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Wrap: Flyers Hang on for 4-3 Win vs. Rangers |
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WRAP: FLYERS HANG ON FOR 4-3 WIN VS. RANGERS
The Philadelphia Flyers rode staccato waves of momentum and then hung on for dear life in an icing-filled third period to defeat the New York Rangers, 4-3, at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. Philly led by scores of 1-0, 3-1 and 4-2 but the lead never felt comfortable as the Rangers showed competitiveness and resiliency.
Philly blocked 21 shots along the way over the course of the game but also got vital timely saves whenever the Rangers seemed on the brink of pulling even again. Alex Lyon earned the win and the Ric Flair robe with 33 saves on 36 shots including at least four point-blank stops.
"We were just sporadic today. The first 3-4 minutes of the game we weren’t sharp and crisp and then we finished first period, the last 15-16 minutes, really well. And then from there we were sporadic through the next 20-25 minutes and honestly we go back on our heels in the last part of the third period. Obviously there’s things that we have to clean up and do a little bit better, but the bottom line is the two points at the end of the night and we move on," said Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol.
Travis Konecny scored his 21st and 22nd goals of the season, although there could be a scoring change by the NHL to credit the second one to Radko Gudas. Jakub Voracek scored a sublime 4-on-4 goal off a great individual rush for his 19th goal of the season. Oskar Lindblom, who once again had multiple good scoring opportunities, notched his 2nd NHL (which proved to be the game-winner) on a rebound tally.
Flyers captain Claude Giroux took over the NHL assist lead with his 62nd, 63rd and 64th helpers of the season. Andrew MacDonald (12th and 13th assists of the season), Travis Sanheim (7th), Gudas (12th assist, unless he is ultimately credited with his 3rd goal) and Nolan Patrick (15th) collected the apples on the four Flyers goals.
"I think at moments in the game we played some great hockey. They played with a lot of speed. They came at us pretty hard, but we did a good job of grinding it out. Obviously, 'Lyon King' did a good job of stopping shots. He was battling out there," Giroux said.
Chosen first star of the game by Inquirer beat writer Sam Carchidi, Konecny was benched by Hakstol for the final 7:20 of the game with the Flyers defending a one-goal lead. The coach said afterward that the decision was made due to low-percentage plays that Konecny made on several shifts, not including a puck he missed in the neutral zone that ended up being the difference between a near breakaway for Konecny and a Rangers' attack that produced their first goal of the game.
"He wasn’t taking care of the puck very well. There were some things in the D-zone. Individuals have got to be better at this time of the year in how we manage the puck and how we take care of it," Hakstol said.
"There is never a lack of [work ethic] and we love that. I love that about TK. On most nights, he’s working hard to do the right things on both sides of the puck. There’s been very few nights where he hasn’t given us that injection of energy and that punch offensively. He’s been a real consistent player on that side of things.
"He got one goal from the outside and he got one from that net front. You love those things about him. There’s certain nights where, a night like tonight, where with the puck and for this time of the year depending on the situation and time of the game, you need him to do a better job and he knows that. But that’s part of the growing process here and he’s done a hell of a job for our team. Again tonight, he was an impact player. But on a night like tonight, where some of the decisions aren’t what we want them to be, we’ve got guys that can go in there at the right time of game and do the job."
Per Brian Smith, the goal scored by Lindblom eight seconds into the third period ranks among the six fastest goals from the start of a period in franchise history. Three have been scored eight seconds, one seven seconds and one five seconds into a period. It’s the fastest from the start of a period since Simon Gagne scored seven seconds into overtime at NYR on January 5, 2006.
Apart from Lindblom's goal, Hakstol praised the rookie left winger's commitment to two-way hockey as a constant of his game.
"Oskar is a guy that’s come and fit in the structural part of our game real well. If you watch Oskar’s game, he is one of the guys that is very intelligent in terms of playing within a system. More so with him, it’s instinctual. He’s one of the guys that always finds a way to be on the right side of the puck. He has natural ability there," Hakstol said.
