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FLYERS CRUISE PAST EDMONTON, 4-1
The Philadelphia Flyers rode a spectacular two-goal performance by Jakub Voracek, the stellar goaltending of Steve Mason and a 4-for-4 performance on the penalty kill to sail to a 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. It may not have been a flawless 60 minutes of hockey for the Flyers but it was a game where they got off to a quick start and the lead never felt in serious jeopardy.
Voracek came a goal post away from a natural hat trick in the first period. The team also got single goals from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Luke Schenn in the second period. Mason took care of the rest, turning back 35 of 36 shots to earn his first win since Game 6 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. A goalie who tends to play as he practices, Mason was very sharp in practice in recent days as well the previous game in Florida. That carried over into this tilt.
Other standout performers for the Flyers included defenseman Michael Del Zotto and captain Claude Giroux. Del Zotto, who worked a give-and-go with Voracek on the sequence that ended in Voracek's second goal and played strong all-around hockey (six hits, three blocks, one takeaway, zero charged giveaways in a team-high 23:17 of ice time). Giroux got the secondary assist on Voracek's second goal and won 20 of 26 faceoffs (77 percent) on a night where the Flyers as a team went 44-for-67 on draws.
For Edmonton, a spectacular counterattacking solo effort by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the second period was the club's lone offensive highlight. The team hit the post twice in the third period but generally had few answers for solving Mason. Goaltender Viktor Fasth was a bit leaky at times, finishing with 21 saves on 25 shots.
The Flyers did all of their damage at even strength in this game. The club did not get a single power play in the game. The last time that happened was a road game against the New York Islanders on March 15, 2012. The last time the Flyers did not have a power play in a home game was on February 21, 2008 against the San Jose Sharks.
At Monday's practice in Voorhees, Flyers head coach Craig Berube said main issue with the team's recent penalty killing struggles was failure to clear the defensive zone or get shot blocks at key moments. In this game, Mason when the team's best penalty killer when they needed him to be but many of the club's 19 blocked shots came on the penalty kill.
Voracek, who has points in 11 of 12 games this season and points in six games in a row, recorded his sixth multi-point effort of the young season. His first goal, scored at 3:59 of the first period, was a wraparound where he caught Fasth napping. Mark Streit, who sent the puck behind the net to Voracek after claiming a loose puck on a blocked Nicklas Grossmann shot attempt, got the primary assist. Grossmann got the second.
Several minutes later, Voracek made a strong cut around the net to his backhand and elevated the puck on his backhand. This play was very similar to a goal he scored earlier this season against Anaheim, except this one ticked off the goal post and stayed out of the net.
At 16:04 of the first period, Voracek notched his second goal of the night on the give-and-go with Del Zotto. The front end of the play was beautifully orchestrated, and the back end was a bit of self-made good luck as Del Zotto's shot attempt was blocked and went directly to Voracek in the left circle. The Czech winger quickly shot the puck past Fasth to extend the Flyers lead to 2-1.
At 4:09 of the second period, Bellemare scored a dirty-but-good to build a 3-0 cushion for Philadelphia. All three members of the fourth line received a point on the play. Zac Rinaldo won a battle in the corner and passed it out to a wide open Chris VandeVelde. Fasth made the initial save but never got firm control of the puck. Bellemare swatted at the puck and put it between the netminder and the post.
As play neared the midway point of regulation, Nugent-Hopkins scored a highlight reel goal. With Grossmann getting caught on a pinch and Rinaldo back to help defend, Nugent-Hopkins got the puck from Jordan Eberle near the blueline. From there, he turned on the jets, fending off Rinaldo. As Nugent-Hopkins cut to his left on his forehand, Mason moved right with him but Nugent-Hopkins got just wide enough to snap home the puck at 9:54. Justin Schultz got the secondary assist.
The Flyers restored their three-goal lead at 12:01 of the second period. Brayden Schenn forced Edmonton's Matt Hendricks off the puck behind the Edmonton net and then centered the puck out to brother Luke in the right circle. Fasth never got fully squared for the shot and the defenseman's shot sneaked in under the goaltender's arm.
Luke's goal mark the second time this season that one Schenn brother set up a goal for the other. A few weeks ago in Dallas, Brayden converted the rebound of a shot by his brother. Tonight's goal marked the third time since the Flyers acquired Luke from Toronto that both brothers got a point on the same goal.
In the third period, the Flyers killed off minor penalties to Streit and Nick Schultz. Shots in the final period were 10-10, as Mason and company sealed the win. Edmonton outshot Philly for the game by a 36-25 margin.
One down note in an otherwise upbeat night for the Flyers: Michael Raffl left the game in the third period after blocking a shot. Turned awkwardly, Raffl skated off in obvious discomfort. Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said after the game that Raffl had a lower-body injury and would be re-evaluated tomorrow.
The Flyers will hold a noon practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees on Wednesday. On Thursday, the team hosts the Florida Panthers at the Wells Fargo Center.
POSTGAME NOTES AND QUOTES
* Carlo Colaiacovo made his Flyers debut, skating 16:50 of ice time over 25 shifts. The veteran defenseman finished at plus-one on the night. He attempted five shots, putting one on net and getting blocked four times.
* Colaiacovo on his first game in Philadelphia: "For the most part I thought it was pretty good, pretty sound. I said I wasn’t going to be nervous but the first shift I was definitely nervous and then after the first shift I calmed right down and got myself into and just felt good to be out there again.”
