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Wrap:Flyers Beat Columbus, 2-1, Strengthen Playoff Push |
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WRAP: FLYERS BEAT COLUMBUS, 2-1, STRENGTHEN PLAYOFF PUSH
A strong two-way start, key saves when needed from their new goaltender in a sloppy middle frame and a two-goal push in the third period lifted the Philadelphia Flyers to a 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. The Flyers are now 8-0-2 in their last 10 games and have won four in a row.
The Flyers entered the third period trailing, 1-0, but put the pedal to the metal to forge ahead and then did a good of slamming the door.
Leading the third period charge, Claude Giroux (21st goal of the season) and Nolan Patrick (power play, 8th of the season) scored in the final stanza. Sean Couturier (32nd assist), Shayne Gostisbehere (38th and 39th assists) and Giroux (51st assist) collected helpers.
Even when the team trailed, it never lost the confidence of feeling like the game was there to be won.
“I think for us it’s just finding a way. Some nights obviously we aren’t going to have it, it’s not going to be the fanciest of nights. I think we bore down there in the third and got back to where we were playing and it worked for us," Gostisbehere said.
Making his Flyers' debut, goaltender Petr Mrazek stepped up big when he needed to, especially in the second period. The Czech goalie stopped 19 of 20 shots overall, including 13 of 14 in the middle frame. The Flyers held the Blue Jackets to two shots in the first period and four in the third. Mrazek, an aggressive puckhandling goalie, did a good job at stopping dump-ins and getting the puck quickly to defensemen for breakouts. There were a few scoring chances where he was really tested, and he came through.
"I was very excited for this game. The day was so long for me. It was like we were playing at midnight, not at seven. I was waiting for it. I am happy that it’s over," Mrazek said.
"Very important first period. I didn’t have much work there. I was waiting for something. A one-timer for the side hit my mask then went out. They had two shots, not many. The guys did a great job there. The team blocked so many shots. Those chances that they had up on the power play so big step by the D, coming in for us."
Actually, the goalie's one miscue was not on a shot but rather in failing to tap his stick on the ice at the end of a Columbus penalty. Not realizing there was back pressure coming, Ivan Provorov turned over the puck and Artemi Panarin (17th goal of the season) went the other way and scored an unassisted goal.
Sergei Bobrovsky (18 saves on 20 shots) played well enough to give his team a chance to win. The Giroux goal started as a broken play on a Flyers rush in which Bobrovsky perhaps went down a bit too early the Flyers' captain made an excellent shot upstairs. The Patrick goal was a loose puck in traffic in front of the net on a Philadelphia power play.
Said Giroux of his goal, “I was just trying to get it on net. There wasn’t a lot of room and there were two guys around me and I was just trying to get it in on net and it kind of just hit the D’s stick. It’s the only way I can beat Bob. So just put it on net and make it happen.”
In addition to his goal and assist, Giroux was utterly dominant at the dot. He won 16 of 19 faceoffs (84 percent); nearly half of the Flyers' overall total of 33 wins on 52 draws (63 percent as a team).
Two-time Vezina Trophy winner Bobrovsky, who was downright spectacular the last times the teams met, appeared to be in his former team's head in the first two periods. Numerous times, the Flyers were guilty of passing up open looks at the net to try to set up teammates only to, predictably, see the chance fizzle out. Bobrovsky also authored several tough saves when he had to, but overall, didn't see the same quality of shots as last Friday because of seemingly prime chances that ended up in no shot on goal.
"We didn’t like the second period tonight. It’s not like we were under siege, but we didn’t get a whole lot done. It really felt like to that point in the game, we probably turned down too many shooting opportunities and I think we were a little too much on the outside instead of being at net front and getting in and around the blue paint," Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said.
"That being said, we hadn’t given up a ton, but the way we gave up the first goal and to give up the one goal lead coming out of two. I think our guys just wanted to have a real good push in the third period. Without changing anything or taking a ton of risk, we just needed a push and I thought we got that right away."
The Flyers went 1-for-5 on the power play. Columbus took two extremely undisciplined penalties and paid the price dearly on the second one, as it rapidly turned into Patrick's game-winning goal. Filling in as the netfront forward on the top power play unit in the absence of the injured Wayne Simmonds, Patrick has scored key goals in back-to-back games.
"He’s played pretty well for us. Obviously his role increased a little bit over the last couple of months and he’s earned that. He’s doing a good job with it. At this time of the year - I talked a little bit about it this morning - whatever the role, whatever the job that the team needs, you have to go out there and try and do that," Hakstol said.
"With Simmer’s absence, I think Patty’s done a good job on that PP unit at net front. It’s a different look. He does things, you know, he’s a little bit of a different player there than Simmer is, but he’s been effective. I’ve been happy with his playing. Obviously he scored a big goal tonight."
After three straight games without facing a shorthanded situation, tying an NHL record, the Flyers had to kill two penalties on this night. They killed both successfully, and the first one was in particularly emphatic fashion against the NHL's bottom-ranked power play.
