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Wrap: Flyers Prey on Panthers, 5-1 |
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FLYERS PREY ON PANTHERS, 5-1
Relentless puck pursuit, attention to detail that led to transitional rushes with speed and some clutch goaltending spurred the Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. With the win, the Flyers improved to 4-2-0 on the young season and 2-0-0 on their five-game homestand.
Sean Couturier, Shayne Gostisbehere (one goal, one assist), Claude Giroux (power play goal) Dale Weise and Valtteri Filppula (empty net) scored for the Flyers. Wayne Simmonds, who left the game for what Flyers general manager Ron Hextall deemed "precautionary reasons" with a lower-body injury in the third period, collected two-third of a Gordie Howe Hat Trick with an assist and a victorious fight in a four-goal second period for the Flyers.
“I think right now the players are getting to the hard areas and they’re making good confident plays," Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said.
"Not everything works out, but when the play doesn’t work out the biggest thing to go along with that is the effort coming back up the middle of the rink to our end of the ice to help defend. I think the two go hand in hand, confidence to make plays and do that in the critical areas. Then in turn if it doesn’t work and there’s a turnover to get back 200 feet and work as hard as you can without the puck as well.”
Giroux recorded the 400th assist of his career with a second-period helper on Couturier's goal. He became just the fourth Flyer to accomplish the feat. The other three are all in the Flyers Hall of Fame: Bob Clarke (852), Brian Propp (480), and Bill Barber (463).
"That's a nice honor but not really something I thought about," Giroux said. "Probably down the line. Actually, it kind of makes me feel like I'm getting old."
On the same night that Giroux carved a spot in franchise history, rookie defenseman Robert Hägg recorded his first NHL point on an assist on the Gostishehere goal. A shot block in the defensive end (one of four Hägg notched) eventually paid dividends at the other end. Hägg finished at plus-three at even strength.
Ivan Provorov rattled off another impressive two-way game, although it got lost in the shuffle because he did not record a point and was not on the ice for any of the Flyers' even strength goals. Provorov logged a team-high (by a wide margin) 24:51 of ice time, four blocks, two hits and all four of his shot attempts made it on net.
Through six games, Gostisbehere has 10 points (one goal, nine assists). He is plus-four at even strength and his overall play in conjunction with Hägg has been an important part of the team's early turnaround in five-on-five play on top of being a power play threat.
"I’m just trying to use my abilities like I said, I’m trying to use my feet, move quick, and shut down plays, use my stick, so that’s the biggest thing," Gostisbehere said.
Florida is a team that loves to shoot the puck from a variety of angles. Over their four previous games, the Panthers recorded 36, 48, 39 and 46 shots on goal respectively. They topped the 40-shot mark again on this night, too, but the Flyers picked the Cats apart in transition and on rushes of their own.
The Flyers ability to pressure the puck and turn defense into offense -- or to create turnovers with their forecheck -- has been one of the most notable developments of the early season. Team speed has been upgraded but that means little without opportunities to use it. Thus far, Philadelphia is generating such opportunities with regularity.
"I think we have a lot of depth," Couturier said. "We're rolling all four lines. That fourth line, we are talking a lot of good things about them. They’re fast, they’re skating, they’re making it hard on opposing teams and they’re creating momentum and that reflects all the way through the lineup. I think our depth so far has been really good and we gotta keep it that way."
On the Weise goal, Patrick made a set up pass -- a between-the-legs drop pass -- that had to be seen to be believed. Although he has only one goal thus far, Patrick is already showing his playmaking abilities to be top-notch.
Michal Neuvirth started in goal for the Flyers. Having last played 12 days ago, he looked rusty in the first period. The Czech netminder soon settled in and was outstanding over the final 40 minutes, including a pair of spectacular saves in the second period before the Flyers took over the game. Neuvirth finished with 40 saves on 41 shots.
"I was fighting a little with the puck early in the game, but after a few saves, I settled down. I was coming in to the game with confidence not playing for long, but practicing well. Working out every day paid off," Neuvirth said.
"[I felt some] nerves. You don’t start for a while, you start to question yourself. I was a little bit more nervous than I was used to before the game, but I handled it well."
A power play goal by Jamie McGinn in the latter portion of the third period served as the lone goal for Florida. Roberto Luongo stopped 34 of 38 shots in a losing cause.
The Flyers went 1-for-4 on the power play and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill. Philly dominated the faceoff circle, winning 37 of 65 (57 percent) for the game, including 10 of 13 (77 percent) in the first period. Giroux led the way on the night with an 8-for-10 performance at the dot.
Early on, it took the Flyers a little time to settle in.
"We started out slow and we got two power plays and built momentum after that. Then I think in the second period we took over more and more. Then the third period everyone was just going to play it off and play safe. I mean it is a solid win, great two points and that’s how it is," Hägg said.
In the first period, Florida came out winning the early races to pucks, but the Flyers largely kept them to the perimeter. The Panthers generated seven of the game's first eight shots through six minutes. At about the 6 1/2 minute mark, the Filppula line generated extended forechecking pressure. Several shot attempts were snuffed out but eventually the Panthers took a penalty after the Flyers got a line change out. Nick Bjugstad went to the box at 8:19 for tripping Nolan Patrick behind the net.
On the Flyers' first power play, the top unit generated a swing-around chance by Wayne Simmonds along the goal line. The second unit flurried during the latter portion of the first power play, but could not pounce one home.
After play returned to five-on-five Neuvirth knocked away a deep slot shot by Mike Matheson after Voracek was beaten off the rush.