Mika Zibanejad (26th goal of the season) made a tremendous play off the rush for the Rangers' first goal, while Jesper Fast later notched his 12th and 13th tallies of the season. Fast (17th assist of the season), Neal Pionk (12th), Ryan Sproul (4th), Chris Kreider (20th), Rob O'Gara (2nd) and John Gilmour (3rd) collected one assist apiece.
"I was actually thinking about it before the game today: Every game is so different and you feel different, circumstances are different, the team is different every day. I think the best guys are the ones who can adjust to that, so I try and take a page out of their book," Lyon said.
Starting place of banged-up veteran Henrik Lundqvist, 22-year-old rookie Alexandar Georgiev played a good game for the Rangers despite taking the loss. He stopped 32 of 36 Flyers shots and came up with a few big stops to keep the Rangers in the game when Philly had some chances to blow it open.
Special teams canceled out on this night, although the Flyers did score a 4-on-4 goal and came close twice to scoring on a subsequent 4-on-3 power play opportunity. The Flyers finished 0-for-2 on the power play. The Flyers were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill against a Rangers team that had come in with six goals on its previous 12 chances. The first Flyers' kill was solid, the second one was a struggle but ultimately successful.
1ST PERIOD SYNOPSIS
The Flyers got hemmed into their own zone immediately. Giroux flubbed the puck in his own zone about a minute into the game, leading to a chance for Chris Kreider. At 1:56, Weal committed a hooking penalty on Jimmy Vesey in the Flyers zone.
Giroux broke his stick on the ensuing faceoff to start the PK, but Harry Bricker very quickly got him a new stick and Giroux got right back into the play. Jori Lehterä came up with a good clear. The Flyers killed the penalty.
The Flyers first scoring chance came as Voracek gained the offensive zone, found room to power to the high slot and fired a shot on Georgiev at 4:11. Shots were 4-2 Flyers through 5:30.
Lyon made a great lateral movement save to deny Vladislav Namestnikov's one-timer from the right circle with the Flyers in trouble in their own end of the ice. At the other end, Georgiev stopped Lehterä from the slot.
Konecny gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 7:56. The Flyers worked the puck on the left boards, from Giroux out to MacDonald at the left point and then back down to Konecny at the half boards. Cutting to the right at the top of the circle, Konecny shot a rising wrister over Georgiev's left shoulder for a 1-0 lead. The assists went to MacDonald and Giroux.
Brandon Manning turned a puck over in his own end at 9:10, but Radko Gudas broke up a dangerous play down low with a diving sweep check.
At 11:56, Lyon cleanly snared a side angle shot by Ryan Spooner on a Rangers' line rush. At the other end of the ice Travis Sanheim jumped into the rush and Wayne Simmonds had a pair of good scoring chances in close.
Giroux turned a puck over the neutral zone, and the Rangers started out a rush from their own zone. Konecny missed a puck at center ice and the Rangers moved in to tie the game at 1-1. Gaining a step on Gudas and faking a shot as he skating into the right circle, Zibanejad then slipped a shot through the five-hole at 13:53. The assists went to Fast and Pionk.
The Flyers top line generated pressure and a deflection by Couturier off a slap pass by Sanheim that very nearly found the net. Shots were 15-8 Flyers through 17 minutes.
With the Manning-Gudas pairing trouble in their own zone for the third time in the period, Manning iced the puck. Scott Laughton won the ensuing draw and the Flyers broke out.
Just before the period expired, Sanheim made a poised play under pressure on the boards to beat the Rangers forechecker and then make an accurate pass to Valtteri Filppula to start the breakout. Time ran out by the time the Flyers hit the Rangers' zone. First period shots ended 15-8 Flyers.
2ND PERIOD SYNOPSIS
Georgiev denied Lindblom from the doorstep on the opening shift of the second of the period. The Rangers came back with an extended shift in Flyers territory, as Lyon had to make three saves and Philly was unable to clear.
