PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 23: Brian Elliott #37 of the Philadelphia Flyers looks on during warm-ups against the New York Islanders on March 23, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
Brian Elliott “The Moose” has stepped up in time of need time and time again, even with all his prior injuries with the Flyers, “I think we will see it a lot more this year with guys stepping up,” Elliott said following the game. “Moosey stood on his head tonight and kind of kept us in there and gave us the chances to capitalize later in the game,” Travis Konecny said following the game. This appears to be a theme with this year’s bunch of Flyers, different players step up on different nights.
When healthy Elliott is a solid, good goalie, he might not be able to start 40-50 games a season, but he’s a darn good backup. He has done everything to include last night’s brilliant 40 save performance. The Flyers got destroyed less than 24 hours prior to the start of the game. Who does Alain Vigneault turn to…Brian Elliott, even though Elliott played in place of Carter Hart the night prior after Hart got pulled, “There’s no doubt that we thought that right after the game (To play Elliott),” Vigneault said, “One of the few things that we saw from last night’s game, other than we can get right back at it tonight, was the fact that he did get some work in. Brian’s been excellent throughout this start of training camp. He’s been working really hard. This was maybe the first time in the last couple years where he was healthy and able to train and work out. He’s come focused. He’s come ready to play and help us win games. That’s what we need from both our goaltenders.”
“The Moose” put up solid backup numbers this season before it was halted due to the Coronavirus, compiling a 16-7-4 record, 2.87 GAA, with a .899 Save Percentage. Not eye popping numbers by any means, or Vezina Trophy numbers, but it showed he did his job. Elliott carried the load for the Flyers when Carter Hart was hurt in January-February, and he compiled a 6-2-2 record for his efforts, “He made some huge saves for us to keep that game 0-0,” Claude Giroux said following the game last night, “He kept us in the game. He was battling out there and working his butt off. He is part of the reason we won the game tonight.”
Elliott will battle for his teammates and the City of Philadelphia. He has proven time and time again that he can be relied upon in big, crucial situations, “We know that Moose competes when he’s in there and he’s going to give us the best chance,” Travis Konecny applauded Elliott last night, “He did exactly what we thought, and it kept us in the game. It’s nice to see that. Obviously, Moose has a lot of games under his belt and has a lot of experiences. We need those big games out of him and he’s there to do it for us.”
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Team Store!
