WRAPUP: FLYERS EARN 3-2 OT COMEBACK WIN OVER LEAFS
Rallying back from a 2-0 deficit in the third period, the Philadelphia Flyers captured a 3-2 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Eric Lindros Jersey Retirement Night at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. The game was a three-act play of sorts that ended happily as the Flyers swept the season series with the Maple Leafs.
Act one of the game, spanning roughly the first 25 minutes, was a tight-checking contest. The Flyers generally contained the Leafs to the perimeter and generated some sporadic chances of their own but not much of a sustained attack. Even so, it was a step in the right direction after the team paid repeatedly for careless play in an ugly 5-1 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Act two saw the Flyers give up closely spaced back-to-back goals in the middle of the second period -- the first on a fluky breakaway, the second on a borderline offside and loose defensive zone play -- and being sent reeling for about 10 minutes. Philly went off to the second intermission trailing by two goals and looking to be in deep trouble. Right off the hop in the third period, the Flyers gave up another prime chance.
Act three saw the Flyers claw back for two goals -- even strength and shorthanded -- but needed spectacular goaltending to avoid falling behind again. A transition rush off a save in OT ultimately produced the game-winning goal.
"I thought we were playing good hockey and we just need to put the puck in the back of the net. [Toronto goalie Frederik] Anderson was playing good, we were persistent we just kept going and going and going and I thought it was a great game on both sides," Simmonds said.
Goaltender Michal Neuvirth essentially stole two points for the Flyers with three phenomenal saves on seemingly surefire goals for Toronto in the third period. He finished with 29 saves on 31 shots to earn the win. Neuvirth even collected an apple on the game-winning goal.
"Obviously it’s tough giving up two quick goals, but I survived the second and had time to regroup. I was coming into the third with a clear mind," Neuvirth said. "When we tied it, it was like, 'Okay here we go, 0-0. You gotta be at your best right now.' So I was just focusing on the next shot. Just happy the way the guys responded in the third."
Rookie center Nolan Patrick (3rd goal of the season) started the comeback early in the third period by forcing a turnover and then scoring. Wayne Simmonds (shorthanded, 16th goal) finished off a 2-on-1 to tie the game. In overtime, Sean Couturier (26th goal) found the net on a 2-on-1 counterattack. Valtteri Filppula (shorthanded assist, 10th assist overall), Andrew MacDonald (shorthanded assist, 7th assist overall), Travis Konecny (overtime primary assist, 11th overall) and Neuvirth (1st) chipped in one helper apiece.
Patrick has been slowly but surely trending in the right direction in recent weeks. Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said the player has had to navigate the NHL learning curve under some trying circumstances.
"I think Nolan is a confident young man. This is a hard league. That is the flip side. I think he has done a real good job working to build his game. I think the instincts on his goal tonight, quick stick. That was a skilled play. So we are starting to see that offensive more and more from Nolan and he has got to keep pushing," Hakstol said.
"I talked about it the other day. He has got to keep pushing to have that high level of consistency and urgency. He needs to keep moving forward in terms of building the confidence into his game offensively and in all three zones. If you look at over the last ten games he has been a good consistent player for us. We need to keep him pushing on the envelope.…
Connor Brown (12th goal of the season) and Frederik Gauthier (1st goal) tallied for Toronto. Zach Hyman (16th assist of the season), Jake Gardiner (18th assist) and Matt Martin (8th assist) collected assists. Frederik Andersen stopped 34 of 37 shots in a losing cause.
The Flyers, who have generated several shorthanded counterattacks in the last two games and finally potted one in this tilt at a crucial time, went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Despite good puck movement, Philly went 0-for-2 on the power play.'
Addressing the penalty kill topic, Hakstol said, "You can’t force those opportunities, you got to do the job the right way and when there’s an opportunity to make a play to create some of the offense I think our guys certainly are confident to do that and have the freedom to do that. Tonight the tying goal obviously a huge play on the PK, so PK did a great job for us tonight."
