Kevin Hayes was named an All-Star and player of the game all in one night, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists and breaking a 10-game goal drought, but it was really Travis Konecny yet again leading the offensive charge with a goal and two assists as well as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Arizona Coyotes, 6-2.
The game was a bit of a back and forth until the floodgates completely opened up in the second half of the 2nd period. Joel Farabee scored tonight as well, and Morgan Frost had another dynamite game himself, racking up 4 assists over the three periods. After allowing a questionable goal in the 2nd period just a minute after the Flyers grabbed ahold of the lead, Carter Hart stood strong on his head and made a couple key saves that kept the gap in scoring so far. Tonight was a kind reminder that while the Flyers are bad, they are not as bad as a club the Flyers can score 6 goals on.
1st Period
It wasn’t a pretty start early on in the Wells Fargo Center for the first 3 minutes of the game. Arizona’s passing was crisp, and the Flyers were having trouble find ways out of the defensive and neutral zone. They didn’t establish themselves until the Noah Cates line got back on the ice, starting with a good entry and great work along the boards. The puck danced in the crease and just managed to allude a few Flyers sticks.
The rest of the forwards followed suit shift after shift. James van Riemsdyk and Owen Tippett were really buzzing early on, and generated a chance off the rush, but the goalies was here to play. They ended up getting a mini 2-on-1 around the 12 minute mark where JVR shot the puck low but Vejmelka was square all the way.
Kevin Hayes and Wade Allison brought on more pressure through the offensive zone, but none were able score (yet). Things went mum for the next 5 game minutes until Nick Seeler made a huge blunder in the middle of the ice, attempting a poke flat-footed, which allowed Arizona call-up Michael Carcone to score his second of the year with a nifty move dancing through Rasmus Ristolainen’s stick, shooting it so hard that the puck rolled over Hart, making it 1-0 Coyotes.
Clayton Keller, the hero in their previous meeting by scoring a hat-trick and the OT winner at Mullett Arena, went back to the box for an underwhelming Flyers powerplay that would change their tune sharply in the 2nd period. Arizona got a bad bounce off a defenseman’s stick to give the Flyers another power play going into the second period.
2nd Period
Philadelphia found their gear immediately in the second period. Morgan Frost, who had a hell of a game, made a bank pass from his blue line to Tony DeAngelo, who sold the shot and passed the puck to Travis Konecny for a wide open net. The game was tied 1-1 just 25 seconds into the period, and that would be Travis Konecny’s 20th goal in 33 games played.
But the Flyers just have to be the Flyers, don’t they? Things didn’t last long as the Coyotes went right back into the Flyers’ zone and scored just a minute later to restore a 2-1 lead.
Now it was the Orange and Black’s turn to drive right back in Coyotes territory. If you are picking up on some of the repetition in how these clubs go back and forth like this, it means there are two teams who are not good at defending play against one another. Because just three minutes later, Joel Farabee tied the game on an easy rebound curtesy of chef Konecny who threw a seam to Morgan Frost, poking the puck at the pads where Farabee was able to pounce on a loose puck and open net, tying it at 2-2.
Another few minutes passed, and it was the Flyers AGAIN! All-Star Kevin Hayes made a couple great plays in the neutral zone, disrupting 2 passing attempts, and the puck found its way to Wade Allison, doing what he does best, barreling down the ice, which is what also gets him hurt a lot but also what makes him a good hockey player. It was a similar move to Carcone’s goal, but Allison finished his rebound attempt between 2 defensemen. Take that. 3-2 Flyers.
I said THEY AIN’T DONE, this time being Ivan Provorov, making it 4-2 Flyers.
Hayes, again showing why he will be the All-Star King of 2023, took the puck through the blue line and dishing a picture perfect cross ice seam to Ivan Provorov, who took fourth place among all goal scoring Flyers defensemen, which funny enough was previously held by Shayne Gostisbehere and it came on Ghost’s 500th NHL game night (Also this makes me feel old saying that. I remember being a freshman in college bumping into him in a bar his rookie year. *sighs*). Things did not get easier for Arizona, giving the Flyers their 3rd power play after they had gone 1/2 on the night already.
The onslaught continued. 5-2 Flyers as Hayes broke a 10-game goalless drought on ANOTHER beautiful passing play. Morgan Frost continued a great night, and it was none other than Travis Konecny feeding Hayes for a one timer in the right circle.
The Flyers got a little bit sloppy but Carter Hart bailed them out, which was good to see after watching that 2nd goal slide past him. A lot of Flyers are feeling it, and Travis Sanheim began too as well, throwing a dart to Frost who had a mini break, but was unable to score. Arizona finally began to establish some offensive zone time, but Hart stood tall, potentially bailing the Flyers out again.
3rd Period
Closing in on the halfway mark of the final stanza, there was not too much to report. The shots were 32-17 Flyers, and as I typed that Provorov blasted one off of the far post 7 minutes in. For a few seconds the defensemen really activated as rovers, as first Cam York cut through multiple Coyotes via good stick and edge work and gained a controlled entry, and then there was a Rasmus Ristolainen BREAKAWAY? It was such a shame he didn’t score, that would have been hilarious.
JVR scored later, making it 6-2, just in case Arizona had any lasting ideas about making a comeback. Owen Tippett made quite a valiant effort, getting taken down behind the net, and still winning the puck while on the ice, and feeding a soft pass to a sharking JVR, who scored short side at point-blank range.
Tippett found himself in the box for a pretty dumb tripping penalty that would run almost to the end of the period. Fortunately nothing came of it, and the Flyers have won 4 straight for the first time this season!
Looking Ahead…
The Flyers will host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday at Wells Fargo Center, at 7:00PM ET.
Notes
- The Flyers have now scored 3+ goals in 8 straight games now.
- Carter Hart made a handful of impressive to downright unbelievable saves, which was good to see after possibly feeling any discouragement after that 2nd goal.
- Tonight was Shayne Gostisbehere’s 500th NHL game, time flies.
- Morgan Frost had 8 points in 2 games played against Arizona, but 11 points against every other team in the league so far…interesting.
