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Wrapup: Flyers Shut Out Red Wings, 3-0 |
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Wrapup: Flyers Shut Out Red Wings, 3-0
The Philadelphia Flyers took care of business on Monday night with a 3-0 shutout win over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesar's Arena. It wasn't as tidy as the final score and 31-16 shot differential would suggest. For two periods, the Flyers dominated puck possession and had the lion's share of scoring chances but only a skinny 1-0 lead to show for it.
After a scoreless first period, Scott Laughton (9th goal of the season) made it a 1-0 Flyers lead near the midpoint of regulation. At 2:47 of the third period, Kevin Hayes made it back-to-back games with shorthanded goals (17th overall, 4th SHG) to double the Flyers' lead. Matt Niskanen added a long-distance shorthand empty net goal (7th) to seal the shutout win.
The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play but still outscored the Red Wings 2-0 on special teams in going 2-for-2 on the PK with shorthanded goals on both.
Brian Elliott did not see many shots in terms of quantity but he had to come up big a handful of times in earning a 16-save shutout. It was the 40th shutout of his NHL career.
Jonathan Bernier gave his Red Wings team a chance to win, and deserved a better fate. He took the loss despite a host of tough chances in making 28 saves on 30 shots.
With the win, the Flyers at least temporarily moved up two notches in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The Flyers (65 points, 20 regulation wins, 53 games played) are tied in points with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the battle for third place in the Metro but trail 22-20 in the regulation wins tiebreaker. The Islanders, one point behind the Flyers, hold three games in hand. The Carolina Hurricanes are two points behind the Flyers with one game in hand (and a 21-20 tiebreaker edge over the Flyers). The Florida Panthers, in third place in the Atlantic and Toronto both have 63 points but Florida has played two fewer games.
Detroit, mired deep in the NHL basement, is now winless in its last six games.
In the first period of Monday's game, the Flyers had a decided territorial advantage. Detroit turned over numerous pucks and gave up space over the middle. The Flyers were unable to take advantage: too many missed nets on their shot attempts including two by Claude Giroux with good looks at the net.
Philly gave up some counterattacks, but Elliott was sharp when called up. Most notably, he denied a shorthanded bid and then stoned Tyler Bertuzzi at the doorstep. Wing goalie Bernier was strong as well. Shots on goal were 12-5 Flyers (27-8 shot attempt differential).
The two teams combined for just three shots on goal through the first seven minutes of the middle stanza. Elliott stopped a tricky backhander by Luke Glendenning. Joel Farabee started a counterttack by intercepting a Dylan Larkin pass in the neutral zone but Philly did not get a shot on goal from it.
The Flyers second power play of the game -- entry attempts, passing, etc -- never got organized. Shortly after it ended, though, Scott Laughton bagged the game's first goal at 9:31. Good plays by Tyler Pitlick (pressuring the D), Robert Hägg (stepping up and creating a turnover), Michael Raffl (nice setup pass) and Laughton (burying a quick shot from the slot) gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead.
Philadelphia dominated most of the latter half of the second period and came close several times to extending the lead. Late in the period, there were a few nervous moments for the Flyers after an Ivan Provorov turnover. With two ticks left on the clock, Elliott denied Larkin with a skate save at the post. Second period shots were 9-6 in the Flyers' favor. Shots attempts through two periods: Flyers 48 (21 on goal) - Detroit 17 (11 on goal).
The Flyers had a rough start to the third period: a couple turnovers, lost 50-50 battles, two icings, a Laughton high-sticking penalty and Elliott having to be alert to a Filip Hronek power play one-timer. Hayes, however, was a one-man momentum changer, putting the Flyers ahead 2-0 with his fourth shorthanded goal of the season. The third period got off to a shaky start. That is, until Kevin Hayes delivered yet again on the penalty kill. Hayes intercepted the puck in the defensive zone, rumbling down the ice on a breakaway and tallying his fourth shorthanded goal of the season with a low glove-side shot for a 2-0 lead.
A little later, Tyler Pitlick saved the Flyers a goal on a crucial shot block with an empty net behind him. The Red Wings through all caution to the wind but were held to five shots on goal. Detroit coach Jeff Blashill pulled Bernier for an extra attacker on a power play with 3:36 left. Niskanen turned it into a shorthanded empty netter from the defensive zone.
The Flyers are off on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. On Thursday, the team plays host to the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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