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Wrap: Unable to Nail Down Win, Flyers Sustain 3-2 SO Loss to Jets |
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WRAP: UNABLE TO NAIL DOWN WIN, FLYERS SUSTAIN 3-2 SO LOSS TO JETS
The goal-starved Philadelphia Flyers built a 2-0 lead in the first period against the Winnipeg Jets but were unable to build on or protect their advantage late in the game. Philly settled for one point from a 3-2 shootout loss at Bell MTS Place on Thursday night.
The game was an evenly played affair in which both teams had multiple chances to win before the skills competition. Ultimately, the Jets claimed the four-round shootout. With the loss, the Flyers dropped to 8-8-3.
For the Flyers, Jakub Voracek (5th goal of the season, 18th assist) and Sean Couturier (power play tally for his 11th goal, 10th assist) had multi-point nights to break themselves and the teams out of a two-game goalless stretch. Claude Giroux (12th assist) and Wayne Simmonds (6th assist) picked up a point of the piece.
Although Simmonds went without a goal for his 11th straight game, he had his best game in weeks. If can pick up where he left off in this game, he is likely to start scoring again soon. That was one of the bright spots apart from the top line.
Brian Elliott deserved a better fate in this game, as he was excellent in stopping 31 of 33 shots in regulation and overtime. Unfortunately, the shootout did not go well. Last season with Calgary, he stopped 10 of 12 skills competition attempts. Tonight, he was beaten on three of four attempts.
Mathieu Perrault (power play, 2nd) and burgeoning star center Mark Scheifele (11th) scored for Winnipeg in regulation. Veteran forward Bryan Little netted the winning shootout goal. Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 30 of 32 in regulation and OT and then two of four in the shootout.
The Flyers were forced to play with five defensemen for 50-plus minutes. Radko Gudas received a slashing major and game misconduct for bringing his stick down on the head of Winnipeg's Mathieu Perrault. Ivan Provorov logged 29:35 of ice time, while Robert Hägg pulled in 26:00. Shayne Gostisbehere skated 23:06. Brandon Manning pulled down 21:13 and Travis Sanheim played 16:53.
Nolan Patrick returned to the Flyers' lineup after a nine-game absence due to an upper-body injury widely suspected to be a concussion. He skated 7:58 of ice time over 12 shifts.
Philly generated very heavy pressure on the power play but went 1-for-5. They easily could have gone 3-for-5 or even 4-for-5. On the penalty kill,, the Flyers were 6-for-7.
The Jets blocked 15 shots to seven by the Flyers. Winnipeg missed the net just 8 times (twice in overtime, though) to 12 missed by the Flyers. Credited hits were 21-20 in Winnipeg's favor.
1ST PERIOD
After 158:36 minutes of scoring futility, the Flyers' goalless streak finally ended at 2:27 of the first period. Couturier received a cross-ice pass and shot through a screen from the right circle. Voracek jumped on the rebound in rebounded and pounded it home. Giroux got the secondary assist.
Philadelphia got the game's first power play as Dustin Byfuglien slid to prevent a 2-on-1 down low and accidentally tripped Michael Raffl as he swung around behind the net. The Flyers cashed in. Rapid puck movement started by Girioux then enabled Voracek to set up Simmonds near the left post. Hellebuyck made the save but Couturier quickly jammed home the rebound for a 2-0 lead at 5:15.
Laughton got the gate at 8:30 for hooking in an offensive zone board battle. After a pair of good scoring chances for the Jets, Gudas and Perrault jostled behind the net. Initially, it appeared both players would get offsetting two-minute minors (Perrault for high-stick and Gudas for slashing) at 9:50.
After a replay on the big screen that showed Gudas' stick slash down atop the Winnipeg players' head, the officials conferred and Gudas received a major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct. The Jets got a 40-second 4-on-3, followed by a 4-on-4 and then a three-minute 5-on-4. It was an accurate call, and a dumb thing for Gudas to do. However, it did not appear to be a case of a linesman spotting the severity of the infraction and assisting the referee in making the correct call. Rather, it seemed to be influenced by the replay on the big screen.
Late in the 4-on-3, Elliott made a good save on Laine. During the 4-on-4, Elliott flashed the leather to deny Nikolaj Ehlers. During the 5-on-4, a failed clear by Robert Hägg was later canceled by the player blocking a chance in close by Perrault. Provorov blocked a shot off his hand with about 90 seconds left, but seemed OK. The Jets' Bryan Little had a point-blank chance but were unable to finish. The Flyers survived the kill.
First period shots were 10-10.
2ND PERIOD
Hard work along the walls by Valtteri Filppula brought out about a Scheifele cross-checking minor and a Flyers power play at 1:51. The top unit got set up quickly and both Simmonds and Couturier had good cracks in front. With the second unit out, a blast by Provorov with Raffl screening in front resulted in Raffl getting hit with the shot. The Flyers did not score.
At 5:12, Travis Konecny received an interference penalty along the walls in the Flyers zone. Simmondts had a shorthanded rush but did not find room to attack the net. Late in the kill, the Jets had a pair of good chances as Tyler Myers and Little snapped shots on the net. Elliott held for a stoppage as the penalty expired.
