Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
The Philadelphia Flyers were in LA Thursday night to face the Kings. It was the second game of a back-to-back. The Flyers beat the Ducks in overtime Wednesday night.
Flyers Captain Sean Couturier was not in the line-up due to injury. We did get our 1st look at former Flyer Scott Laughton in a Kings uniform. Laughton was moved to LA at the trade deadline.
Laughton looked like the smart, steady, pro hockey player that he is. He’s played 6 games with the Kings has a couple goals and assists. Going 55.1 in the faceoff circle. So far so good.
Philly vs LA
The opening period of this game was very tight checking. Neither team was leaving the other any room to work with. Time and space was hard to come by. The Flyers did not get a shot on goal until there was just 6:41 left in the 1st period. LA had only 3 shots on goal at that point.
The Kings absolutely ruled the puck in the opening period. Besting the Flyers by far in puck possession and attack time. For the Flyers the key was blocked shots. The Kings kept it simple, not allowing the Flyers anywhere near the net.
Very late in the period Byfield beat Samuel Ersson high glove side from the circle with just 27.6 on the clock. As they say, you gotta play till the horn.
2nd Period
The 2nd period was a total departure. Two goals in the first minute of play. Travis Konecny scored his 25th of the season with a wrist shot through traffic from the slot 26 seconds into the period.
Just 21 seconds later Kopitar picked up a rebound off the back boards and tucked the puck into the open side of the net at 19:13. Of course the odd bounce went right to the Kings all time leading scorer.
Noah Cates, who scored the overtime winner in Anaheim, won a battle vs Scott Laughton in front of the LA net. Cates out-worked Laughton and dug the puck away from goaltender Darcy Kuemper and slogged the puck into the net 4:12 into the 2nd period.
Travis Sanheim fired a slapper from the point through traffic to give the Flyers the lead at 6:59. If the Flyers learned anything from last night it was starting to show. Just make a mess and shoot the puck through it. The Flyers had 3 goals on 7 shots.
At the midpoint of this match the teams were tied in shots at 10 with the Flyers holding a 3-2 lead.
The Flyers had controlled the majority of the play in the 2nd period. They got a power-play opportunity with just under 5 minutes left in the period. They played dump and chase with the man advantage and never really got possession in the Kings zone. In fact they didn’t register a shot on goal until the final seconds of the period. The NHL’s worst power-play can be a real momentum killer at times.
3rd Period
The Kings started the 3rd period with 1:45 remaining on a late period power-play. The Flyers killed that off keeping the Kings 0-for-3 on the PP.
Matvei Michkov got totally steam rolled and crumpled awkwardly into the boards behind the Flyers net. There was no penalty but Michkov went up the tunnel. He did return to play later in the period.
The Flyers had another man advantage early in the 3rd period. Scott Laughton registered the only shot on goal during that two minutes.
The Kings got another chance on the power-play and capitalized on it. Laughton to Panarin who beat Ersson high short side 9:32 into the 3rd period. The Flyers had missed a few opportunities and hit three posts looking for the insurance goal. Now they were tied at 3 and it was suddenly anyone’s game with time running down.
OT
For the second night in a row the Flyers were headed to overtime. This was the Flyers 24th overtime of the season.
Samuel Ersson made a couple huge saves to keep this game from ending before the shootout.
Shootout
Trevor Zegras, the king of the shootout, was patient with the puck waiting for the goaltender to drop then lobbing the puck over him for the first goal.
Ersson made a huge glove save on Panarin.
Matvei Michkov went right to left before unleashing a blocker side banger off the far post to end the contest.
Flyers win 4-3 for a much needed and hard fought two points.
Flyers vs Sharks Saturday afternoon before leaving California.
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