Date Published: 1-28-2023
Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
The Philadelphia Flyers 21-21-9 are going into the NHL All-Star break a .500 hockey team after shutting out the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are currently the 2nd best team in the Western Conference and tonight the Flyers soundly defeated them 4-0 in Winnipeg. The Flyers are currently just six points away from a playoff spot. This is a far cry from where they were as a team just before the holidays which is not all that long ago.
Before tonight the Flyers have not won a game in Winnipeg since November 7th of 2015. It was less than a week ago that the Jets had the Flyers down 3-zip eight and a half minutes into a first period. The Winnipeg Jets are nothing to sneeze at, even after this loss their record stands at 31-19-1. The Flyers redeemed themselves against the Jets tonight and they looked good doing it.
M.I.A.
The Flyers line-up was a bit different tonight. Zack MacEwen will be missing the next five weeks with a broken jaw that he acquired during Thursday’s wild game in Minnesota. Wade Allison has also not been seen since the second period of that same game after blocking a shot. MacEwen brings an edge to the team, he’s a ferocious forechecker, as well as a fan favorite. Allison at +11 currently leads the team in the plus/minus category. Both players bring a lot of excitement to the game and are a big part of the team’s rejuvenated reputation around the league. Their absence could have been part of the reason the Jets felt comfortable taking cheap shots at the Flyers tonight. Kieffer Bellows filled one of the spots after being a healthy scratch for the last 17 games. Bellows made the most of the opportunity by scoring his first goal in a Flyers uniform. Justin Braun was also in the line-up tonight.
Carter Hart Shines
Carter Hart recorded his 4th career shutout. It was his first shutout this season. Hart always enjoys games where he sees a lot of shots so he should have been happy tonight as he faced 40 and stopped all of them. It is one thing to “keep your team in the game”, it is another to not allow the other team to even get in it. Hart was supported by the strong defensive play of his teammates which included 17 blocked shots. Carter Hart has never lost a game to the Winnipeg Jets.
Rasmus Ristolainen continues to look strong at both ends of the ice. He had two primary assists and was a +2 for the night. Number 55 has looked more confident as of late and he gives Head Coach John Tortorella credit for his improved play. He says the coach takes time with everyone on the team individually to help them become better players. In Risto’s case the improvements have been really apparent as of late. He will always give you something during the course of a game. Even when his play needed improvement his hits were always highlight reel quality.
Noah Cates continues to perform solidly for the team in his rookie season. He had a goal and an assist tonight. He has three goals and two assists in his last five games. Cates has been asked to switch positions and play center for his first full NHL season. That is a lot to ask and Tortorella mentions often how well he is handling himself. Bellows, Tony DeAngelo and Owen Tippet scored the other goals tonight in that order. The Jets used their timeout halfway through the second period and switched out their goaltender in the 3rd. The Flyers had them on the ropes all night long.
And the winner is…
And finally the award for Creative Officiating goes to the non-call on a blatant trip that took Cam York totally off his feet and onto the ice. No call, no whistle, no nothing. But they did give Joel Farabee a two minute penalty for pointing it out from the bench. Amazing.
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The Flyers schedule has been very dense leading up to the All-Star break and they have made great strides during this stretch. It will be very interesting to see what they can do with the second half of this season. All the best to Kevin Hayes who will be representing the Flyers at this years All Star game! The team is off until Monday February 6th when they will host the New York Islanders.
