Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
Two Metropolitan Division teams went head to head as the 3rd place Flyers went up against the 2nd place Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have pulled away in 2nd with 92 points and a 14 point lead on Philadelphia at game time. The Flyers are not going to catch up to the Canes in the standings so it is probably good advice to just focus on the game at hand and do your best to win it. That is what the Flyers coach usually has to say. The Sean Couturier situation seems not to be straightened out yet as he was a healthy scratch for the second game in a row.
Philly vs Carolina
Flyer came out with jump against the Hurricanes. Samuel Ersson started in net again tonight and got himself settled with a couple of early saves. At 15:30 the Flyers appeared to take the lead. Morgan Frost split the defense with a crafty move. Frederik Andersen made the save. Owen Tippett had a couple of whacks at it before putting it in. The play was deemed to be offsides and the goal was waived off.
Ersson made an amazing glove save on Brendan Lemieux after a dangerous giveaway behind the Flyers net. Ersson misplayed the puck giving it right to the wrong guy who threw it in front to the former Flyer. Lemieux had a no brainer teed up, somehow Ersson made it back to the front of the net just in time to flash the glove. Grand larceny.
The Flyers need to limit their trips to the penalty box Carolina has the 2nd best power-play in the league. Frost took a sloppy stick penalty but the Flyers lived to tell about it thanks to Erssons glove and a generous pipe. Moments later Eric Johnson had an amazing diving save on a wrap around attempt that clearly had Ersson beat. The Flyers pulled out all the stops to keep Carolina from getting on the board as they really stepped up their offense towards the end of the period.
Give and Take
The Flyers opened up the 2nd period by giving the Canes another power-play in the first minute. After the kill Travis Sanheim grabbed the puck straight out of the box for a very clean breakaway in on Andersen who turned him away. Jordan Martinook beat Ersson with a shot from the slot at 3:56. The play started out as a two on one. The Flyers closed the gap so the pass went to the trailer Matinook who put it away.
Twenty-six seconds later a stretch play sent Scott Laughton in alone on Andersen with a Cane hot on his trail. Laughton had just enough time and space to fire the puck glove getting his team right back into this hockey game.
Just past midway in the period Jalen Chatfeild made it 2-1 Carolina with a slapper from the very high slot. The Canes were swarming, they hit a pipe again and just kept coming at the Flyers in their own zone. Ersson stoned Lemieux point blank yet again. The Flyers were looking a bit back on their heels and needed to get out of the period for a chance to reset.
Coming up on the final four minutes of the period the Flyers were putting on some prolonged pressure in the offensive zone. That ended with Joel Farabee taking a puck right to the head and dropping straight to the ice. Farabee was down for a while but he did return to the game. Carolina was making it difficult for the Flyers to even enter their zone as the period came to an end.
3rd Period
The Hurricanes are a good solid team but the Flyers kept finding cracks to slip through. The Canes move quick so the Flyers were looking at times like they were rushing things. Missing passes, letting go of the puck too soon, at one point Sanheim attempted a slap shot from the circle when he maybe had room to make a move on Andersen. Either way, Carolina was the team setting the pace through the first half of the 3rd period.
The Flyers seemed to find new legs halfway through the final period. They were coming at the Canes and finding ways to get pucks on the net and eat into Carolina’s shot advantage. Owen Tippett willed the puck to the front of the Hurricane net. There was plenty of traffic and he just missed a diving swipe at the side of the net. Travis Konecny was there to pick up the puck and wrap it around for his 28th goal of the season and his first in seven games. The wrap around attempt was extremely popular tonight at both ends of the ice.
With the score tied at two Carolina did not let up through the closing minutes of regulation. The Canes were keeping sustained pressure in the Flyers zone but spending a lot of their time passing around the perimeter. The Flyers broke out a couple times but to no avail. At one point Konecny could have had a clean breakaway but the puck would not settle down and slowed the rush.
OT
This game was headed to overtime and that alone was a hard fought point for the Flyers. Ersson made a couple nice stops in the extra stanza but it was the Canes who took possession of the extra point.
Joel Farabee had a nice chance on Andersen but the shot went off the boards and up the other end in a hurry. It was Farabee who was the only Flyer back as the Canes came in on a two on one. Brent Burns sent a cross ice pass to Seth Jarvis who went short side with a shot that just tipped off Ersson’s glove and into the net.
The Canes are a formidable opponent. This was not an easy game for the Flyers. They did look a bit our of their comfort zone at times but they hung in there. It was a huge point for them to put in their pocket.
Next Up: It doesn’t get easier, Flyers Boston in Philly 1pm Saturday
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