As the game moved along, Hakstol made a switch in line combinations. He moved rookie left wing Oskar Lindblom, playing in his second NHL game, to the second line with Patrick and Jakub Voracek. The trio played an especially strong third period. Despite not finishing with a point or shot on goal, Lindblom was outstanding on the boards and knocked down a couple of would-be checkers who came in intending to deliver hits on him. Jordan Weal, who started the game on the left wing of the Patrick line, was moved to a line with Scott Laughton and Taylor Leier.
"It was two-fold," Hakstol said of his reasoning for the mid-game switch.
"It gets Wealer back over onto the right side. It gets a lefty on the line with Nolan and Jake, with Jake on the right side. A lot of the time it’s getting up ice, a lefty on that other side. It’s a little bit easier to get the puck over to Jake if he’s staying in that wide lane. Overall, just wanted to shake it up a little bit and we’ve liked Oskar’s game. We made that change and again, he went out and did little things really well and I thought he played a real good third period."
Travis Konecny (lower-body injury) briefly participated in the morning skate as well as pregame warmups but the decision was ultimately made to have him sit out the game. Leier, a frequent healthy scratch returned to the lineup, while Michael Raffl moved up to the first line.
Flyers defenseman Brandon Manning suffered an apparent upper-body injury late in the game on a play where his arm got wedged along the boards. He was allowed to leave the game for a substitute despite a Flyers' icing. He did not return, but there was not much time left.
1ST PERIOD SYNOPSIS
The Flyers got a quick power play just 30 seconds in the game as Cam Atkinson was called for hooking Couturier in the defensive zone. The Flyers didn't generate much of consequence on the man advantage.
At 3:08, Mrazek made his first save as a Flyer, stopping a David Savard slapper from the left circle. Shots were 4-1 Flyers through five minutes of play.
Passing up an open shot from the high left slot, Ivan Provorov tried a pass to Valtteri Filppula at the right hash mark. The puck went wide.
At 7:11, after Raffl blocked an Oliver Bjorkstrand shot attempt, Giroux went in alone on Bobrovsky and tried for the five hole. The ex-Flyer sealed everything off and denied Giroux.
Andrew MacDonald made a nice defensive play behind the net and worked the puck up the wall for a breakout, but paid the price for it as Boone Jenner delivered a crunching hit. Shots were 5-1 Flyers at a TV timeout at 11:15.
Voracek caught accidental high stick from Jack Johnson behind the Flyers' net. Philly got its second power play. The top unit generated great puck movement this time and two scoring chances, including one for Voracek off a tape-to-tape cross ice pass from Giroux but could not pot a goal.
After the power play expired, Lindblom turned in strong work on the offensive boards and the Flyers had some extended offensive zone time. At the other end of the ice, the Flyers' streak of not taking a penalty that left them shorthanded after three-plus games. Jordan Weal went to the box at 14:41 for interference, putting Columbus on the power play.
Couturier had a shorthanded rush up the left side but Bobrovsky cut down the angle and made the save. The Blue Jackets did not get a shot on net during the power play.
Mrazek's second save came with 2:29 left in the period. Zac Dalpe collected a turnover over the middle and wristed a shot on goal from the high slot.
First period shots were 7-2 Flyers.
2ND PERIOD SYNOPSIS
At 21 seconds,Marzek made an outstanding stretched out glove save on a pinching Zach Werenski from the middle slot after a pass across from the left. Shots were 4-0 Columbus through five minutes, as Mrazek started to see rubber with more frequency.
The Flyers' first shot came at 7:07 on a counter rush off a Scott Laughton takeaway in the defensive zone. Taking a drop pass from Leier, Laughton fired a perimeter shot from the right side that Bobrovsky handled with no rebound. A TV timeout ensued.
A needless extra pass attempt between Couturier and Giroux led a great scoring chance after Couturier intercepted a puck in the deep slot to go awry. Couturier, diving for a loose puck, then took a tripping penalty at 8:33. Mrzek made one save on a Seth Jones point shot. As the penalty expired, Jori Lehterä chipped the puck up ice to Couturier exiting the box. Columbus received a too many men on the ice penalty, giving the Flyers their third power play at 10:41.
On the power play, Couturier tipped a good early scoring chance wide of the net. After Giroux lost the puck to Matt Calvert, Mrazek had to rob Alexander Wennberg on a shorthanded chance. The Flyers weren't so lucky on a turnover by Provorov right after the penalty expired. After an attempted pass to MacDonald was pick off, Panarin went the other way and rifled a wrist shot home stick side over Mrazek's shoulder for a 1-0 Columbus lead at 12:51. The goal was unassisted.
The Flyers' top line generated a very lengthy puck possession shift in the Columbus zone, aided also by a broken Blue Jackets' stick, but could not put a shot on net. Shots were 10-1 Columbus through 15:44.
