Carrying momentum from a shootout win versus the San Jose Sharks on Monday, the Philadelphia Flyers (7-8-2) found a way to beat the Ottawa Senators last night. Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny, Anthony Richard, Bobby Brink, and Matvei Michkov all scored for the Flyers. Ivan Fedotov earned the win, finishing with an 89.2%SV after saving 33/37 shots.
Do not get it twisted, Philadelphia was outplayed in almost every way. There were no conversions on the powerplay (0/2) and the penalty kill (4/6) was on the ice often. The Flyers could not compete with the Senators in the faceoff circle (38.6%) and were brutally outshot (37-19).
How did Philadelphia win? Because of things like:
- Fedotov being clutch. Ottawa outshot the Flyers, 28-7, after two periods. The Senators should have buried him. Philadelphia did not reach 10 shots until about halfway through the third period.
- Linus Ullmark was bad. Uncontested goaltenders can be taken advantage of because they do not get into a rhythm. Ullmark made 14/19 saves. At the beginning of this season, that was a Fedotov stat line, except Ullmark is in the final year of a $5mil/AAV before that jumps to $8.25mil/AAV at the beginning of next season. Yikes.
- The forwards were clutch. It has been a rough start to the season for the Flyers in terms of finishing on scoring chances. Some of that ‘puck luck’ swang back in a much-needed way. Philadelphia entered the third period in a 2-2 tie, despite only registering seven shots on goal. Then, down by two goals in the third, scoring back-to-back on a total of nine shots forced overtime.
First Period
Shots: 14-3, Senators
Score: 1-1
Things seemed to turn around. The Flyers started with some jump in their game and took an early lead. Noah Cates won a puck battle along the boards, getting it to Garnet Hathaway. Hathaway made the smart pass to Emil Andrae, who passed along the blue line to Sanheim for the slapshot, 1-0, with 17:29 remaining in the first period. It was a great way to start for Philadelphia.
Then, the Flyers struggled to get a single shot on the net. Brady Tkachuk trailed down the middle of the ice, catching Konecny puck-watching Josh Norris. Tkachuk was open on Fedotov, 1-1, with 13:58 remaining in the first period.
Each team had a powerplay opportunity. Thomas Chabot (holding) and Michkov (cross-checking) served minor penalties, but neither team converted.
Second Period
Shots: 28-7, Senators
Score: 2-2
Philadelphia continued to struggle in the second period, lacking composure. Sanheim served a minor penalty for cross-checking, but the kill was successful. Unfortunately, Joel Farabee served a minor penalty for high-sticking, and Ottawa converted.
Drake Batherson put the Senators ahead. Ottawa worked around Ryan Poehling on the powerplay, who was without a stick. Jake Sanderson held the puck at the point and passed to Tim Stützle, who found Batherson in the seam, uncontested. Batherson blasted the shot past Fedotov, 2-1, with 11:19 remaining in the second period.
Rasmus Ristolainen served a minor penalty after Batherson scored on the powerplay. The Flyers successfully killed that penalty, holding onto a rather strong night on the penalty kill. Overall, Philadelphia ranks third in the NHL while on the man-disadvantage.
Finally, it was the Flyers’ turn to be on the powerplay. Norris served a minor penalty for tripping, but Tyson Foerster put a halt to the man-advantage. Foerster served a minor penalty for tripping, creating a four-on-four scenario with a scheduled, but abbreviated powerplay upcoming for the Senators. The second period was a disjointed mess.
Konecny scored on a breakaway, 2-2, with 1:12 remaining in the second period.
Third Period
Shots: 34-16, Senators
Score: 4-4
In a change of pace, Philadelphia outshot Ottawa, 9-6, in the third period. However, it did not feel like that. Norris scored, 3-2, with 15:33 remaining in regulation. He stepped right into the faceoff circle and picked his shot on Fedotov.
Mistakes continued to pile up for the Flyers. Andrae served a minor penalty for slashing, becoming the sixth skater for Philadelphia to sit in the penalty box. The Senators scored their insurance goal. Adam Gaudette danced around Nick Seeler, who was already out of position, going forehand to backhand, 4-2, with 9:55 remaining in regulation.
But, the Flyers were not done. Brink and Richard put on a show, combining for two goals in 2:03.
Egor Zamula entered with the puck and chipped to Brink, who finished the cross to Richard. Richard blasted his shot on Ullmark, 4-3, with 9:18 remaining in regulation.
Then, Richard and Brink went back on the rush. Richard put the shot on goal with Brink in pursuit, who scored the rebound, 4-4, with 7:15 remaining in regulation.
Overtime
Shots: 37-19, Senators
Score: 5-4, Flyers
From a puck possession perspective, Philadelphia was pummeled. However, goals win hockey games. Michkov scored the game-winner in overtime to lift the Flyers over Ottawa.
Observations
– Sanheim had another monster game. Aside from the penalty, he was sound defensively and finished the night with three points (1G, 2A).
– Andrae had a monster game, too. He has a knack for bouncing back and is already a skater commanding attention when Philadelphia hosts the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
– The bottom six forwards showed up. Cates (1A), Brink (1G, 1A), and Richard (1G, 1A) were great to see.
– Michkov was not great, however, he redeemed his performance with the game-winning goal. You want your upcoming superstar, on their off nights, to contribute clutch scoring.
– Fedotov continued to compete hard, proving his performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning was not a fluke. His save percentage was under 90%, but if you watched this game, you understand Fedotov is a core reason why the Flyers had a chance to win.
Up Next
Next, the Philadelphia Flyers host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday (11/16) at 7pm ET on NBCSP.
