Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
The Flyers are now 5-0-1 in their last six games after defeating the Detroit Red Wings in Philly on Tuesday night. This has been the Flyers longest point streak of the season and it could not have come at a better time. The Metropolitan Division is clogging up with just six points separating the bottom five teams. This current point streak has kept the Flyers from getting left behind in a very close race.
Philly vs Detriot
Both squads played a stingy 1st period with neither team giving the other much room to work with. It was back and forth, up and down for the first twenty minutes, but not in a fast and loose kind of way, in fact it was quite the opposite. Close coverage, forwards supporting the defense, both teams were keeping high percentage chances to a minimum.
The Flyers and the Wings both came into tonight’s contest with 21 wins. Sometimes when you see two teams that are so evenly matched you might expect to see things open up a bit. The fear of paying for your mistakes is not as great if you were facing a far superior hockey club. That was not the case here. Both teams were playing a very conservative style. The Flyers led the low shot count at the end of the 1st period 8-6.
The Red Wings altered their approach a bit to start the 2nd period. They were loading up traffic in front of the Flyers net and attempting to fire pucks through the confusion. Although it seemed Detroit was creating more high quality chances in the second it was the Flyers who opened the scoring.
Matvei Michkov moved the puck into the Red Wings zone. Flyers captain Sean Couturier was skating cross ice from the right circle to the left when he received the puck and made a quick behind the back pass to Joel Farabee who was cutting towards the front of the net. Farabee went from forehand to backhand and lifted the puck over Detroit goaltender and former Flyer Alex Lyon 5:21 into the period. Another former Flyers netminder Cam Talbot was on the Detroit bench as Lyon’s backup.
The Flyers opened things up a bit as the period went on. We started to see some odd man rushes, and a Flyers power-play, but this contest still went into the final period with Philadelphia holding the one goal lead.
Thirty seconds into the final period the Red Wings caught the Flyers by surprise. Things had just started to settle in when Dylan Larkin dumped the puck into the Flyers end. Lucas Raymond collected the puck along the right side boards and skated towards the middle of the ice. He sent a pass across the slot to Ben Chiarot who fired the puck past Samuel Ersson high glove side tying the score at one.
O.T.
As time was getting short both teams were surging to try to wrap things up in regulation. Ersson stood tall in the Flyers net as the Wings applied prolonged pressure in the final moments. During the overtime period Ersson made a solid stop on a rising shot from Alex Debrincat that threatened to end the contest.
With just 26 seconds left in the five minute overtime period Ersson had just made yet another huge stop on Patrick Kane on a breakaway. Rasmus Ristolainen picked up the rebound behind the Flyers net. He moved the puck quickly to Joel Farabee who found Owen Tippett streaking towards the Detroit net. Tippett tried to go forehand to backhand but Alex Lyon caught most of his shot with a poke-check.
The puck continued its forward motion. Lyon attempted to get it with his paddle but it eluded him and then just stopped on the goal line. The puck laid there on the line against the post far side. Moritz Seider took a whack at it as Joel Farabee and Ristolainen stormed the net. It was Ristolainen’s stick that pushed the puck over the line ending the game.
Samuel Ersson stopped 27 of 28 shots tonight to win his fifth start in a row. The Flyers are now tied for 5th place in the Metropolitan with the New York Rangers. Joel Farabee recorded his 200th NHL career point.
Next Up: The Flyers will be in New York City Thursday night to face the Ranges 7:00 PM start.
