Seeking to end a five-game losing streak and head into the international break on a positive note, the Philadelphia Flyers took on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, February 9. The Flyers also went into the rivalry game searching for a way to tie up this season’s Battle of Pennsylvania series.
The game started with some back and forth, with both teams looking out of sorts. In his first shift as a Flyer, Andrei Kuzmenko caught the puck off a bounce from the boards and got it over to Scott Laughton. The play was taken even further by Travis Konecny, who registered the primary assist on Laughton’s goal, occurring on the Flyers’ first shot of the game.
The Penguins, following a tally against them, seemed to take personal offense and demanded most of the first period, despite not getting on the board themselves.
Philadelphia had a two-on-one opportunity but the pass across was tipped up and out of play. Without the play-by-play showing it, the Flyers chemistry looked good in the first, but no good chances were being produced. A quick shot by Kris Letang was cleanly saved by Samuel Ersson, who had himself a night. Following a few questionable non-calls, Erik Karlsson slowed down the play and looked like he had a goal in the bag but Ersson made the save look easy. Around the halfway mark of the period Blake Lizotte clipped Matvei Michkov with a high stick but, once again, no call was made on the play. The Penguins were unable to convert on a Sean Couturier penalty, missing some of their key power play stars.
The first period was full of shots getting to the net for the Penguins and shots getting blocked by the Penguins. At the end of 20 minutes, the Flyers had registered only two shots on goal.
With the Penguins clearly in control of the first period, the Flyers needed to shake up the pace and earn more offensive zone chances. Best laid plans, however, and the Penguins remained dominant to start the middle frame. A great up-ice look off a giveaway from Kuzmenko to Rodrigo Abols went wide and the puck was sent back into the Flyers’ zone.
Karlsson got a weird look from a tough angle but managed to squeeze the puck over Ersson’s shoulder and tied the game. The Penguins maintained possession and every minor chance the Flyers got was suffocated by a crowded Pittsburgh defense. After a long shift for Michkov, he saw a breakaway chance but went just wide on the shot, leaving the game tied. Some offensive zone pressure finally appeared for the Flyers but the team was still unable to get many shots to Joel Blomqvist, the Pittsburgh goaltender.
On a race up the ice and a one-on-one chance for the Flyers, Blomqvist left his crease and came out about halfway through the Pittsburgh zone. Blomqvist attempted to thwart a weak shot from Garnet Hathaway, but the poke check deflected off Hathaway and ended up in the back of the net, giving Philly an unexpected 2-1 lead. The lead gave the Flyers a bit of an energy boost, but Tyson Foerster was unable to make anything of his chance. However, the Flyers were able to finally maintain a good amount of pressure in the offensive zone but were still failing to get pucks close to Blomqvist. At last, a great shot from Cam York was sent flying, but it just glanced off the crossbar. The game had definitely shifted in favor of the Flyers.
Flyers’ head coach, John Tortorella, shook up his lines to start the third period, hoping to continue the energy that the last few minutes of the second period brought. An early and amazing look for Danton Heinen went just high and the Flyers were able to maintain their lead. A delayed penalty call against Pittsburgh’s Noel Acciari created a six-on-five opportunity for the Flyers. Konecny came on as the sixth skater and his shot from the blue line deflected off Acciari’s stick and into the Penguins’ net (talk about karma). With a 3-1 lead, the Flyers should have looked confident, but instead gave up the zone a little too easily to Pittsburgh. Looking good in the defensive zone, the Flyers seemed well equipped to clear the puck, but a weird bounce, followed by some pushing, shoving, and batting of sticks, led to the puck entering the net behind Ersson. The call on the ice was “no goal.” The call was discussed by the officials, who confirmed that there was no goal. The call was then challenged by Pittsburgh, resulting in a tap-in tally for Kevin Hayes.
With a fire lit under them and a tie game in their reach, the Penguins looked strong in the last half of regulation, but Samuel Ersson looked stronger. A few penalties, a Pittsburgh shorthanded chance, defeated by Jamie Drysdale, and some more chippy play later, the Penguins were down to just over 90 seconds left to send the game to overtime. With an extra attacker on, the Penguins were able to record a few more shots, but Ersson was not having it.
The Flyers won the game 3-2 and Ersson took home the first star of the game. Notably, Kuzmenko earned third star and a point in his first game with the Philadelphia organization.
The Philadelphia Flyers should be delighted to head into the international break with a win and Philly fans will certainly be hoping for a similar feeling of delight on Monday morning, following the Philadelphia Eagles’ appearance in the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 9.
Following the two-week break, the Flyers will play nine out of their next 11 games at home, taking on the Edmonton Oilers first on Saturday, February 22 at 1 p.m.
