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Wrapup: Schenn, Power Play Outshine Stars, 4-2 |
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WRAPUP: SCHENN, POWER PLAY OUTSHINE STARS, 4-2
For the first time since January 6 to 19, 2002, the Philadelphia Flyers have built an eight-game winning streak. The team erased a pair of one-goal deficits to earn a 4-2 victory against the Dallas Stars at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon.
Over the course of the Philadelphia winning streak, different players and different facets of the game have stepped up elevate the team on victory.
“I think at that point coming out in the third period you see a lot of determination. I think that’s the word I would use. Just as an overall group, no matter what the situation is, very tight, close hockey game all the way through. We’ve had different things – different parts of our game have pushed us over the finish line here on different nights," Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said.
On Saturday, it was special teams. The Flyers went 3-for-6 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
"I think Joe [Mullen] obviously had our guys very well prepared. But, it’s tough to script things. Those are really good plays by our power play unit out there. So, I’ll give all those guys a lot of credit. Joe, right from the preparation side, all went through the guys that are on the ice making the plays," Hakstol said.
Brayden Schenn notched the second hat trick of his NHL career by scoring three power play goals. In the meantime, the red-hot Jakub Voracek moved into second in the Art Ross Trophy race as he compiled three power play assists and an empty net goal. Voracek has eight points in the last two games.
"I’m just a recipient of some great plays by the other guys in the group, obviously Jakey: I got a stick on the first one, a high tip on the second one would have actually been funny. I’ve been bugging him for some high tips lately so he got me on two tonight. And the third one was just a lucky play where it breaks your stick and it’s just kind of the right place, right time," Schenn said.
In addition to his hat trick on the power play, Schenn dropped the gloves and fought Stephen Johns in defense of Travis Konecny. He also won seven of eight faceoffs. Schenn's power play hat trick marked the fifth time a Flyers' player scored three goals on the man advantage in a game. Tim Kerr did it twice (vs. LA Kings on Nov. 3, 1985 and vs. Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 20, 1986) while Brian Propp (on the road against the old Minnesota North Stars on Oct. 13, 1988) and Scott Hartnell (on the road against the New York Islanders on January 19, 2008) did it once apiece.
The Stars, who have only won four games on the road to date this season, played a good game overall. It was not until late in the game that the team's seeming penchant for self-destruction on the road arose again in the form of two undisciplined penalties by Tyler Seguin and Jamie Oleksiak that proved fatal as Schenn scored the tying and winning goals within the final four minutes.
For most of the game, the Stars played well enough to win. Dallas is saddled with the NHL's bottom-ranked goals against average and has had a proclivity for ill-timed turnovers and defensive coverage breakdowns as well as inconsistent goaltending. However, the breakdowns were few and far between and the Flyers were held to just 12 shots through two periods.
"I think you can look at it that we go down short-handed in the post and the right play would be the back of the net and we didn’t execute. They got their opportunity and ended up executing. The game could have been three to one at that time but that time of the game we didn’t get it done," Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said.
“I think we knew we had to stay out of the penalty box. We took that last penalty and it put us in a bad place. We talked about it before the game. If you are going to be careless it will cost you. ... . There is always a play you can point to. I think we could look to our power play and our puck possession on the last play and didn’t execute good enough. That could have been a difference maker too."
Asked if he thought the Flyers got a little lucky on the final power play, Ruff did not offer any excuses.
“I think you work for your breaks. I think a couple of calls were a little bit light but they still ended up putting it in the back of the net. I think when you get a call like that you take advantage of it," Ruff said.
Dallas got a lift from the bottom end of its forward lineup. Devin Shore notched the first two-goal game of his NHL career, giving the Stars leads of 1-0 and 2-1. The top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza was held off the scoresheet but had its share of shifts where it pinned the Flyers deep. However, the Flyers did a good job for the most part at keeping the deadly trio
outside the dots.
Kari Lehtonen, who has only one career victory against the Flyers, deserved a better fate in goal. He stopped 18 of 21 shots, including several tough ones, and had no chance on any of Schenn's goals. Two were deflections and the game-winner was an untrackable bounce of the puck that went the Flyers' way.
At the other end of the ice, Steve Mason had a solid bounceback game from a game against the Edmonton Oilers in which he was not at his best. Mason turned back 21 of 23 shots to earn the win. The goalie hinted that he wants to make an eighth straight start on Sunday, when the Flyers travel to Joe Louis Arena to take on the Detroit Red Wings.
Boyd Gordon returned to the Flyers' lineup on Saturday after a lengthy stint on the injured reserve list. He skated 8:53 of ice time over 12 shifts (minus-two, three blocked shots, 7-for-11 on faceoffs). Taylor Leier was a healthy scratch. On defense, the Flyers stayed with the same pairings as Thursday's game against Edmonton, with Michael Del Zotto remaining a healthy scratch.
The Flyers had three of the game's first four shots through the opening six minutes of the first period. Mason dialed up a tough save on a deflected point shot and a followup try at 7:10.