The Flyers went back to the power play as Aaron Ekblad hooked Dale Weise near the Florida net at 13:10. The top unit went to work fast and generated multiple good looks at the net and shots on goal by Gostisbehere, Voracek , Giroux and Simmonds. The second unit came out 51 seconds into the advantage with a left circle faceoff. The rest of the power play passed quietly.
The Flyers forced a turnover in the Florida zone off a right circle draw but Andrew MacDonald was called for slashing on the play at 18:31. Neuvirth stopped a shot tipped in front by Jonathan Huberdeau before the buzzer.
First period shots were 13-12 in Florida's favor.
The Flyuers killed off the rest of penalty. Winning a left circle faceoff, the Flyers got the puck to an open Couturier in front of the net. He stashed it home for his fourth goal of the season and a 1-0 lead at 1:05. Voracek and Giroux got the assists. The helper was the 400th of Giroux's NHL career.
Neuvirth kept the Flyers ahead with a point-blank save on Bjugstad near the left post at 3:07 after a cross-ice feed; his 17th and best save of the game up to that point. He made an even better one at 7:07, moving laterally to rob Vrbata off a 2-on-1 feed in the right slot.
Gostisbehere started and finished the play as the Flyers built a 2-0 lead at 7:35. First, he made a perfect headman pass out of the defensive zone, raced up ice to take a cross-ice feed from Simmonds and ripped a shot home on the short side past Luongo from the left hash marks for his first goal of the season. Robert Hägg got the secondary assist for his first NHL point.
Konecny went off for slashing at 7:50. The Cats moved the puck well but could not find the net. Ivan Provorov came up with a key shot block in the waning seconds.
The Flyers went back to the power play at 11:01 on a slashing minor called on Micheal Haley. The top power play unit went right to work, winning the draw and generating an immediate pair of chances after Gostisbehere put the puck at the net.
Neuvirth got run into by Derek MacKenzie near the post on a shorthanded foray by Florida. With Gostisbehere and Simmonds jawing and jostling with behind the Flyers net, play swing the other way quickly. Giroux was sprung on a breakaway by a Valtteri Filppula lead pass and beat Luongo through the five-hole for a power play goal and his fourth goal of the season at 13:22. Gostisbehere was credited after the period with a secondary assist.
Konecny put on a burst of speed and was denied on a breakaway (a delayed penalty was called) but Patrick was the first to the rebound as a trailer, made a phenomenal between-the-legs drop pass and then Weise potted his first goal of the season for a 4-0 lead at 16:16.
“I saw that TK was using his speed really well to beat that defenseman for a partial break there. I just trailed behind him in case the rebound came out. I knew Weiser was right behind me and was on my backhand so I just dropped the puck to him," Patrick said.
"I kind of saw him when the puck was on my backhand. I saw him over my shoulder he was right behind me so I just dropped it back to him and I knew he was on his forehand.”
Simmonds dropped the gloves with Haley and 17:10 and then dropped Haley.
Florida went to its third power play on a phantom interference penalty on Brandon Manning at 18:43. Florida took 43 seconds of carryover time into the third period. Second period shots were 15-12 in the Flyers' favor (27-24 in the Panthers' favor overall).
The Flyers killed off the rest of the Manning penalty and held Florida without a shot. A top of the right circle shot by Vrbata at 3:46 was the first Panthers shot on net of the period.
At 4:00 of the third period, Voracek found Couturier lurking near the doorstep. The puck was steered just wide.
Hägg got tripped by Vrbata at 6:35. Philly went its fourth power play of the game. Late in the power play, Konecny threaded a cross-crease pass to Couturier for a great scoring chance. The Flyers did not add to the lead.
On a line change, Florida generated a scoring chance off the rush. Weise got a slashing penalty for a swipe at MacKenzie's hands as he went past at 10:57. Couturier collected a Luongo turnover and fed to an oncoming Raffl. The goalie slid back into position just in time in front as Raffl took a tad too long to wind up and uncoil a slap shot. Leier blocked a shot (and broke his) stick) late in the PK and Scott Laughton skated the puck to safety.
The ice opened up for Brandon Manning in the offensive zone but that was at least partially because Voracek caught Connor Brickley with a high stick. He received a two-minute minor at 13:49. Neuvirth made a great save on a Trocheck tip to keep the team ahead 4-0. Florida went on a two-man advantage for 45 seconds as Hägg was called for slashing Trocheck in front at 13:04.
On the 3-on-5, Filppula came up with a shot-block and clear and then Neuvirth swallowed up a Keith Yandle one-time from the right circle off a Barkov feed as the Voracek penalty expired. Neuvirth's shutout bid ended on a McGinn 5-on-4 goal, as the forward went to the net and elevated his first goal of the season home off a Bjugstad feed at 16:10. Vrbata got the secondary assist.
Neuvirth came up with a key save on the game's next shift, finding a point shot through traffic and melting play down for a stoppage. The Panthers pulled Luongo for an extra attacker with more than three minutes remaining and a 4-1 deficit.
With an empty net staring at him from the deep right slot, Voracek hit the post off a Laughton feed with about 2:30 left. The Panthers faint hopes stayed alive. Those were extinguished as Filppula won a neutral zone draw on the Flyers' side of the red line (left dot) and slid the puck all the way into the vacant cage for an unassisted goal at 18:23. The goal was the Finn's fourth in the last three games.
The Laughton line created a scramble around the net off the rush in the final 20 seconds. Luongo looked around for the puck but never found it. Finally, the ref lost sight of the puck with bodies piling around and blew the whistle.
Third period shots were 14-12 in Florida's favor (41-38 Florida for the game).
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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