The Flyers were in Toronto Sunday night for the final game of their five game road trip. The Leafs are in 1st place in the Atlantic Division and were coming into this game after a win on Saturday against the Boston Bruins. On the flipside the Flyers had a couple days off in Toronto to practice and regroup.
Good start
Ivan Fedotov got his first start in the Flyers net since December 5th and was still shaking off the cobwebs in the 1st period. The Flyers got a break 3:24 into the game when a collision in the neutral zone led to Noah Cates rushing into the Toronto zone with the puck on his stick and Tyson Foerster open on his right hand side. Cates passed to Foerster who fired a wrist shot from the top of the circle. The shot went low far side under the blocker of Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby giving the Flyers the early lead.
Give it back
The Flyers lead lasted all of 38 seconds. A costly turnover by Ryan Poehling in the Flyers zone eventually ended up in the Flyers net. Matthew Knies, who had a hattrick against Boston, put the puck into a gaping Flyers net while Fedotov was still out of position from the previous shot. Flyers head coach John Tortorella had a lot of very loud thoughts to share with Poehling when he returned to the bench.
Goalies come up huge
Fedotov bounced back with a couple nice saves. He was sharp on an attempted wrap around and immediately following stopped Connor Dewar point blank on the doorstep. Hildeby returned the favor making a pair of doozies on Foerster then Seeler on the ensuing rush. Fun Fact: Both goalies in tonight’s match-up are listed as being 6′-7″ tall.
With just 1:08 left in the opening period Fedotov again made the initial stop before kicking a rebound into the slot while flat on his back. Oliver Ekman-Larsson picked it up and easily put it away. 2-1 Leafs.
What were you thinking?
Just before time ran out in the first period Garnet Hathaway had a collision with Toronto netminder Dennis Hildeby. Defenseman Jake McCabe was not totally innocent as far as the collision was concerned then he proceeded to take offence to it. Hathaway showed patience as McCabe pushed him face down to the ice.
Then when McCabe slammed Hathaway’s head into the ice Hathaway jumped to his skates and landed a right cross on McCabe that knocked him into the future. The refs stood beside him as he sat there waiting for his sense of reality to come back to earth. …Boy did he ever kick the wrong beehive. McCabe did not return to the game.
Scott Laughton tied the score at two 11:08 into the second period. A Flyers power-play had just expired when Sean Couturier sent a cross crease pass to Laughton at the side of the net. Laughton slid the puck between the legs of Hildeby to even things up.
Ivan Fedotov followed up the Laughton goal with one of his most challenging saves of the game when he stoned Pacioretty with a beautiful kick save at point blank range. The Flyers so often sag right after a big goal. Fedotov hung tight to keep that from happening this time.
One for the road
The Flyers went into the 3rd period in a tie with one of the best teams in the league. Their goaltender had a couple rusty moments early on but they were holding their own and totally in this game going into the final 20 minutes.
These two teams will play each other again in the Flyers first home game of 2025 on Tuesday night. There will be plenty of time to settle scores. Toronto seemed to not have the patience to wait for that. Hathaway was a bit of a marked man, at one point Max Domi was sent to the box for an elbow to Hathaway’s head. The replay showed that it actually happened more than once before the whistle blew.
With just one minute left in regulation the Flyers were failing to clear and the Leafs were buzzing in the Flyers end. Fedotov flashed the glove on a dangerous shot from Benoit, freezing the puck, and ending the attack. Things went back and forth till the clock hit sixty and this game was headed to overtime.
The Flyers started the OT with Sanheim, Cates, and Brink. They got a very strong shift and a couple of good chances from Konecny, Tippett, and Ristolainen. Fedotov made a strong save on Tavares. Michkov made a nice rush but in the end the win went to the Leafs. Matthews made a sharp pass to Morgan Rielly cutting up the slot. Rielly beat Fedotov with a clean shot.
Bring it home
It was a valiant effort by the Philadelphia hockey club. Taking Toronto to overtime in this tilt earned the Flyers five points in the last five games. With this road trip behind them the Flyers can hold their heads high as they skate into a rematch with these same Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night in Philly.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