* Craig Berube on Colaiacovo: "It is what I expected. He's a good puck mover from going on the past. Probably played him too much but he did a good job."
* Jakub Voracek on his extremely strong start to the season: “I felt pretty good but most importantly I’m year older again, more experienced, I’m in the spot where I can get the puck the most. It’s important to me and I feel pretty good about our line, so that’s very important.”
* Steve Mason on Voracek: "I’ve kind of grown up with him being in the Columbus organization with him and he knew he could be a special player if he put everything together and he’s starting to do that. When he’s going, he can take over a hockey game. He’s getting rewarded with the points right now and from our standpoint we just hope he keeps it going.”
* Mason on turning productive practices into good game-night performances: "You find a comfort zone. I was able to put in a real solid week with Reeser and I just really feel good about my game. With Razor [Ray Emery] playing the way that he did, it gave me the opportunity, you make the best of it, and then finally get rewarded for it.”
* Apart from Claude Giroux's dominant 20-for-26 night on faceoffs, most of the Flyers other centers and substitutes had good games on the draw. Vincent Lecavalier went 9-for-12 (75 percent) and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was 5-for-7 (71 percent). Meanwhile R.J. Umberger went 3-for-3 and Brayden Schenn was 1-for-1 when they had to step in to take a faceoff.
* With their 4-for-4 performance on the penalty kill, the Flyers moved to 17-for-17 in the six home games they have played thus far. In six road games, they are just 12-for-20 (60 percent).
* Giroux when informed that club has yet to be scored against on the penalty kill at home: "Thanks for jinxing it."
* Berube on the penalty kill in this game: "There were only a couple of times when we didn't get the puck out when we should have, but I felt the guys were doing a better job being in the shooting lanes, and forcing them not to shoot or shoot it wide, just forcing them to pass it again. That's important. Anytime you shoot a puck from the middle of the ice, on a power play on the back end, it’s a dangerous shot because you have screens and deflections and all that stuff so it’s important that the forwards are doing a good job, getting in the shooting lanes, putting pressure on them. Making them put it back down the wall. They did a good job of that tonight."
* Michael Del Zotto on his greatly improved play in recent weeks: "As each day goes on, [I am trying] just coming out with a good mindset. Work hard and try to get better each day. I’m still new to the team trying to gain chemistry and get used to guys. Get some chemistry on and off the ice with them and that’s pretty much my mindset. Getting better each day."
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QUICK HITS: NOVEMBER 5TH
* The Flyers placed forward Blair Jones on waivers on Tuesday. He is expected to clear. Depending on the status of Michael Raffl's injury, the team may send Jones to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms or keep him with the big club at their discretion.
* After Tuesday's morning skate at the Wells Fargo Center, Craig Berube was asked whether he thought the heavy defensive responsibilities and frequent own-zone starts for Sean Couturier and Matt Read have played into their modest offensive output along with that of frequent linemate R.J. Umberger (who is currently skating on Vincent Lecavalier's line). The coach said he did not buy that logic.
“That’s your job. Maybe it limits your chances a little bit, but I’m not sure I agree with that that much," said Berube. "They’re a checking line and out there playing against a very good line, but if they do things right, they’re going to get their chances offensively."
* Berube said that getting Umberger going offensively had nothing to do with his decision to switch Brayden Schenn to Couturier's line.
"I didn’t move RJ to Lecavalier’s line because I think he’s going to get a lot more offensive chances. I moved RJ up there [because] he’s a good defensive player, he’s got a big body, and I think he just looks like a better fit right now than Brayden Schenn, and I wanted to move Brayden Schenn down with Couturier and Read. I thought about that for a while and I want to see how it looks," said Berube.
* Asked about potentially making personnel changes to the forwards on second power play unit, Berube said he was not thinking along those lines at present. Noting specifically that Umberger had gotten some second-unit time during Lecavalier's absence, Berube said, "Listen, there are roles for every guy on our team."
* Today in Flyers History: On Nov. 5, 2005, the Flyers' top line trio of Peter Forsberg, Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble singlehandedly spurred the team to a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. Gagne recorded a hat trick while Forsberg had one goal and two assists. Knuble produced a pair of assists. The Flyers were outshot 31-18 for the game but Robert Esche made 28 saves to earn the win. Mike Dunham took the loss.
* On Nov. 5, 2011, the Flyers ripped apart a woeful Columbus Blue Jackets team to the tune of 9-2. The Flyers led 5-0 after the first period and 8-0 after the middle stanza before packing up early in a sloppy third period. Philly got two goals from rookie Sean Couturier and one apiece from James van Riemsdyk, Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux, Jaromir Jagr, Max Talbot, Wayne Simmonds and Matt Read. Steve Mason, then a member of the Blue Jackets, got roughed up for seven goals on 28 shots while Allen York was beaten twice on five shots. Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 33 of 35 shots (21 of which came in the final stanza).
* Alumni Birthdays: Mark Suzor, a first-round pick (17th overall) in the 1976 Draft, turns 58. Suzor only played four games with the Flyers before being traded to the Colorado Rockies in the deal that brought Barry Dean, the second overall pick of the 1975 Draft, to Philly. Additionally, Nikolay Zherdev turns 30 years old today.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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