Wrap: Flyers Come Back to Beat Buffalo via SO, 5-4
The Philadelphia Flyers did not make life easy on themselves but they ended Tuesday night with two desperately needed points as they earned a comeback 5-4 win via shootout against the visiting Buffalo Sabres at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. After scoring first, the Flyers overcame deficits of 3-1 and 4-2 to eventually force overtime.
Buffalo blocked 24 shot attempts but the Flyers kept attacking and attacking to chip away at the pair of two-goal deficits. The Flyers also had to survive a late-regulation penalty kill to get the game to OT.
The Flyers struck fast, as James van Riemsdyk (11th) goal of the season but then succumbed to their own loose defensive play and inability to get clutch saves. Sam Reinhart (10th and 11th) sandwiched a pair of even-strength goals around a Riley Sheahan rebound goal (3rd) as Buffalo took a 3-1 lead to the first intermission.
A Kevin Hayes goal (9th) off a gorgeous backhand pass by Scott Laughton narrowed the gap to 3-2 early in the second period. Buffalo defensive defenseman Brandon Montour (1st) restored a two-goal margin on a deflected shot. Claude Giroux (4th) got Philly back within 4-3 on a tip-in from a saucer pass from Jakub Voracek. In the third period, Shayne Gostisbehere (power play, 4th) got the game knotted.
After a scoreless overtime, the game moved to a shootout. Couturier elected to shoot rather than deke and scored inside the left post. In the second round, Nolan Patrick attacked with speed and scored high to the glove side. Neither Rasmus Dahlin (stopped by the pads) nor Casey Mittelstadt (made a move, tucked the puck wide) scored on their attempts.
A struggling Carter Hart lasted just one period, giving up three goals on eight shots. Hart looked small in his net and shellshocked as he continued to struggle with shot high to his glove side. After the game, a distraught Hart admitted to a loss of confidence.
"I’m just trying to stop the puck and right now I’m not. Plain and simple. I just need to find a way to get back on track because I’m not playing well. I know it. Everyone knows it. It’s hard right now. But the boys battled back and that’s all that matters," Hart said.
"I just need to find more ways to stop pucks. Just go out and play. Not overthink things and just trust my game. I don’t know, it’s just shitty right now. I don’t feel like myself and I have to find a way to get back to playing the game that I love and trusting the game that I’ve built."
Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault was blunt in his assessment of why he pulled Hart and what the 22-year-old netminder needs to do to adjust.
"I replaced him because I didn’t think he had been good enough. I told Moose he was going in. At the end of the day, it’s the toughest position in hockey. Carter is a very young goaltender. We all believe in him. We all think that he has a tremendous amount of potential. It’s a tough position. He’s going to learn from this. He’s going to get better. I believe he has to battle a little bit harder in goal at this time. I’m confident that he will work with Kim [Dillabaugh] and he will try to get his game to where it needs to be so our team can have a chance in every game," Vigneault said.
Brian Elliott went the rest of the way, stopping 11 of 12 shots and then going 2-for-2 in the shootout. Buffalo starter Jonas Johansson denied 29 of 33 shots in regulation and OT. The Sabres, who spent much of the game in their own end of the ice also blocked 24 shots for their goalie.
On the ensuing center ice faceoff after the JVR goal, Laughton got judo flipped on his head by Curtis Lazar. There was no penalty or response. Laughton eventually returned to the game and played very well.
For highlights, analysis and more from Tuesday's game, see the Postgame 5 on the Flyers' official website.