Buyfuglien got away with an elbow on open ice hit on Jordan Weal. On the next shift, Dmitri Kulikov received a slashing penalty. During the first half of the power play, Simmonds had his third near-miss chance of the game. Elliott covered a long distance shot by Laine moments after the Kulikov penalty ended.
Winnipeg went back to the power play again at 12:14. Laughton was sent off for a boarding minor on a secondary hit on Laine after Brandon Manning bumped the Finn off the puck in the neutral zone. The Jets scored a power play goal after a faceoff in the Winnipeg zone.
On the goal sequence, Sanheim lost the puck inside the left point and got caught up ice as Winnipeg broke out on a 2-on-1 attack with Manning back to defend. Perrault finished the play to cut the deficit to 2-1 at 13:05. Joel Armia drew the lone assist.
With 1:10 left, Byfuglien piched in and knocked Provorov off the puck on the boards. Scheifele had an open backhand chance in the slot that Elliott stopped.
Second period shots were 12-11 in Winnipeg's favor (22-21 Jets overall).
3RD PERIOD
Play was back-and-forth at both ends early. Provorov broke up a near 3-on-1 rush for Winnipeg with back pressure arriving from Flyers' forwards. Two shifts later, Elliott denied Andrew Copp at the doorstep.
At 5:41, Simmonds bumped Ehlers from behind near the player benches. He received a cross-checking minor, apologizing to the Winnipeg player who lost his balance and went into the boards. Ehlers was OK. Sanheim failed to clear on one opportunity but later regained the puck and sent the puck down the ice. Laughton was not called for a neutral zone trip of Ehlers with about 30 seconds left in the penalty. The Flyers killed the penalty.
Couturier nearly tucked in a loose puck near the left post that sat behind Hellebuyck on an initial scoring chance by Giroux at about the nine-minute mark. The Flyers continued to pressure. Byfuglien took down Konecny and went off for tripping at 9:40.
The Flyers attacked furiously on the front half of a power play. They generated a scramble on front off a Gostisbehere shot. Moments later, Chris Tanev sacrificed his body and painfully blocked another blast by Gostisbehere. With the second unit out, Tanev blocked a Provorov shot. Philly did not score.
With the teams back at full strength, Kyle Conner had a great scoring chance from the left slot. Elliott came up with his 24th save of the game. After a TV timeout, Couturier could not quite pot a Provorov rebound before Josh Morrissey checked him.
Konecny stole a puck in the neutral zone and moved in 2-on-1 with Filppula. The saucer pass across did not drop flat and bounced over Filppula's stick. At the other end, Elliott made another tough save on Copp -- this one with the glove -- from the slot.
The Flyers iced the puck twice when they were not under pressure but no scoring chances for Winnipeg resulted. A Flyers hand pass resulted in a stoppage and neutral zone faceoff with 2:50 remaining on the clock.
The Laughton line had a strong forechecking shift after the stoppage and Winnipeg took an icing. That enabled the top line to get an offensive zone start with tired Jets players on the ice. However, Winnipeg gained possession and exited the zone.
Winnipeg pulled Hellebuyck for an extra attacker with 80 seconds left. The Jets scored with 48.4 seconds left with the Flyers sagging back a bit. Scheifele found soft ice in the right slot, took a feed from Wheeler, and scored to tie the game at 2-2. Laine got the secondary assist.
Time ran out as Copp was about to get a breakaway after knocking the puck away from Voracek.
Third period shots were 9-8 in the Flyers' favor (30-30 through regulation).
OVERTIME
Voracek, Byfuglien, Konecny, Filppula all had chances in the opening 2:10 of 3-on-3. Wheeler cut in hard off a Scheifele pass in stride and nearly scored on the backhand at 2:32. Couturier knocked down Jacob Trouba and Simmonds powered in close for a chance just outside the blue paint at 2:58.
Voracek and Gostisbehere overpassed on a 3-on-2 rush, ruining a chance and leading to an outnumbered counter the other way.
The Flyers were called for too many men on the ice, setting up a Jets' 4-on-3 power play for the final 1:05 of OT. Couturier got a zone clear with 34 seconds left. With 18.8 seconds left, Laine clipped Filppula with a high stick on a zone clear.
Scheifele and Wheeler had a 2-on-1 chance with plenty of net staring at Wheeler but he fired it wide.
OT shots on goal were 3-2 Jets (both teams missed the net on some of their best chances), and 33-32 Jets through 65 minutes.
SHOOTOUT
Top of 1st: Scheifele bobbled the puck, regained and snapped a shot through the five-hole. 1-0 Jets.
Bottom of 1st: Voracek went in deliberately, moved to the backhand and elavated a goal upstairs. 1-1 tie.
Top of 2nd: Laine made several moves and then tucked home a spectacular forehander. 2-1 Jets.
Bottom of 2nd: Weal surprised Hellebuyck with a wrist shot from the slot that beat up under the crossbar. 2-2 tie.
Top of 3rd: Elliott kicked out his right pad to deny Wheeler. 2-2 tie.
Bottom of 3rd: With a chance to win the game, Giroux's tried to get Hellebuyck moving and shoot through the five-hole but everything was sealed. 2-2 tie.
Top of 4th: Little fired a shot off Elliott's glove and in the net. 3-2 Jets.
Bottom of 4th: Konency's five hole try was sealed off to give Winnipeg the skills competition bonus point. Jets win 3-2.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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