The Flyers are right back in action Saturday afternoon, hosting the New Jersey Devils. On Sunday, they are in DC to take on the Washington Capitals.
1ST PERIOD SYNOPSIS
Both teams had an early turnover (giveaway by MacDonald and a takeaway credited to Jordan Weal) and an early shot. Shots were 2-1 Leafs through 4:00. Provorov ripped a blast on net from the high right slot at 4:51. Andersen made the save. One shift later, Konecny had a bang-bang chance.
Neuvirth stopped a 2-on-1 point blank chance for Tyler Bozak with Gudas as the lone defender back and Brandon Manning caught behind the play. Shayne Gostisbehere had a high left-slot chance at the other end. Shots were 5-4 Flyers at a TV timeout at the 8:25 mark.
With 7:43 left in the period, the Leafs took an icing. Valtteri Filppula's line took the left circle draw. The Flyers won possession but nothing developed.
Nolan Patrick astutely trailed a rush, claimed a puck and snapped a shot on goal. At 15:16, Robert Hà¤gg blocked a Matt Martin shot and then Neuvirth smothered a Martin tip on net for a stoppage and his sixth save of the period. Neuvirth squeezed the pads on a tricky short-hopping bouncer on net. After the ensuing faceoff, Toronto's Zach Hyman was called at 18:01. The Flyers went on the game's first power play. Gostisbehere fired a left point shot on goal through a Simmonds screen. Ghost then made a virtually impossible acrobatic keep at the blueline. Later, Neuvirth had to scramble on a shorthanded chance for Patrick Marleau that went as a missed shot.
First period shots were 9-8 Flyers. Faceoffs were 11-7 Flyers (Giroux went 4-for-4).
2ND PERIOD SYNOPSIS
Giroux fired a side-angle shot at the net. Andersen covered at the 32-second mark with Provorov lurking on a pinch.
MacDonald was called for holding at 1:59 after James van Riemsdyk worked inside on him in the right circle. The Flyers' struggling PK killed off this one in pretty good shape. There was an odd-man rush for Giroux and Couturier and no shots against in the Flyers' end.
Gostisbehere twice missed the net on blasts from up high. Shots were 3-1 Flyers through five minutes. At 5:42, Simmonds caught a stretch pass but was offside.
Bozak went at Konecny for a hit the Flyers' 20-year-old forward delivered just after a whistle behind the net. No penalties were called on the first show of temper by either team.
Gudas turned a puck over on a hit by Leo Komarov and Toronto had a 2-on-1 down low. Neuvirth bailed out his team with back-to-back saves on the Russian forward. Neuvirth then made a stop on Gauthier.
Couturier won a puck down low on the forecheck and found an open Travis Konecny on the slot. Konecny missed the net. On the next shift, Weal had a good look but missed in front.
Gostisbehere had a puck dribble past him near the offensive blueline and Brown broke out on a breakaway, beating Neuvirth through the five-hole for a 1-0 lead at 12:57. Hyman got the lone assist.
“It didn’t hop actually. I just missed it. Pretty unfortunate there. I was just trying to keep it in with one hand and probably should have had two hands and took the off side but it’s unfortunate," Gostisbehere said after the game.
Toronto then scored quickly again. On a sequence that started with a borderline (too close to tell conclusively) offside by the Leafs, the Flyers then got outmaneuvered in their zone and Gauthier scored in front at 13:25. The assists went to Jake Gardiner and Matt Martin. Rather than risking a penalty on a challenge, the Flyers did not force a replay review.
"I think it’s offsides, I just don’t know if there’s enough there clearly to overturn the call, and we had just given up two quick ones. But I feel like our team was playing pretty well and didn’t want to put us in a situation where you flip a coin as to whether or not you’re gonna have to go down and have to kill a two minute minor. We looked at it closely both in back and on the bench and just didn’t think the likely hood of it being overturned was strong enough," Hakstol said afterwards.
With the Flyers now trailing by a pair of goals. Patrick and Weal worked a give-and-go. Patrick tipped a weak shot at the net for just Philly's 15th shot of the game.
Raffl took exception to a rough hit and follow-through in his back between the benches by Connor Carrick with the puck gone. Raffl gave him a shove back Gbut Carrick skated away.
Andersen blockered away a Gostisbehere shot in the waning seconds of the period. Voracek was skating on a shift with Laughton and Lehterà¤.
Second period shots were 12-11 Flyers (20-19 Flyers overall).
3RD PERIOD SYNOPSIS
Nazem Kadri had a transitional rush in the opening minute of the period but missed the net.
Patrick got the Flyers back to within 2-1 at 1:33. Forcing a turnover on the forecheck near the goal line alongside the net, the rookie swept a puck into the cage with Andersen back in his net and caught by surprise. The goal was uanassisted.
Lehterठwas called for interference at the offensive zone blueline, trying to create room for Voracek at 2:07. Couturier had a shorthanded rush up the left side and tried to cut in. Andersen denied him, Then the Flyers had a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush and did not miss this time. Filppula carried the mail and fed across to Simmonds in the left slot, who buried into a half-open net to tie the game at . Assists went to Filppula and MacDonald.
Neuvirth came up big twice -- first on a 10-bell stop on Connor Brown from below the left hash marks, then on Patrick Marleau from the slot. Shots were 7-3 Toronto through 4:30 but the Flyers had the two that counted.
Gostisbehere was taken down in the defensive zone and Toronto nearly got a chance out of it. Referee Tim Chmeliewski looked on impassively as the crowd howled and Gostisbehere stared. Shortly thereafter, at 9:30, the Flyers got a power play as Komarov was called for interference on Giroux in the Philadelphia right corner.
Couturier chipped a loose puck in front over the net. With 1:38 left on the power play, Andersen snagged a Gostisbehere point shot that he saw on the all the way. Giroux had a left circle shot that Andersen knocked out of play with 1:29 remaining. After shorthanded shots for Toronto's Gauthier and, more dangerously, Brown, were stopped by Neuvirth, Voracek had an opportunity turned aside on the rush the other way.
Gostisbehere's quick stick broke up a play in the Flyers' zone. The puck then went into the Flyers bench with 7:22 left.
The Laughton line with Voracek, Lehterà¤, Hà¤gg and MacDonald on the ice had a very strong shift, hemming Toronto in deep and getting a couple shots on goal. Voracek was especially determined on this shift. Shots were 13-10 Flyers at 15:05.
Neuvirth made another 10-bell save on a 2-on-1, robbing Marleau moving laterally to his right, on a point blank chance. The sequence started with Gudas taking himself way out of position to land a hit at the Toronto blueline.
The Filppula line, with Voracek continuing to double-shift, had another extended possession shift, aided by an active Gostisbehere. No prime chances ensued. A Couturier shot from high in the offensive zone off a Giroux feed was muffled in the final minute.
Third period shots were 15-11 Flyers (36-30 Flyers through regulation).
OVERTIME SYNOPSIS
Neuvirth made save on and the Flyers broke out on a 2-on-1. Couturier buried a feed from puck-carrier Konecny to win the game at the 18-second mark. Neuvirth got a secondary assist on the goal.
Final shots were 37-31 Flyers.
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LINDROS JERSEY RETIREMENT
One hour prior to the start of Thursday's game between the Flyers and Toronto, the Flyers retired Eric Lindros' famed No. 88 jersey in a moving and extremely well-organized ceremony. Lindros became the sixth player in franchise history -- out of 604 to date to wear the uniform -- to earn jersey retirement. His name and number joined those of Bernie Parent (No. 1), Mark Howe (No. 2), the late Barry Ashbee (No. 4), Bill Barber (No. 7) and Bob Clarke (No. 16) in the Wells Fargo Center rafters.
With the Flyers' 3-2 overtime win on Thursday, the club maintained an unbeaten record on jersey retirement nights in team history. More importantly, the Flyers moved to 8-2-0 in their last 10 home games and did not lose ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race on a night when they appeared in severe jeopardy of doing so.