Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob WIndfelder
For a hockey fan this game was an absolute treat to watch. The Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers hosting a struggling Philadelphia Flyers team looking to get their game back. The underdog Flyers were relentless in this game where they had to work twice as hard as their opponent just to stay even. It was such a strong effort coming on the heels of a shootout win against Tampa Thursday night. The past two games the Flyers have looked much more like the team that John Tortorella has gotten us used to seeing. Out-matched, but refusing to give up.
Drop the puck
Just under five minutes into the 1st period the Florida Panthers were swarming in the Flyers zone. Crossbar, crease, right along the goal line, the puck was absolutely everywhere but in the Flyers net. Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson couldn’t find an opportunity to put an end to the flurry. The puck was a pinball stuck in the blue paint.
Once the Flyers gained control of the puck play quickly moved up to the other end of the ice. Scott Laughton skated into the Panther zone and wrapped the puck around the boards. The puck hit a seem and darted straight out in front to Bobby Brink. Brink took it to the net while everyone took a whacks at the rebound. Joel Farabee ended up with the puck and he smacked it home behind Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.
Owen Tippett, the hero of the Tampa Bay victory, had a couple really fine chances against the former Flyers goaltender. The first opportunity looked like a done deal. Tippett sprinted past the defense and found himself in all alone. He went forehand to backhand pulling “Bob” out of position. Tippett had him beat but his shot rang off the post.
Before the end of the period the Panthers top tier netminder made a rare mistake. He went to the corner to retrieve a dump in and attempted to clear the puck out of the zone. Instead he put it right on the stick of Sean Couturier at the point. Coots quickly released a shot that had Bobrovsky racing back to his net just in the nick of time. The hard working Flyers took a one goal lead into the first intermission.
Staying in it
Second periods have not been kind to the Flyers so far this season but they are starting to turn that around. Florida came out with renewed energy. Nate Schmidt eluded Ersson with a rocket of a slap shot from the point at 5:32 to tie the game at one.
Dmitry Kulikov beat Ersson high blocker side with a wrist shot from the point at 8:40. Ersson immediately protested to the on ice officials. Ersson’s argument was that there was a “missed stop” when the puck left the ice surface off of Nick Seeler’s skate as he blocked a shot previous to the goal.
The Flyers used their time-out to review the play before asking for a “coach’s challenge”. There didn’t seem to be a clear angle of the puck actually hitting the safety netting. It seems clear that is where it was headed but the puck goes out of frame before showing actual contact with the netting. So the goal stood. The Flyers were down 2-1, they used their time-out, and were now killing a two minute penalty for delay of game. It was a chance worth taking. The officials reviewed the play for a considerable amount of time, it just didn’t break the Flyers way.
Michkov
With Matvei Michkov a healthy scratch for the second game in a row Anthony Richard suited up again for his second game as a Flyer. This should not be misunderstood to suddenly argue that there is a legitimate “either-or” type of situation happening between Richard and Michkov. Don’t even go there.
It would seem Michkov is in the same boat that any other Flyer would fall into. If you are a healthy scratch and the team wins with the new combination, as they did in their last outing, you are probably going to sit again. Richard made the most of this opportunity by scoring his first goal as a Flyer with exactly seven minutes left in the period. It was a wrist shot from the slot through traffic that beat Bobrovsky high blocker side.
Giving it back
Unfortunately less than two minutes later Florida completed a tic-tac-toe in the Flyers end that led to a goal by Sam Bennett with 4:04 left in the period. The goal put Florida back on top 3-2. The Panthers did not win The Cup last season by accident . Some of their passing plays are so crisp there’s only so much you can do.
The Flyers got out of the 2nd period down by just a goal. Both teams entered the third looking hungry for the next goal. Florida was generating chances. The Flyers did not look quite as smooth as their opponent but they were hanging tough with the champs.
Pretty don’t mean a thing to the score sheet
Halfway through the final period Garnet Hathaway tied the score at three. Hathaway entered the Panthers zone down the left hand side. He skated in past the dot and attempted to pass the puck cross ice to Rasmus Ristolainen. The puck hit a defender who was attempting to break up the play. The redirection handcuffed Bobrovsky as the puck slid clumsily between his legs and into the net. This one won’t make the highlight reels but it still counts, 3-3.
With the score tied and time running down the Flyers were putting in all the hard work in their own end as the Panthers kept plugging away. Battling against the boards, digging for pucks, not giving up on the play. Ersson made several key saves to keep the score locked at three.
It is no secret the Panthers were the more talented team in this game. The Flyers took this game to overtime and earned their point by being tenacious. This game was a great example of what has been missing. That never say die, against all odds type of effort and attitude.
Extra hockey
The five minute 3-on-3 overtime was pure excitement. A series of odd man rushes, breakaways, and spectacular goaltending at both ends of the ice. Travis Konecny had the final opportunity to avoid the shootout but Bobrovsky robbed him twice as time ran out.
Sam vs Bob
Florida won this game in the shootout. Both goalies put on a show tonight. The Flyers pushed this thing as far as they could and their effort in doing so was quite impressive. This was Samuel Ersson’s first game back after missing a week with a lower body injury. This was quite an epic game to come back to.
It took ten shooters in the shootout to decide the contest. Barkov and Rodriques scored for Florida. Owen Tippett scored again tonight after scoring the game winning shootout goal two nights ago. This was a hard earned point to finish out the road trip. The Flyers return home with 3 of a possible 6 points.
Extra Credit: Owen Tippett was a monster again tonight with 7 shots and a shootout goal. Joel Farabee had a really solid game with 5 shots and the game’s first goal. Not sure what effect if any Michkov’s benching is having on the young rookie but it sure seems to have woken up Tippett and Farabee.
Next Up: Flyers return home to host the Sharks in Philly Monday night 7PM
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