The Rangers' Zuccarello won an offensive left circle draw against Filppula and then had a scoring chance. At the 3:00 mark, the Flyers committed an icing -- for the third time already in the period.
At 2:31, the Rangers nearly went on their second power play as a weak hook by Read in the defensive left circle was called. However, Zibanejad took a roughing penalty in the ensuing after-the-whistle scrum with Laughton. The teams skated at 4-on-4.
On a spectacular individual effort, Voracek beat three Rangers -- including splitting the D -- and scored on a second and third effort after being blocked. Skating straight at the net, he flipped the puck just over Georgiev's glove and into the net and then slid into the end wall. The assists went to Giroux and Sanheim. It was the first 4-on-4 goal the Rangers allowed this season.
Marc Staal took a tripping penalty at to set up a 4-on-3 power play for the Flyers. Simmonds seemed to have a wide open chance from near the left post but could not pot it. Over the middle, Couturier could not find a setup pass from Voracek quite in time. The power play went by the wayside.
Lindblom could not quite handle a setup pass from Voracek as he nearly skated untouched into the left slot for a golden scoring chance. At the other end, Lyon made a tough save on Zibanejad.
The Flyers grabbed a 3-1 lead at 8:38. Gudas held a puck into the point and sent it behind the net, where Giroux got to it first. A low to high play ensued with the puck going back out to Gudas as the point as Konecny swung out in front and reacted as if he deflected it home although replays appeared as if Gudas' shot went off Brady Skej's skate. The assists went to Gudas and Giroux.
Shots were 10-5 Rangers at a TV timeout at 10:07 but the Flyers had the two that mattered most.
On a delayed slashing penalty on Hayes in the Rangers zone, Simmonds landed a thumping hit on Ryan Sproul in the right corner just before the whistle. A Couturier one timer from the left slot off a Giroux feed was stopped by Georgiev. The second unit seemed to be set up later in the advantage but a Patrick shot from the left circle was blocked and cleared.
The Flyers' fourth and third lines had good back-to-back shifts, hemmed the Rangers in their own zone.
Gudas and Manning caught on same side behind the net, with the front of the net open. The pass-out, luckily, went out to the point and the Flyers got reset in time for a routine save by Lyon.
A puck-luck goal off a 50-50 puck battle in the Flyers' left corner got the Rangers back to 3-2 at 17:03. Skating out of the corner, Fast put the puck into the crease on an intended pass where it deflected off Provorov's skate into the net. The assists went to Sproul and Kreider.
Courtesy of strong work on the boards by Voracek and Lindblom (with his feet behind the net), the Patrick line had a good late forechecking shift.
Second period shots were 15-10 Rangers (25-23 Flyers overall).
3RD PERIOD SYNOPSIS
The Flyers scored very quickly after controlling the opening faceoff, just eight seconds after the opening faceoff. Patrick won the center ice faceoff back to Sanheim. Taking a lead pass from MacDonald, Patrick rushed into the offensive zone for a scoring chance that bounced off Georgiev's mask. Lindblom immediately tucked home the rebound on the backhand for a 4-2 lead. The assists went to Patrick and MacDonald.
The Rangers got the goal back shortly thereafter. Couturier lost a defensive zone faceoff and the D put a shot on net. With no one cleaning up in front, Fast potted the rebound at 1:28 to narrow the gap to 4-3.
The Laughton line nearly scored on a scramble around the Rangers' net on the next shift. The rebound then came out to a pinching Sanheim, who backhanded wide.
Jordan Weal tipped a shot on goal in the Rangers end. New York went the other way on a give-and-go sequence that saw Lyon deny Fast in close.
A near icing on Patrick was canceled out by Georgiev playing the puck behind the Rangers' net.
