After losing in overtime to the Leafs on Thursday and dropping the Stadium Series 6-3 against the Devils on Saturday, the Flyers’ mission going into Chicago was simple: win. Thanks to Sam Ersson’s poise, a few well-timed goals, and 21 blocked shots, the Flyers were able to come away with a victory.
Period 1
The game began with plenty of back-and-forth action between the two teams. Sam Ersson made a massive glove save on a 3-on-1 to keep the score 0-0. A few moments later, Travis Sanheim broke the ice early with a deflection on Chicago’s goaltender Arvid Soderblom to make it 1-0 Flyers at the 13:42 mark. Joel Farabee and Scott Laughton has assists. Unfortunately for the Flyers, they couldn’t hold onto that lead. Colin Blackwell scored on a wrist shot at 12:25 to make the score 1-1. Shortly after, Egor Zamula was sent to the box for tripping Connor Bedard. The Flyers’ penalty kill was able to prevail to keep the score at 1-1.
Philadelphia was able to sustain some offensive pressure toward the end of the period, however, it didn’t result in a goal. The period ended with 15 shots on goal for the Flyers and
Score: 1-1
Period 2
Travis Konecny carried the puck the whole 200 feet to score on a beautiful wrist shot at 16:45. It was unassisted to put the Flyers up 2-1. At 12:55, the Flyers took a penalty for too many men, served by Joel Farabee. Once again, their penalty kill prevailed, and they escaped unscathed. Then, Noah Cates was able to the puck on net, resulting in a rebound that Garnet Hathaway tucked home to make it 3-1 Flyers at 8:05. Throughout the second period, Philadelphia limited their turnovers and the odd-man rushes that became an issue in the first.
The Flyers ended the period with 30 shots on goal whereas Chicago ended with 15.
Score: 3-1 Flyers
Period 3
The period started off with a bang. At 17:09, Nick Seeler and Reese Johnson threw some punches and ended up in the box for fighting. The game went without a stoppage for over five minutes. The Flyers maintained possession throughout the period. No goals were scored, resulting in a 3-1 win for the Flyers. Sam Ersson stopped 32 out of 33 shots for the Orange and Black, further demonstrating why he is an important piece in this Flyers rebuild.
Three Stars
- Travis Konecny (1g)
- Travis Sanheim (1g)
- Colin Blackwell (1g)
The Dog Mask
Who more deserving to wear the dog mask than Garnet Hathaway? He scored the third and final goal of the game, allowing the Flyers to breathe when Chicago pulled the goaltender in the final few minutes.
The Flyers improved to 5-1-1 in February and are still sitting third in the Metropolitan Division with 67 points. Their overall record is 30-20-7.
Next, they’ll return home to face the Rangers on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
