Photos: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
What a difference a week makes. Better yet, what a difference Carter Hart can make. Last week when the Flyers opened their pre-season against the New Jersey Devils the game was out of reach within the first six minutes. It was not an ideal opener to say the least. Tonight the Flyers had a chance to redeem themselves at home against the Devils and they did in fact look much better.
Still riding high after last night’s shoot-out win over the Bruins the Flyers came out strong. They were controlling the puck in the Devils end for extended periods of time. They were sustaining pressure which is something they were unable to do in their first meeting. The Flyers scored the first goal of the night just two minutes and four seconds into the game. Wade Allison dropped the puck to Bobby Brink who gave it right back to him alone in front of the net. Allison wasted no time putting it past Devils net minder Vitek Vanecek.
The Flyers did look much better but they still made more than their share of mistakes. And to top it off they were not little mistakes. They were the type of missteps that lead to really dangerous odd man rushes coming right back the other way. The Devils first goal was just that as the Flyers let up as soon as their power play expired. Curtis Lazar took advantage of a two on one break and tied the game.
Not only were the Devils taking advantage of Flyers turnovers but they were also making frequent use of the stretch pass springing guys into the Flyers zone. Carter Hart was very sharp tonight and kept the Flyers in this game over and over again. At one point Hart faced a two man breakaway that started from center ice without a Flyer in sight. Hart held tight. He had a spectacular glove save on another breakaway. It was a challenging night for the Flyers goaltender and he really came through.
Just before the end of the 1st period Nico Hischier found Alexander Holtz wide open in front of the Flyers net and New Jersey went into the break with the one goal lead.
The play was really even through the second stanza. Both teams were giving up chances but it was a pretty even back and forth. By the end of the 2nd period the shots were tied at 17 a side. The difference being the chances that the Devils were getting were so much more dangerous courtesy of poor coverage by the Flyers in the neutral zone. Coach John Tortorella was not behind the bench again tonight but I believe it’s a pretty safe bet that the language may have been a little colorful in whichever area of the the rink he was watching from.
In addition many of the chances the Flyers got ended with shots that went way wide of the net. Sure you try to be deceptive and pick your corners but it wasn’t that kind of wide. It was “There it is! -Tee it up! – What the heck was that?!” type of wide. They had some big juicy chances that ended with shots going nowhere near the net. Cam Atkinson came really close a couple times in the 2nd. It’s a big deal to see Atkinson and Couturier out there together again. It’s been a long time coming. Travis Konecny was also in the line-up again tonight.
The 3rd period started just like the 1st. Flyers getting pucks deep, sustaining pressure, and doing all the right things. The Flyers even managed a really great two minute man advantage at one point. That shouldn’t be a big deal, but you know that it is. Then with just 3:06 left in regulation Matt Brown fed the puck out to Rhett Gardner in front. Rhett stayed cool under pressure surrounded by Devils as he had to settle the puck down before firing it home. This game was going to OT.
The Flyers looked to end it a couple times before Erik Hauca ripped a laser over Hart’s shoulder to win the game 3-2. These last two outings for the orange and black have been much more respectable. You can see the team tightening up. This process should continue as the roster continues to shrink. There is still a lot of work to be done, but for now at least things seem to be headed in the right direction.
Next game: Monday night 7:00 PM against the Bruins in Philly.
Extra Credit: Carter Hart was not named one of the three stars of the game tonight and I’m not quite sure how that happened. Without the performance that Hart put up this game would not have even been close.
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