Philadelphia Flyers: Team effort in win over Ducks
Looking to halt their three-game losing streak, the Philadelphia Flyers did exactly what they needed to on Tuesday in a 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
Ask and you shall receive.
I wrote previously about how the veteran players on the Philadelphia Flyers – namely, Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier – needed to step up with the team facing mounting adversity, largely due to a slew of injuries.
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As if to say, “We hear you, dude, chill out”, all three scored goals on Tuesday (and combined for five points) in a win over the visiting Anaheim Ducks, helping to lead the team to an important victory on an emotional night where the Flyers and their fans showed their love and support for Oskar Lindblom as he begins his cancer battle.
The veterans led the way, but the young players had a huge hand in the win as well. David Kase, suiting up for his fourth NHL game, potted the first goal of his career. In addition, Nicolas Aube-Kubel looked totally at home as well, bringing a level of energy during a surprisingly high 14:27 of ice time.
And then there was the most important youngster of all, Carter Hart.
Hart was borderline spectacular as he kept the Ducks grounded on the night, registering a season-high 40 saves, just one fewer than his career high to date. Hart is oozing confidence right now and appeared in control even when things got chaotic near his crease. This is exactly the kind of game that makes you affirm your belief in what the Flyers have to look forward to in net for hopefully a long time.
But the most encouraging sign on the night was the unexpected return of Travis Konecny after he had missed three games with a concussion. The boost was sorely needed, and Konecny was heavily involved in the action during 17:02 of ice time. He didn’t shy away from contact either, looking like the same TK we’ve come to expect, and he even found time to pick up a beauty of an assist on Giroux’s goal.
In terms of the Flyers’ on-ice performance, this game can’t be labeled as dominant or flawless by any means. They were outshot 41-31, and they took too many penalties, which resulted in five Anaheim power plays and led to a second period goal.
Yet, by night’s end, the Flyers were victors. Two valuable points are in the bag. And despite not being flashy, this effort and this game were almost exactly what the Flyers needed at this time.
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For a team with designs on staying very much in the thick of the playoff picture, it was an encouraging step back in the right direction after the week they had just been through.