Lyon made back-to-back 10-bell saves in point blank range from Kreider and Zibanejad. Finally, the Flyers caught a break as Fast chipped a puck out of play for a desperately needed stoppage at 6:52. Shots were 8-6 Rangers at this point.
An attempted flip pass from Sanheim to Lindblom in the neutral zone went for an icing. The Rangers won the draw and tripped over Sanheim behind the net as Sanheim started to rise up after a sweep check attempt.
Lyon made three saves on very heavy pressure by the Rangers as the Flyers could not get a stoppage or clear. An odd-man rush for New York went offside. New York scored but the whistle was already blowing. The Flyers barely survived the kill.
The Rangers went right back to pressuring. Finally, play went down the Rangers' end. Konecny, bidding for a hat trick, missed a re-direct from in close. Giroux then put one on net from high in the offensive zone that Georgiev stopped. Shots were 11-9 Rangers with 7:01 left in regulation.
Manning failed on a clearing attempt but got the puck back. The second time, he got it out. Shots were 13-10 Rangers at a TV timeout with 5:40 on the clock.
From his side of the red line, Provorov attempted a lead pass while falling to the ice. It went for an icing. The Rangers again controlled the faceoff and the Flyers barely cleared before the Rangers brought the puck back in offside with 4:56 left.
Lehterä came up with a key shot block with the Flyers hemmed in their own zone yet again. The Flyers were guilty of yet another icing with 3:08 left as a Provorov pass skittered past Giroux and down the ice. Couturier got the puck just over the blueline for a near 2-on-1 but was stripped of the puck and the Rangers re-entered the attack zone. Sproul hit the post from the right circle.
Yet another Flyers icing followed with 1:45 left. The Rangers pulled Georgiev for a 6-on-5. Giroux made a simple- but vital -- chip-clear off the boards. However, the Rangers gained the puck again and pressured in deep for a scramble around the net before a whistle with the puck trapped with 43.5 seconds left. New York called timeout before the next left circle draw.
The Flyers kept the rest of the play to the perimeter. Provorov and Couturier came up with clears with the clock ticking down. Time expired.
Shots were 13-11 Rangers (36-36 overall).
STANDINGS IMPACT
With the Columbus Blue Jackets rolling to a 4-0 home win over the Florida Panthers for Columbus' 10th straight win (eight in regulation, two in overtime), the Flyers were only able to hold serve against the Blue Jackets. With seven games left for both teams, the Blue Jackets remain one point ahead of the Flyers. The teams remain knotted in regulation/overtime wins (ROW) in the event of a points tie. Both teams now have 36 ROW.
Because the Flyers are currently in wildcard position rather than the automatic playoff spot for 3rd place in the Metro -- which would render Atlantic Division team Florida non-competition for the Flyers in terms of the playoff chase -- Philly gained a benefit from the Columbus vs. Florida race in terms of the wildcard chase. The Flyers are now seven points (plus a 36-34 ROW edge) ahead of the Panthers. Florida still has three games in hand, with their next game upcoming on Saturday (the Flyers are idle) at home against Arizona.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were idle on Thursday. The Blue Jackets pulled into a points tie with the Penguins. Pittsburgh retains second place in the Metro by virtue of having played one fewer game as well as a 40-36 ROW advantage. The Penguins host New Jersey on Friday night and then the Flyers on Sunday afternoon.
The lower-wildcard seeded Capitals were also idle on Thursday. The Flyers now have a six-point advantage and 36-32 ROW edge. The Devils, who have one game in hand on Philly but have played two more games than Florida, remained one point ahead of Florida but with a 34-32 ROW disadvantage. New Jersey visits the Penguins on Friday and then hosts Eastern Conference leading Tampa Bay on Saturday in a brutally tough back-to-back set.
The Metro-leading Washington Capitals skated to a 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Washington has 40 ROW. The Caps extended their lead over Pittsburgh to four points and evened up the ROW tiebreaker. The Caps are also four points ahead of Columbus and five ahead of the Flyers.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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