Photo Credit: NHL.com
On Thursday night, the Flyers were back at the Wells Fargo Center, after a 5-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday night. The Flyers (13-12-4) looked to keep the momentum going against the Detroit Red Wings (11-13-4). Some lineup changes included: Egor Zamula starting for Emil Andrae on defense and Aleskei Kolosov got the start in net. Head coach John Tortorella recently announced him as the team’s backup goalie to Sam Ersson, who has dealt with injuries this season. Even with the lineup changes, the Flyers still looked to keep up their strong play from Tuesday night.
First Period
The Flyers played a strong opening period and seemed to carry over the momentum they gained in Columbus. They had multiple opportunities to score in the first period, spending nearly the entire opening frame in their offensive zone. Their best chance came when Matvei Michkiov and Joel Farabee had a 2-on-1, that was broken up after Michkov couldn’t get enough on the pass. A save by Cam Talbot negated the scoring chance to keep the game scoreless. It would be the first of many big saves made by Talbot on the night. Yes, the same Cam Talbot who played four career games for the Flyers during the 2018-19 season. The Flyers had a few more opportunities late in the period but it ultimately led to nothing. 0-0 score after one period.
Second Period
The second period included several huge saves from both Aleskei Kolosov and Cam Talbot. Talbot made a terrific glove save on a Matvei Michkov one-timer from the left faceoff dot, robbing Michkov of a goal. Red Wings’ Patrick Kane uncharacteristically, missed the net completely on a 2-on-1, which led to a counterrush by the Flyers, and another beautiful save by Talbot. Moments later, a breakaway attempt for Sean Couturier was denied by Talbot again. Constant offensive pressure by the Flyers would eventually crack the Red Wings’ defense. 13:22 into the second period the Flyers would finally break through.
After a dropback pass from Red Wings’ Simon Edvinsson was taken away, the puck was pushed up the ice and taken by Scott Laughton. Laughton skated in, all alone on a breakaway, and unleashed a slap-shot that went bar down and into the net, giving the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Laughton scored his 4th goal on the year and his 9th in his last 11 games against the Red Wings. Michkov attempted and nearly scored a Michigan goal, which was his closest attempt so far to pull off the iconic lacrosse-style goal. The Flyers had their first and only powerplay of the game with 4 minutes left in the 2nd, which resulted in nothing despite going against the 31st rank penalty kill in the league. Kolosov would go on to make a few more clutch saves to keep the Red Wings off the board. The Flyers led 1-0 heading into the final period.
Third Period
Matvei Michkov took a questionable roughing penalty off the opening faceoff which gave the Red Wings their first and only power play of the game. Michkov was going at it with Red Wings Alex DeBrincat, but the only penalty called was on Michkov. The powerplay, however, resulted in a beautiful short-handed goal for the Flyers marked at 1:31 into the period. A shot block and a pass up the ice from Travis Sanheim to Travis Konecny set up a Scott Laughton goal, scoring his second of the night. It gave the Flyers a 2-0 lead and was Laughton’s 5th goal of the year. More importantly for Laughton, it was career goal number 100, all of which have come in a Flyers uniform. It is the second short-handed goal for the Flyers this season, a category they led the league in last year.
With 3:53 remaining, Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot, scored his first goal of the year, cutting the lead down 2-1. A few moments after the goal, Aleksei Kolosov made a great sprawling glove save to keep the game 2-1. A save that ultimately changed the outcome of the game, pushing the Flyers to a strong final 3 minutes. The Red Wings would pull their goalie in favor of an extra skater, in hopes of tying the game in the final minutes. Scott Laughton had other ideas.
Laughton scored an empty netter giving himself a hat trick on the night. His second career hat trick would give the Flyers a 3-1 lead. The Red Wings would pull their goalie again making a last-ditch effort to tie the game. Same play, same result. After a misplay off the wall and the net empty for the Red Wings, Scott Laughton would score his fourth goal of the night to give the Flyers a 4-1 victory. Laughton secured the first four-goal game by a Flyers player since John LeClair did it on October 15, 2002 (I was 4 months old). Kolosov would make a few more game-sealing saves late, ending the night stopping 25/26 shots, and was overall fantastic in net, improving to 4-5-1 on the year.
Four Goals? That’s A-Laught!
The Flyers dominated the Red Wings in all three periods Thursday night, outshooting them 36-26, and leaving no doubt in the 4-1 win, improving to 14-12-4. If it wasn’t for Cam Talbot’s excellent play tonight, the scoreboard would have looked worse for the Red Wings. For Scott Laughton, it was a game to remember scoring not only four goals but also career goal number 100. He also tied a franchise record for most goals in a game, joining Flyers legend John LeClair. Aleksei Kolosov played great tonight and his late-game glove save sealed the deal for the Flyers. Tonight’s performance for Kolosov further solidified his role as the backup to Samuel Ersson.
Travis Konecny remained hot by picking up two assists tonight, extending his point streak to four games. Garnet Hathaway, Noah Cates, and Travis Sanheim all registered points in the win. It was a complete victory for the Flyers and a very similar performance to the last game against the Blue Jackets.
The Flyers will look to build off the momentum Saturday, on the road against the Minnesota Wild at 2 pm EST. This will be their second and final meeting of the season, after the Flyers beat them at home 7-5 on October 26, this year.
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