Flyers Get Overtime Win in Boston
The Flyers gained a huge two points on Monday night with a 3-2 OT win in Boston against the Bruins. The game was a must-win for the Flyers, needing to gain ground against the Bruins who are sitting in 4th in the East division, now 3 points ahead of the Flyers.
The Flyers goals were scored by Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, and Travis Sanheim in OT. The Bruins got their goals from Karson Kuhlman and Patrice Bergeron. An ideal scenario for the Flyers would have been a win in regulation, but gaining a point was crucial as they will face Boston two more times this week. The Flyers advanced to 18-14-5 on the season and Boston falls to 19-10-6.
The game opened with chances for both clubs, and the Flyers were able to get the 1-0 lead, something they have not been getting lately, off of a Travis Konecny goal. The puck bounced off of the goalie, Dan Vladar, and into the path of Konecny who finished into the empty net. The Bruins turned up the pressure after the goal and found their equalizer off of a turnover, or trip that was not called, by Jakub Voracek, and Karson Kuhlman finished a shot to the top corner past Brian Elliott. Elliott was fabulous on the night for the Flyers, saving 27 or 29 shots with a save percentage of .931. After the missed trip on Voracek, the Flyers were called for a trip on Gostisbehere that sent the Bruins onto the power play for the end of the first period and into the second period.
Boston entered the second period on the power play and was able to convert off of a goal from Patrice Bergeron, assisted by David Pastrnak, to give the Bruins the 2-1 lead. The Flyers were then given two chances on the power play to tie the game but were unable to convert on either, including some incredible saves from Vladar, who was playing in his 4th career NHL game, due to injuries to Rask and Halak. The Bruins almost netted a short-handed goal on the second Flyers power play but Elliott made 2 great saves to keep the lead at 2-1. After giving up the early goal in the period the Flyers were able to get some offensive momentum at the end of the period, but couldn't find the equalizer going into the third period.
The Flyers entered the third period with mega pressure looking for the game-tying goal. Considering this game was considered a must-win by all for the Flyers it was good to see the team playing with urgency, something they have lacked a lot this year. The Flyers got on the power play off a hook on Lauzon for the Bruins and after a sloppy first half of the power play, found the game-tying goal off of a snipe from Sean Couturier to the top corner 7 minutes into the third period. The Flyers didn't stop there, keeping the pressure up, knowing that a regulation win could be crucial for the Flyers season staying alive. During the aggressive play, the Bruins got some chances, but Elliott was ready, including some big saves on Bergeron and Marchand in the final minutes, ultimately leading to the teams sharing a point.
The Flyers and Bruins went back and forth during the 3v3 extra frame, with both goalies making big saves. Including an incredible save by Vladar on Travis Sanheim who had a virtually empty net to finish the game off in. After the Bruins had a turnover, Sanheim found himself on a 1v1 break with Marchand, who then slipped and fell in the middle of the ice. After the fall Sanheim was 1v1 vs Vladar and was able to beat the young goalie with a shot to the top left corner to end the game 3-2 for the Flyers, gaining a very crucial point for the orange and black.
A huge positive from this game was Moose playing great, after a great performance from Hart on Saturday against the Islanders, it is great to see the goalies getting some confidence for the Flyers. Another big positive was Travis Konecny played great, the Flyers leading goalscorer from last season has gotten a lot of criticism for his play this year but has put together two good performances in the last two games. Between the goalies waking up and bailing out a struggling Flyers defense, and big offensive players waking up as well, the Flyers could have the potential to run the table at the end of this season. A win tonight is huge momentum for the Flyers who have 2 more games against the Bruins this week and a game against the Islanders as well. Tomorrow night the Flyers will play Boston again, this time in front of the Flyers fans at Wells Fargo Center. I cannot express enough how important a win for the Flyers tomorrow night can be for this team.