The Flyers (17-18-2) closed out their road trip Sunday night in Toronto against a strong Maple Leafs (25-13-2) team hoping to end the trip on a high note. The Flyers have gone 2-3 in the first five games of the trip and lost 5-2 in their last game against the Golden Knights. The lines remained the same but goalie Ivan Fedotov got the start in net for the Flyers. Fedotov made his first start in 31 days, as him and Aleksei Kolosov will be the goalie tandem until Sam Ersson can get healthy.
First Period
The Flyers got off to a strong start yet again as a quick first goal by Tyson Foerster just 3:24 into the game gave the Flyers an early 1-0 lead. Foerster snapped a wrist shot passed Maple Leafs’ goalie Dennis Hildeby giving Foerster his 12th goal of the year and his 9th point in his last 10 games.
The lead lasted a good 38 seconds as a costly turnover from Ryan Poehling led to a scoring chance for the Maple Leafs. Matthew Knies scored tying the game up at 1-1 and notching his 15th goal of the season. Knies had a hat trick in his last game against the Bruins as he remained hot with another goal in this one.
With 1:08 left in the first period, a long rebound off the pad of Ivan Fedotov resulted in a poke in goal by Oliver Ekman-Larsson giving the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead. Ekam-Larsson scored his second of the year off a long rebound that Fedotov should have done a better job at controlling. In the closing minutes of the period, Garnet Hathaway and Jake McCabe got into a fight which would hopefully help breathe life into the Flyers for the second period.
Second Period
Three minutes into the period Owen Tippett took a penalty and put the Maple Leafs on their first power play of the game. The Flyers’ penalty kill played well and was able to keep it a 2-1 game following the penalty. The Flyers would get their first crack on the power play with 11:03 left in the second period. The Flyers struggled again on the powerplay not scoring as the game remained 2-2.
Moments after the power play ended, a turnover in the Maple Leafs zone would lead to a Sean Couturier pass and a Scott Laughton shot that would tie the game up 2-2. Laughton scored his 9th goal of the season with 8:27 left in the second.
With 3:52 to go in the period, Matvei Michkov drew a holding penalty on David Kampf giving the Flyers their second power play of the game. The Flyers would squander the opportunity and not score on the powerplay. After two strong periods of play from both teams it was tied 2-2.
Third Period
The Flyers came out with a different jump in the third period as opposed to the first and second. Nick Seeler took a huge hit from Max Pacioretty which caused a scrum between the two teams. Minutes after Max Domi laid an elbow on Garnet Hathaway that resulted in a penalty and the Flyers third power play chance of the game. The Flyers would generate a few scoring chances but never put one in the back of the net. The Flyers power play would go 0/3 on the night.
The rest of the period included strong defense from both the Flyers and Maple Leafs. Both teams had limited chances to score and Ivan Fedotov played well in the third period to help give the Flyers a chance to win. After 60 minutes of play, the score was tied 2-2 and the teams headed to overtime.
Overtime
After a nice save from Maple Leafs’ goalie Dennis Hildeby, the puck was thrown up ice and Auston Matthews took possession. Matthews skated into his offensive zone and waited for the trailing Morgan Rielly. Matthews whipped the puck to Rielly who slammed home the game-winning goal. Rielly’s 5th goal of the season gave the Maple Leafs a 3-2 win over the Flyers.
They Got A Point
Although the Flyers lost 3-2 they got a point in the last game of a long 6-game road trip. They finish with a 2-3-1 record and are now 17-18-5 on the season. The positives from tonight are Tyson Foerster scoring again and the play of Ivan Fedotov getting better as the game went on. Foerster is now tied with Michkov for second on the team in goals with 12. If Foerster can become a more consistent goal scorer that would be a huge boost for the Flyers offense. As for Fedotov, I expected him to have some rust with it being his first start in 31 days and it showed in the first period. However, he was a key reason for the Flyers getting a point tonight making 22/25 saves tonight. His play will be crucial for the time being considering Ersson hasn’t stayed healthy.
The Flyers have off on Monday and return to play Tuesday night at home against the Maple Leafs in the second game of the home and home. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm as the game will only be available on ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