Philly got its fourth power play at 16:12. Pierre-Luc Dubois was called for a needless elbowing penalty delivering a hit in the Flyers' zone. Bobrovsky denied a Gostisbehere point shot through a double-layered screen Couturier and Patrick. At the other end, Mrazek had to come up big again to stop Wennberg. As the penalty expired, some indecisiveness by Weal on the boards contributed to a 3-on-2 counter the other way.
Voracek took a late period shift with Couturier and Giroux and set up a point blank chance in front for Couturier. Bobrovsky made the save.
Second period shots were 14-6 in Columbus' favor (16-13 Columbus overall).
3RD PERIOD SYNOPSIS
Raffl returned to the Couturier line to start the third period. Weal skated with Leier and Laughton on the next shift.
Gostisbehere started a breakout and the Flyers benefited from a broken play that bounced their way as a Couturier pass went off a defender's skate and right to Giroux. From the middle slot, Giroux snapped a shot upstairs to tie the game at 2:34. The assists went to Couturier and Gostisbehere.
The top line pressured again on its next shift. Finally a point shot by Andrew MacDonald was saved out of play. About 45 seconds later, Lindblom, now with Nolan Patrick and Voracek, outmuscled a defender on the walls to extend possession for his line.
The Flyers' top line had a rough shift the next time out out. Mrazek denied a 2-on-1 and then stopped Cam Atkinson in close. At the other end, Ryan Murray went to hit Lindblom behind the net but, instead, Lindblom dipped a shoulder and Murray took a seat on the ice.
At 9:43, Brandon Dubinski, always prone to borderline dirty plays, stuck out a leg and tripped Giroux. The Flyers cashed in immediately on the power play. Philly won the draw, and Giroux went back to Gostisbehere at the point. With heavy traffic in front, Gostisbehere fired a shot and Patrick then tapped the loose puck home from in front of the net for a 2-1 lead at 9:49.
Voracek led a 2-on-1 counter rush with Lindblom, looked off the defender and then tried to fire a surprise shot from the left circle. Bobrovsky got it. Later, Lindblom occupied the puck on the boards in a lengthy battle.
At a TV timeout at 14:09, shots were 5-2 Flyers.
Dale Weise turned a puck over in the defensive zone but then blocked two shots. Mrazek melted play down with a glove save of a perimeter shot.
Gudas knocked Panarin down to the ice, ending a play in the neutral zone.
Patrick had a scoring chance skating down the right side but Bobrovsky got it with the glove. Lindblom then occupied the puck again behind the net.
Manning got his arm wedged into boards and went up the tunnel on a Flyers' icing. The fourth line had a scoring chance the other way set up for Lehterä.
Mrazek gloved a Bjorkstrand shot with 1:28 left. The Blue Jackets called timeout and pulled Bobrovsky for a 6-on-5 attack with a left circle offensive faceoff upcoming. Couturier won the draw but Gudas took an icing. The Flyers lost the next draw but worked the puck out of the zone twice. Couturier twice passed up empty net chances and Filppula did one, each time resulting in lost scoring chances. But Philly had an offensive right circle faceoff with 5.6 seconds left and killed off the rest of the clock to win the game.
Third period shots were 7-4 Flyers (20-20 overall).
STANDINGS IMPACT
Thursday night turned out to be a very good one for the Flyers in the standings. Not only did they beat lower wildcard team Columbus to open up a nine-point lead (plus a 31-24 advantage in the ROW tiebreaker), but the Flyers also got help on the out-of-town scoreboard in every game of significance to them. Here's what happened:
* The Washington Capitals, leading the Florida Panthers by a 2-1 score in the waning minutes of the third period, yielded two late goals to go down to a regulation 3-2 loss. As a result, the Flyers moved to within one point of the first-place Capitals in the Metropolitan Division standings. Washington's ROW tiebreaker advantage also disappeared. Both the Flyers and Capitals are now at 31 ROW.
* The Pittsburgh Penguins were idle on Thursday. Using their game in hand, the Flyers pulled even in points with the second-place Penguins. Pittsburgh holds onto the spot by virtue of its 33-31 ROW tiebreaker advantage. The Penguins visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.
* The New Jersey Devils dropped a 4-2 home decision to the Minnesota Wild. The Flyers are now four points ahead of the upper wildcard-ranked Devils with a 31-27 ROW edge in case of a tie in points. The Devils host the New York Islanders on Saturday.
* The Islanders dropped a shootout to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3, on Thursday. As a result, they remain below the playoff cutoff despite being tied in points (65) with Columbus and ahead in ROW, 26-24. That is because the Blue Jackets still hold one game in hand. Columbus hosts Chicago on Saturday, while the Islanders are in Newark. From a Flyers standpoint, Friday's outcomes mean the team at least temporarily has a nine-point cushion plus a tiebreaker edge to avoid missing the playoffs.
* Carolina, which is one point behind Columbus and the Islanders, holds one game in hand on the Blue Jackets and two on the Islanders. The Hurricanes return to action on Saturday against Pittsburgh.
The Flyers will hold an 11:30 a.m. practice on Friday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees before traveling to Ontario. On Saturday afternoon, the Flyers visit the Ottawa Senators.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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