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Wrap: Flyers Tune Nashville, 6-3; Flyers Alumni Game Night

February 5, 2016, 8:36 AM ET [605 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
WRAPUP: FLYERS TUNE NASHVILLE, 6-3

It is not often that one sees a 6-3 final score with a 40-19 shot disparity where the winning side is the one with 19 shots and the losing goaltender goes the distance. That was exactly what happened on Thursday night, as the Philadelphia Flyers doubled up the Nashville Predators by a 6-3 score.

For Philadelphia, goaltending was a definite positive factor. Steve Mason was brilliant in making 37 saves, including numerous tough stops when the Predators had a chance to pull even. Nashville threw multiple heavy pushes at the Flyers. Philly bent but didn't break. Mason had no chance whatsoever at stopping two of the three goals that got past him -- the first a point blank shot with the Flyers outnumbered in the defensive zone, the second a bang-bang rebound play after a tough initial save -- and the other was a power play blast through traffic.

For Nashville, the goaltending wasn't terrible -- there were no "soft" goals -- but losing goalie Pekka Rinne simply could not come up with a single momentum save on tough chances or in key situations. He finished with 13 saves on 19 shots.

The game marked the first time all season the Flyers have scored five regulation goals, let alone six. Wayne Simmonds notched even strength and power play goals and chipped in an assist. Claude Giroux enjoyed a three-point night on two goals and an assist. Matt Read and Brayden Schenn each scored for the second straight game. Jakub Voracek and Scott Laughton each had two-assists games (for Laughton, the first of his NHL career), while Shayne Gostisbehere brought his point streak to six games with an assist.

For Nashville, Ryan Johansen, Calle Järnkrok and Shea Weber (power play) scored in a losing cause. Roman Josi picked up a pair of assists.

Most of the damage in the game was done at even strength. Both teams scored once on the power play. While it was a statistical positive for the Flyers that they went 1-for-3 on the power play and 6-for-7 on the penalty kill, they spent way too much time in the box against on the NHL's better power play clubs and it was at least half of the reason why the shot disparity was so lopsided.

For the second straight game, Radko Gudas was the number one culprit in taking bad penalties. One game after receiving a clipping major and game misconduct with about seven minutes left in a one-goal game -- the Flyers preserved their lead over the Montreal Canadiens and went on to tack on an empty-netter by Read -- Gudas took a careless high-sticking double minor early in a still-scoreless first period in Nashville. Once again, Gudas' teammates came to the rescue.

Later, with the Flyers holding a 4-2 midway through the third period, Gudas again took a careless high sticking penalty; this one of the two-minute variety. The Preds made quick work of it, winning the first faceoff and setting up the deadly Weber for a blast from above the left circle that got through some traffic and beat Mason to cut the gap to 4-3.

Once again, the other Flyers picked up for one another, this time in the offensive zone. Simmonds tipped a Gostisbehere point shot on the power play and the puck squeezed through Rinne's pads to restore a two-goal lead. Just 1:10 later, Giroux blasted home a line rush one-timer off a perfect setup pass by Voracek into the Flyers captain's wheelhouse.

The one real negative for the Flyers in this game is that they once again lost Sean Couturier, who left the game late in the second period and did not return. He will be re-evaluated on Friday. When Couturier has been in the lineup, the Flyers are 21-11-4. When he's been out, the team is just 2-5-2. Couturier, who nicely set up Schenn for his 14th goal of the season, has contributed 16 points in his last 16 games in addition to his usual strong defensive play.

The Flyers will hold an optional practice on Friday at noon at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. The New York Rangers pay a Saturday afternoon visit to the Wells Fargo Center.

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 photo Alumni game.jpg


In celebration of nearly a half-century of Flyers hockey, the Flyers Alumni Association is bringing together players representing every decade of franchise history for a special Orange vs. Black intrasquad Alumni game on Feb. 5, 2016 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be held at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA, home of the Philadelphia Flyers' ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals.

For a full rundown of the playing rosters, coaching staffs and special guests, click here.

The game and all premium packages -- afternoon youth hockey skills clinic run by select Alumni, a pre-game dinner buffet and a post-game VIP meet-and-greet with all of the Alumni -- have sold out. However due to the high demand, a handful of extra tickets have been released. Fewer than 25 single-seats tickets remained as of Thursday evening.

For game ticket information, click here.
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