Photo Credit: Rob Windfelder
It is very fitting that this game took place on the anniversary of Claude Giroux’s final game as a Flyer. It was Saint Patrick’s Day of 2022. The long standing captain’s 1,000th and final game was the absolute highlight of a very dreary Flyers season. That weekend Giroux was off to the Florida Panthers and part of the return was a little known player named Owen Tippett.
Tippitt has been solid for the Flyers all season but has really turned the jets on as of late. He has earned a lot of respect from Head Coach John Tortorella who has been playing him in all situations. 5 on 5, power-play, short-handed, Tortz has been giving him a shot at all of it. Travis Konecny has been the Flyers most valuable player this season. With Konecny injured Tortorella has been relying on Tippett even more and he has been responding to the challenge like a champ.
This game was not a throw away for the Buffalo Sabres. They are still in the hunt and could really have used the two points. However the Flyers are playing for pride at this point with the playoffs out of reach. This final stretch is a learning experience and a chance to retain a spot on the team. This was Buffalo’s game to lose. And they did. By a lot.
Flyers vs Sabres 3-17-23
Buffalo was in the Flyers end for a good amount of the 1st period. The Flyers did well keeping the Sabres puck possession pinned to the perimeters and out of the dangerous areas. The Flyers coverage was zone oriented and solid. Shots on goal were pretty even through the first half of the game but some of that had to do with the Flyers getting chances but shooting wide of the net. Sometimes they were in great scoring position and just not even coming close to hitting the net. That changed at 15:10 of the first when Owen Tippett scored his first goal of the night on the power-play. Cam York found Tippett open at the top of the circle. Tippett let it rip from there and the Flyers went into the 1st intermission up by a score of 1 to nothing.
Action packed second period
Four minutes into the second it looked like Joel Farabee was about to set up Tyson Foerster’s 1st NHL goal. Farabee found Foerster with a pass right across the crease. Unfortunately Foerster whiffed on the shot which went wide of the yawning net and off the back boards. Farabee bought it back out front and put it passed Buffalo goaltender Craig Anderson. Foerster was credited with the assist, his first NHL point. He was a real presence in this game and stood out in a good way all night.
Owen Tippett scored his 2nd goal of the night and 20th of the season at 13:14 of the second period. Kevin Hayes made a beautiful pass through traffic and Tippett wasted no time putting it away. The puck was in and back out of the net so fast that the reaction to the goal was pure confusion. Tippett had no doubt that it was in.
Five minutes later James van Riemsdyk made it four nothing. Scott Laughton got his own rebound and made a quick move before dishing the puck off to JvR who tapped it in from the side of the net. This goal really seemed to get under Buffalo’s skin and things got pretty chippy. Both teams ended the period with two players each called for roughing and Nick Deslauriers picking up a 10 minute misconduct for yapping at the ref. Wade Allison could not get the smile off his face during the entire series of events.
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The Flyers started the third period with three dudes in the box and a 4-0 lead, certainly it was a good night for hockey in Philly. Scott Laughton was the 4th Flyer to join his mates in the overstuffed penalty box. Buffalo scored their first goal against the Flyers this season on the ensuing power play.
Poetic Justice
Five and a half minutes into the 3rd period Tony DeAngelo sprung Owen Tippett on a breakaway. Ironically one year ago tonight as Flyers Fans knew they were bidding farewell to their Captain Claude Giroux I would bet most of the people in the building had never even heard of Owen Tippett. However tonight as he carried that puck up the ice, faked to the right, cut to the left, and backhanded a shot up and over a sprawling Craig Anderson the young player blew the roof off the place. A Hat Trick on Saint Patrick’s Day in Philly? That’s the way to do it! Green plastic hats all over the place.
Protecting the lead
The Buffalo Sabres to their credit were absolutely swarming in the 3rd. They had 21 shots on goal in that period alone. They outshot the Flyers for the night 38-22. Carter Hart had a solid performance in the net. His positioning was confident and on point all night long. He was stopping shots, controlling rebounds, and making it all look pretty routine. The Sabres spent the final 2 minutes of the game on the power play trying to set up the perfect shot and eventually putting the puck in the net with one second left on the clock…big deal. Final score Flyers 5 Sabres 2.
Extra Credit: Almost everything John Tortorella has done with the team this season has made a lot of sense. One thing that baffles me though is this. When the Flyers always seem to struggle in the second game of back-to-backs why not try starting Hart in the second game instead of the first as they have all season?…Just sayin’
