Avalanche went to their second power play at 17:37. Mason's made a point-blank save on Matt Duchene to preserve the three-goal lead despite heavy pressure by the Avalanche top power play early and late in the advantage.
First period shots were 14-10 in the Flyers' favor.
2ND PERIOD
Landeskog had net to shoot at an open shot from the left slot after a Colorado faceoff win but shot high and over the cage. Colorado stll had three of the period's first four shots through the first 2:48.
Simmonds took a touch pass from Jordan Weal and was denied point-blank by Smith at about the four-minute mark on a well-conceived play.
At 5:13, Mikko Rantanen split the D and went on on a breakaway. Mason made the save but a penalty shot was awarded. Mason used an active stick to knock the puck away from the Finn as he went to the backhand moving right.
On next shift, Mason had to be sharp to knock aside a John Mitchell chance.
Scoring his first NHL goal and point, Weal tipped home a Radko Gudas right point shot after the Flyers went D-to-D up high in the zone for a 4-0 lead at 7:16. The Avalanche challenged the ruling, claiming offside. It was a close play but the good-goal ruling stood. Gudas and Streit received the helpers.
Mason turned aside a MacKinnon shot for his 16th save. He then stopped a Tyson Barrie slapper for his 17th save.
After a Flyers neutral zone turnover by Streit, Mason turned aside Jarome Iginla one-on-one in close to keep the score 4-0 as the game reached the midway point.
Simmonds sped up ice to catch up to a long flip pass in the right circle and snap a shot on goal. Smith absorbed it at the 11:49 mark.
During a long sequence of puck control by Colorado, Bellemare painfully blocked a shot off his foot and VandeVelde took a cross-checking penalty at 12:52. Mason turned aside two shots in a scramble around the net. Matt Read was taken down on a shorthanded bid that seemed to merit a holding penalty on Colorado, but no call was forthcoming. The power play ended at 14:50, however, on a too-many-men infraction by the Avs.
The Flyers soon went on their own power play. The Flyers had great puck movement, constant possession and multiple good looks at the net but could not score. On their best chance, Schenn tucked a Voracek rebound wide of a half-open net.
On a bouncing puck that found him, Weal's backhanded bid for his second goal of the period was stopped by Smith in the final four seconds.
Second period shots were 11-8 in Colorado's favor (22-21 overall in Colorado's favor).
3RD PERIOD
Michael Raffl, who hobbled off late in the second period, did not return for the third. The Avs iced the puck in the first 10 seconds of the period but won the ensuing faceoff and broke out cleanly.
Colorado's Andreas Martinsen rang a side angle shot off the outside of the post at 2:49. Mason stopped a deflection on net for his first save of the third period after a giveaway by Gostisbehere. Shots were 1-0 Colorado through the first five minutes.
Couturier, set up Read in the left slot, had Smith frozen but zinged a shot wide of the left post as the Flyers remained shotless through seven minutes. On the next shift, after a Gudas pinch in the offensive zone, Colorado tried a stretch pass but iced the puck at 7:47.
At 8:59, the Flyers got their first shot of the period. Cousins took a drop pass from Schenn and fired a shot from above the left circle. Smith held on for a stoppage and TV timeout. Both teams had just one shot for the period up until this point.
Mason, with his knees underneath him got knocked backwards as a Mark Barberio point shot went wide of the net and came back out toward the net. The goal found the puck to cover for a stoppage.
Bidding again for a hat trick, Simmonds whistled a shot from the right hash marks wide of the far side. Giroux then shot over the net on the next shift.
Mason made a great initial save on John Mitchell off the rush and then got lucky as his defense cleaned up a rebound left in the slot. At the other end, Smith denied Schenn in close.
At a TV timeout at 13:02, third period period shots were 5-3 in Colorado's favor (28-24 Colorado overall).
On a delayed slashing penalty on Weal, Mason came up with a clean save on mid-slot shot. The Avs went to their fourth power play at 14:02. After good Colorado puck movement, Mason picked a Tyson Barrie shot cleanly with 36 seconds left for his 31st save of the game.
Third period shots were 11-4 in Colorado's favor; 33-26 Avs for the game.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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