Five Flyers Observations: Flyers finally atop of the Metro Division

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The Flyers defeated the Montreal Canadiens Monday night 1-0 in a shootout. Goalie Petr Mrazek was the clear star of the game. Mrazek stopped all 28 shots he faced in regulation and overtime and stopped 5 of 6 in the shootout.

Jake Voracek scored on the Flyers 3rd shootout attempt to extend the game. Sean Couturier scored in the 6th round to win it for the Flyers.

With the win, the Flyers extended their road win streak to 7 games and their point streak to 12 games (10-0-2).

Tonight’s win also ended the Flyers tremendous month of February. During the month of February, the Flyers went 10-1-2. Dropping only 4 of the possible 26 points available.

Here are 4 more observations from the Flyers 1-0 SO win over the Canadiens…

 

Petr Mrazek
(Enter good phrase here) You can say anything you want to start this. But, one thing you can definitely say, Mrazek is on fire.

Ever since coming to the Flyers back on February 19th, Mrazek has started in 3 games. In those 3 games, Mrazek has shined and is showing Detroit they made a huge mistake.

Coming off performances of 19 of 20 and 25 of 28, Mrazek picked up his first shutout as a Flyer in the 1-0 SO win over the Canadiens.

Tonight, Mrazek was a perfect 28 for 28 and 5 for 6 in the shootout. For his short time in a Flyers uniform, Mrazek is 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA & a .947 %.

He will be a key player for the Flyers down the stretch and their playoff run.

 

What An Overtime
Boy oh boy was the Flyers and Canadiens overtime fun to watch. It was so fun, many people actually forgot one team was battling for an important extra point and the other was just trying to impress their fans.

In what maybe a record, the overtime period had 11 total shots combined between the 2 teams, Flyers 5 & Canadiens 6. But, even with the shot count, it was who was saving those shots that really shined.

Petr Mrazek and Charlie Lindgren were a perfect 11 for 11 combined in OT. But, they weren’t just some easy saves they were making.

No. Both goalies were making highlight reel saves. Almost like one another were trying to top each other.

If the NHL wants more of this fun, get rid of the shootout and let the teams play 3 v 3 till someone scores.

 

A Month To Remember
With great play, comes great records. And, with great records, old records fall at some point.

Well, the Flyers came close to setting a new record for the month of February with the win tonight in Montreal. With tonight’s win, the Flyers capped of the month of February with a 10-1-2 record. That record fell 1 win short of beating the Flyers record, 10-0-4, set in 1975-1976.

The month of February is a testament to where this Flyers team has come from.

After going 2-5-6 in November, the Flyers have turned it in a big way. This team could have just packed up and went home. But, this team knew they weren’t done and had a lot to fight for.

Well, that fight has shown with another impressive month.

 

Finally On Top
It has taken the Flyers 63 games. But, they are finally on top of the Metro Division.

After a December 2nd 3-0 loss to the Bruins, the Flyers sat in last in the Metro and 11 points out of the Metro lead. Today, after a 1-0 shootout win over the Canadiens, the Flyers sit atop of the Metro Division.

The Flyers have used a 26-8-3 to propel themselves from last to first.

Just 2 weeks ago, we were talking about the Flyers in a battle for the last playoff spot. Now, 2 weeks later, we are talking about battling for a Metro Division title.

What a season, 10-game losing streak to Metro Division Champs. What a storyline that would be.

 

Result : Flyers 1 – Canadiens 0, WIN (Shootout)

Record : 34 – 19 – 10

Next Game : 3/1 Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia PA, NBCSports Philadelphia 7:00pm

 

Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports