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Wrap: Flyers Beat Sharks, 4-2 |
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Wrap: Flyers Beat Sharks, 4-2
It may not have been their "A" game from a 200-foot standpoint in the early going, but the Philadelphia Flyers were the better team as the game moved along in a 4-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. The Sharks were held to just four shots over the final 33-plus minutes of the game after racking up shots on goal -- including quite a few dangerous ones -- at a hefty clip early.
With the win, the Flyers improved to a stellar 22-5-4 on home ice. The Sharks, losers in regulation for the fifth straight game, dropped to 26-33-4 overall and 12-17-4 on the road.
"After the first three minutes, I thought we got a little bit sloppy and we weren’t first on pucks. We were chasing the game quite a bit. I do think in the second period we started to play a smarter game, a more north south game and we got a couple out number situations we were able to score on. In the third period, they got that goal and that post at the end, but other than that, they didn’t really get anything. In the second half of the game we played the way we wanted to play," Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said.
All three members of the revised Flyers second line recorded multi-point games. Kevin Hayes had two goals and an assist. Travis Konecny talled a goal and had two helpers. Scott Laughton recorded a pair of primary assists.
"I think all three of our games complement one another. TK, he is an electric player. He’s easy to play with. Laughts brings a lot of grit, hard-work to that line. Caused a lot of commotion. I try to look for those two guys. We scored tonight, but I honestly don’t think that defensively it wasn’t one of our better games," Hayes said.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel (6th goal of the season, power play) and the Sharks' Joel Kellman (2nd) traded off goals in the opening period. Hayes (20th) and Konecny (22nd) built a 3-1 Flyers lead in the second. Hayes (21st) struck again early in the third period to make it a three-goal lead. Noah Gregor (2nd) got one back midway through the frame, but the Sharks drew no closer.
Carter Hart earned the win in goal for the Flyers, stopping 26 of 28 shots. Aaron Dell took the loss for the Sharks, with 23 saves on 27 shots.
"They kind of kicked our ass [6-1 in San Jose] last time. It was time for us to return the favor. We know that they have guys out there who can make you pay, and they have some skill guys on their on their team," Hart said.
The Flyers were largely outplayed for the first 23 minutes of the game. Hart kept the Sharks from going ahead until the team in front of him got rolling offensively.
"I thought they were outworking us in the first and we kind of got it together a little bit better, but definitely not our best effort. But we will take the two points and continue to go," Laughton said. "Harty really stepped up big for us tonight, again. There were some tough saves there that he made. It was huge for our team, and then we got some bounces."
New acquisitions Derek Grant (12:38 TOI, 3 hits, 6-for-10 on faceoffs) and Nate Thompson (12:39 TOI, 2 hits, one shot on goal on a B-level scoring chance, 2-for-5 on faceoffs, two hits) made their Flyers debuts. Both players saw time on the penalty kill, with Grant playing 0:53 on the first kill and Thompson skating 1:26 across two. Their presence enabled Vigneault to rest Claude Giroux during two PKs on this night. The latter kill was with Grant in the box.
"I flew in overnight [from California]. Got in this morning. I haven't been getting a lot of sleep, but you are running on adrenaline," Grant said.
Added Thompson, "I took a little bit. I thought I kind of had a rough first period, just kind of getting my timing and getting some chemistry with my line mates and the team. Was kind of getting going after that though. I felt good as the game went on and we got better and better."
The Flyers went 2-for-2 on the kill. They were 1-for-2 on the power play.
The Flyers got off to a quick start, roaring out to a 6-0 shot edge and a 1-0 lead. Brent Burns took a hooking penalty to break up a scoring chance. At 1:32, Philly converted it into a goal.
James van Riemsdyk made a nice touch pass to Aube-Kubel and NAK buried it from the slot. Matt Niskanen, who played a strong all-around game along with partner Ivan Provorov, collected the secondary assist.
Thereafter, San Jose took over, generating each of the next 13 shots on goal, and knotting the score. The Flyerrs top line had a strong period. The other three lines pent more first -period time defending than attacking or getting one-and-dones. Late in the period, a Scott Laughton shot hit the crossbar then the left post and stayed out of the net.
Hart was severely tested numerous times in the first period, denying Logan Couture on a 2-on-1, Stefan Noesen in close, and Kevin Labanc from the slot. The one puck that got past him, at 6:30 was a Jacob Middleton rebound off the pads. Robert Hägg was unable to get to it, and Kellman potted the rebound.
First period shots were 15-8 in San Jose's favor. Shot attempts were 26-18 Sharks. Per Natural Stat Trick, high danger chances were 5-1 Sharks (the Aube-Kubel was the Flyers' only one), and expected goals were 1,05 for for the Sharks to 0.51 for the Flyers.
Beyond just the top line, the Flyers were offensively sharper and much more up on their skates in the second period. The Flyers second line did the two-goal damage on the scoreboard.
The Sharks started the second period out on a power play (Grant was called for slashing a tick before the first period buzzer). Hart started the frame with back-to-back saves on the dangerous Evander Kane.
Overall, the Sharks outplayed the Flyers through the first 23-plus minutes. That started to change, thanks to Laughton's relentless hunger for the puck in the neutral zone. The Flyers entered the offensive zone for an eventual tic (Travis Konecny) - tac (Scott Laughton) - toe (Kevin Hayes with the finish) goal for 2-1 lead at 3:51. The Sharks unsuccessfully challenged the goal, claiming off-side by Laughton's back skate.
At 9:41, after Brent Burns made a questionable pinch and bumped into a teammate to cause a Flyers 2-on-1, Hayes sprung Konecny one-on-one with Dell, and Konecny beat the goalie for a 3-1 lead.
Second period shots on goal were 10-10 (25-18 overall in the Sharks' favor). Through 40 minutes, shot attempts were 41-38 Sharks. High danger chances in the second period were 8-3 Flyers (9-8 Flyers overall). Expected goals through two periods were1.98 Sharks to 1.43 Flyers.
The second line struck again at 3:43 of the third period. Laughton controlled a puck that had been hopping around the San Jose zone. Dell wasn't able to get quite enough of Hayes' shot from the right side to keep it from going over the goal line. Konecny drew the secondary assist.
A Giroux turnover high in the defensive zone turned rapidly into a Noah Gregor one-timer goal from the right circle off a Marcus Sörensen feed at 8:18. At 14:41, the Flyers took exception to a hit by Gregor on Giroux. The hit looked high initially from press box level -- and apparently to the referee, because a checking-to-the-head penalty was called -- but replays showed there was no contact to the net.
Final shots were 28-27 Sharks. Final high-danger chances were 9-9 per Natural Stat Trick. Natural Stat Trick tallied final expected goals as 2.16 Sharks to 1.90 Flyers but the real goals were 4-2 Flyers.
Winning means never having to look behind you in the standings; only forward. However, it should be noted that the New York Rangers beat the Islanders in overtime, 4-3, on Tuesday. The visiting Dallas Stars dispatched the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1. The host Minnesota Wild hung on the beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-4.
As a result, the Flyers are two points ahead of the Islanders (who hold one game in hand on the Flyers, but Philly holds a 26-24 edge in regulation wins). The Flyers are three points ahead of the Blue Jackets (with Philly holding the RW tiebreaker by 26-23, plus the Flyers having two games in hand). Carolina has a game in hand on the Flyers, but trails Philly by five points and the Flyers have 26-25 RW edge. Winners of four in a row and eight of the last 10, the Rangers are still four points below the playoff cutoff and seven points behind the Flyers. The Blueshirts, oddly enough, have a 29-26 RW edge on Philly. They also have one game in hand.
The Flyers will have an off-day on Wednesday, and then a practice at the Skate Zone the next day. On Friday, the Flyers will host the Rangers in the front end of a home-and-home set that will conclude at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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