Photo Credit: Rob Windfelder
This was an important game for the Florida Panthers who are currently in a tight battle with the Penguins for a spot in the playoffs. It’s not like they didn’t try, they outshot the Flyers 44-24. However the Flyers made their chances count and soundly defeated the Panthers by the score of 6-3.
Getting off on the wrong foot
One minute fifteen seconds after the opening faceoff Matthew Tkachuk scored the first goal of the game. It was an effortless looking play that took place before anyone was even settled into their seats. When something like this happens so early in a game during a season like this it puts a chill on the crowd as they brace themselves for what they may be in for.
However, the Flyers bounced right back after the goal and settled into the game. At 4:43 a wrist shot by recently called up Egor Zamula ticked off of Joel Farabee’s leg and into the net to tie the score at one. The Panthers outshot the Flyers in the 1st period 19-10 but on the scoreboard where it counts the score was tied going into the intermission.
The second period started off innocently enough. The Flyers had a couple dangerous giveaways but Carter Hart kept the Panthers at bay. Travis Sanheim scored his first goal of the night thanks to a lot of hard work along the boards by Brendan Lemieux. Lemieux was relentless on the puck maintaining possession until he could get it out front and over to Sanheim who ripped a wrist shot passed former Flyer’s goaltender Alex Lyon.
Boom!
Brandon Montour tied the score at 14:17 sneaking the puck past Hart right against the post. …And then it happened. The Flyers exploded for three unanswered goals in the span of two minutes and one second. First Tony DeAngelo sprung Scott Laughton in on a breakaway. Laughton’s speed gave him plenty of time to choose his shot. He parked himself in front of Lyon and made at least three moves before dunking the puck behind him.
One minute and eleven seconds later Travis Sanheim scored his second goal of the night. Farabee to Noah Cates who moved a rolling puck across the slot where Sanheim scooped it up and over the sprawling Florida goaltender. The Panthers were not getting a chance to regroup and the Flyers were pouncing on the opportunity.
Only fifty seconds after that Tyson Foerster, who looked exceptional all night, hit Ivan Provorov with a beautiful pass right in front. Provorov moved across the slot left to right and beat Lyon who looked shell shocked and floundering by that point. The home crowd was loving it, the energy in the building was over the top. This was just what this team and its fans needed.
Panthers refuse to quit
The Flyers were protecting a 5-2 lead going into the third. After getting stung with last second goals twice this past weekend the lesson should have been learned. Keep your foot on the gas till you hear the horn. Florida sure did. The Panthers had a very aggressive third period and did not let up. They outshot the Flyers 16-3 in the final stanza. Carter Hart had a busy night, but he loves a busy night. Hart is now 11-1-0 in games where he has faced 40 or more shots.
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Brendan Lemieux had a busy night as well. He was putting in the hard work up against the boards the entire game. At one point he was skating around like a one man wrecking crew delivering check after check until he finally earned a visit from our old friend and former Flyer Radko Gudas. Gudas had some words for Lemieux who was not at all interested in having a conversation. His gloves were already off as they came together. They got a really solid grip on each other and were too tight for either of them to really be able to get their hands free. That may have been a lucky break for both of them.
Lemieux picked up an instigator penalty and a misconduct in addition to the five for fighting leaving the Flyers shorthanded. Shortly thereafter Nick Seeler picked up a tripping call giving the Panthers a two man advantage for almost a full minute. The Flyers killed off the first penalty. They had killed off most of the second penalty when Sam Reinhart scored with one second left on the power play. There’s that one second again.
“Shoot the Puck”
Florida started moving their goalie in and out of the net with six and a half minutes still left in regulation. They were throwing everything they had at the Flyers who were holding tight. At one point with the net empty Owen Tippett and Joel Farabee entered the Florida zone two on one and never got a shot off. They were passing the puck back and forth till they ran out of time and space. This was not the time to play Mr. Modest. With the way the Panthers were still coming at them somebody needed to bury that puck. Luckily it did not come back to haunt them.
With two minutes left in the game and Florida still swarming Tyson Foerster blocked a shot in the Flyers zone. He calmly got control of the puck and made a tricky backhanded pass to Morgan Frost who was clear to take it up ice and put it into the empty net. That was all they needed, this one was over. Final score: Flyers 6 Panthers 3.
Extra Credit: The Flyers will host the Minnesota Wild Thursday night at 6:30. If you remember the last time these two teams met this could be an interesting night. That was Zack MacEwen’s last game as a Flyer. He left that game with a broken jaw.
