The Philadelphia Flyers kicked off their western road trip with a 4-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. Backup goaltenders Samuel Ersson and Casey DeSmith got the nod. With this win, the Flyers rise back to second place in the metro and tenth in the league with 42 points. For comparison, the Flyers finished last season’s campaign with 75 points.
Period 1
The period began with a penalty at the 18:22 mark on Nils Hoglander for holding Nick Seeler. However, the Flyers could not capitalize. Their power play was cut short when Joel Farabee was sent to the box for holding Tyler Myers. The Flyers held the Canucks to zero shots on goal until 12:22.
Both teams had difficulty establishing a rhythm until a nifty wrap-around attempt by Scott Laughton at the 4:01 mark. This began sustained offensive pressure for the Flyers. They registered four shots on goal for the remaining period.
Big Play: Cam Atkinson blocked a shot on a turnover by the Flyers
Score: 0-0
Period 2
The first six minutes lacked high-danger scoring chances for either team. The Flyers could not capitalize on a giveaway by DeSmith, which resulted in a brief swing of momentum in favor of Vancouver. However, that turned out to be a red herring for what the period had in store for the Flyers.
Farabee was once again sent to the box for interference on Sam Lafferty at 13:53. The Flyers’ penalty kill once again merged victorious, but not without the Canucks registering four shots on goal. Brock Boeser, in particular, had some golden opportunities but could not convert.
Tyler Myers interfered with Owen Tippett at the 5:42 mark, sending the Flyers to the power play. The Flyers immediately jumped on the attack. Egor Zamula capitalized on the momentum and scored the first goal of the night at 4:57. It’s the second of his career and his first career power-play goal. Tyson Foerster and Joel Farabee each had an assist.
Sean Walker joined the rush and potted a beauty at 3:36. Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett each registered assists.
To top off an eventful second period, Bobby Brink forced a turnover in the neutral zone, and Farabee found the back of the net. What was once a 0-0 score quickly became a dominant performance by the Flyers. Yes, that was three goals in just over two minutes.
Big Play: Egor Zamula’s power-play goal
Score: 3-0 Flyers
Period 3
The Canucks scored 25 seconds into the first period. Teddy Blueger was able to slip one by Ersson. Shortly after, Carter Hart came in as relief for Ersson, who immediately went down the tunnel with an apparent injury.
Noah Juulson laid a monster hit on Farabee near the boards, and Atkinson responded immediately. That resulted in Atkinson being sent to the box for roughing, tasking the Flyers’ penalty kill with a momentum-defining kill.
It appeared as though Hart would be tested early. However, the PK had other plans. Just ten seconds in, Garnet Hathaway scored a short-handed goal, assisted by Ryan Poehling. That brought the Flyers’ short-handed goal count to eight on the season.
Boeser was sent to the box for tripping Travis Sanheim at 8:39, but the power-play could not convert. Hart finished the night perfectly with eight saves on eight shots, demonstrating the Flyers’ strong goalie tandem.
Notably, Travis Konecny left with an apparent ailment.
Big Play: Hathaway’s short-handed goal. Honorable mention: Atkinson defending his teammate.
Final Score: 4-1 Flyers
Fast Stats:
Power Play: 1-3
Penalty Kill: 3-3 and 1 SHG
Blocked Shots: 18
Hits: Ten different Flyers registered hits, totaling sixteen. Garnet Hathaway registered five alone. This gritty style of play resulted in ten giveaways by Vancouver. Two were by DeSmith.
Sean Couturier is now tied for fifth with former Flyer Chris Therien for the most games played in franchise history, 753.
Injuries:
Travis Konecny: Illness
Samuel Ersson: Dehydration
Three Stars of the Game
- Joel Farabee (1 Goal, 1 Assist)
- Sean Walker (1 Goal)
- Teddy Blueger (1 Goal)
The Infamous Dog Mask:
Tonight’s receiver: Owen Tippett (1 Assist, 5 SOG)
Next up, the Flyers take on the Kraken on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena at 10:00 pm EST.
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