However, on the next scramble around the net with the Flyers hemmed in deep, the Stars scored. Shore backhanded a puck in front home to make it 1-0 at 7:30 on his third goal of the season. Adam Cracknell and Curtis McKenzie received the assists.
At 10:11, Mason stopped Antoine Roussel on a 2-on-1 rush. Shots were 7-4 Dallas at this point.
Gudas was called on a clipping minor at 12:32 as he upended Roussel in the neutral zone. Mason had to come up big on to keep the deficit to one goal.
Esa Lindell went off for interference at 14:46. The first unit applied heavy early pressure. Lehtonen stopped Gostisbehere on a heavy center point shot through traffic without allowing a rebound. A near tic-tac-toe passing sequence from Giroux to Voracek to Wayne Simmonds barely missed connections at the left post. With seven seconds left, Curtis McKenzie drew a boarding minor for shoving Travis Konecny, who was sprawled on the ice, into the boards.
As the Philadelphia power play continued, they tied the game. After a keep by Gostibehere at the left point and a pass to Voracek on the right half boards, Schenn cruised across in front to deflect home his fifth goal of the season at 17:18 as the Flyers tied the game. Assists went to Voracek and Gostisbehere.
On the next shift, Mason's mask was knocked off by a high center slot shot by Spezza. Late in the period, Mason found a Lindell shot to keep the game knotted.
Shots in first period were 10-7 in the Stars' favor.
Ivan Provorov received an interference penalty at 1:37 as Dallas went to its second power play. Mason made three saves during the successful penalty kill.
Schenn and Stephen Johns dropped the gloves for a lengthy and spirited fight at 7:47 after Schenn took exception to a hit by Johns on Konecny in the corner. Shots for the game were 13-10 Dallas at this point.
With 6:36 left in the second period, Mason stopped Roussel again, as he sped down the left wing. Mason showed a five hole and then took it away, squeezing the pads for a save. At about the 16:00 mark, Mason made a point-blank save on an open Tyler Seguin. Shortly thereafter, the Flyers had an odd-man counterattack that barely eluded Giroux.
Gostisbehere went off the bench in pain after taking a shot off his hand. He returned to the game.
Philly went to its third power play at 16:59 as Seguin was called for tripping behind the Dallas net. Lehtonen stopped Dale Weise from point-blank range and no Stars around him. The shot was just the 12th for the Flyers for the afternoon.
In the final half, minute of the period, Lehtonen turned back a Lyubimov chance. Shots in the second period were 7-5 in Dallas' favor; 17-12 for Dallas overall through 40 minutes.
Lauri Korpikoski was called for goaltender interference at 1:55 of the third period. The Flyers did not score. At 3:55, it took a 10-bell save by Lehtonen on Provorov to keep the game tied. Moments earlier, Konecny got boarded without a call.
Lehtonen stopped a long distance shot from Simmonds with 12:06 remaining in the third period. The shot was Philly's 15th of the game.
At 8:23, the Flyers gave up a little too much time and space on a Dallas rush. Gudas took a holding penalty. The Stars went on their third power play. Simmonds failed on one clearing attempt but succeeded on a second. Philly got through the kill but only by a few seconds.
At 10:32, the Stars took a 2-1 lead. Mason made a near miraculous second effort save on Shore near the right post on a Roussel rebound, but Shore stayed with it and poked it over the line. Roussel and Dan Hamhuis got the assists.
The Flyers had an immediate scoring chance after Shore's second goal. Voracek snapped a shot from the mid-slot on goal. Lehtonen made his 16th save of the game. With 7:41 remaining, Schenn took a careless high-sticking penalty. The Flyers killed it off but lost two valuable minutes on the clock.
Jamie Oleksiak drilled Voracek with a cross-check as the Flyers right winger sped up the right wing. A Flyers power play ensued after a TV timeout at 15:06. The Flyers yielded a quick shorthanded 2-on-1 but benefited from help from the crossbar on a Radek Faksa shot off from the right slot off a Roussel pass. Schenn then tied the game on a somewhat similar play to his first goal. The puck was rotated to Voracek in the right circle and Schenn tipped the puck home at 16:12 for his second tally of the game and 6th of the season. Voracek and Streit got the helpers.
With 2:57 left, the Flyers went back to the power play after an initial failed clear in their own end. Seguin stapled Bellemare to the end boards and was called for high sticking. Schenn completed his second career hat trick, falling to the ice as a blocked Voracek shot bounced his way and knocking the puck into the open left side of the cage to put the Flyers ahead, 3-2. Voracek and Streit again got the assists at 17:45 on Schenn's 7th goal of the season and third of the game.
Lehtonen pulled for an extra attacker with about 90 seconds left. Voracek iced the win as he finessed a center ice backhander the rest of the way after Giroux chipped the puck to him on a defensive zone
With 10.9 seconds left and the game decided, Simmonds and Roussel tangled at center ice. Both received slashing majors, fighting majors and game misconducts.
Shots in the third period were 10-6 in the Flyers' favor, 23-22 for Dallas overall. Both teams attempted 49 shots; an accurate iindication of the fairly even nature of the game. The Flyers won 56 percent of the faceoffs, even on a day where Giroux won just 12 of 29.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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