Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
The Philadelphia Flyers 27-19-6 have a better record than the Seattle Kraken 21-20-10 but the Kraken have been known to give the Flyers a tough time. Former Flyers coach Dave Hakstol and his team had not seen action since January 30th when they were beat by the Sharks 2-0. The Flyers have won both of their games since coming back from break beating the Jets 4-1 and the Panthers 2-1. It was time for Samuel Ersson to take a well deserved night off, Cal Petersen got the start in the Flyers net.
Philly vs Seattle
This game started off with lots of pressure from the Flyers and with some sloppy rebound control from both netminders. Cal Petersen and Kraken goalie Joey Daccord were making the stops but things were getting a bit chaotic after the initial save. A lack of rebound control can lead to two things. Obviously scoring chances but also a lot of pushing and shoving. When the goaltender thinks he has frozen the puck but there is no whistle and the puck is still lose somewhere in the crease things can get hectic fast
If there is a live puck in the blue paint guys are going to start poking and whacking away at it. That is their job. At the same time when guys appear to be taking whacks and pokes at your goaltender it is your duty to stand up for your netminder and get those guys away from him. So with all the poking and whacking comes a considerable amount of pushing and shoving and it’s all pretty entertaining to watch even though it is not the ideal situation for everyone involved.
Scott Laughton got the Flyers on the board with a blistering slapshot from the right circle that beat Daccord 4:36 into the 1st. Cam York hit Laughton with a perfectly placed pass and Laughton teed it up and sent it home top shelf far side. To make it even sweeter is was yet another power play goal. The Flyers play with the man advantage is starting to show some signs of life.
The Flyers were earning their fare share of chances. They were jumping on loose pucks, getting sustained pressure in the Seattle zone, and controlling the play overall. They outshot the Kraken in the 1st 13-10. Cal Petersen was doing a fine job in the Flyers net until Thomas Tatar put the Kraken on the board. Tatar went five hole with an unobstructed shot from the top of the slot.
It was the kind of goal Petersen may have liked to have back. In fact for a few minutes it looked like he may get his wish. There was a coaches challenge on the play and the game was paused for several minutes while the officials searched for an offsides just before the Kraken goal. Eventually the Kraken were given credit for the goal and the Flyers took a two minute bench minor for the unsuccessful challenge.
The Flyers moved into 1st place in the NHL for shorthanded goals when Ryan Poehling skated down the right hand side and let go of a shot that beat Daccord putting the Flyers up 2-1 going into the 1st intermission. The play was almost a carbon copy of his goal against Winnipeg just the other night.
The Flyers continued to dominate the play throughout the rest of the game outshooting the Kraken 38-19. They rode a 2-1 lead into the 3rd period. Just 36 seconds into the final period Jared McCann tied the game. At 5:30 Sean Couturier tipped in a Travis Sanheim shot to give the Flyers the final lead of 3-2.
Cal Petersen made a number of key saves to earn the win. The Flyers forwards were back-checking and contributing to the team’s overall defensive effort.
Good D
At the beginning of this current season the Flyers defense was the biggest question mark in the roster. Many veterans were gone and it remained to be seen how this young defensive core would handle their new responsibilities. So far they have done a bang up job. Travis Sanheim bounced back from a contract year that was less than impressive. He has taken on a leadership role and has returned to being a solid staple in the line-up.
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Cam York has blossomed into a solid NHL defenseman who coach John Tortorella trusts in all situations. Five on five, power-play, and penalty kill York topped the Flyers in ice time in this game. Jamie Drysdale has been the silver lining from the Cutter Gauthier situation.
With the trade deadline right around the corner you keep hearing talk of moving Nick Seeler and or Sean Walker. Everyone is saying they have been good enough to bring back valuable returns on the open market. Possibly these guy are good enough to keep. The Flyers young defensive core has been one of the surprise highlights of this season. If it ain’t broke why fix it?
Next up: Arizona Coyotes in Philly Monday night 7:00 PM
