It’s taken a while, but the Flyers have put in a performance that would earn the approval of neighsayers worldwide, whether that be casual fans, journalists, or even superstar goaltender Steve Mason. The Red Wings rolled into town looking to pick up their second win in five games as they look to prepare for post season Hockey. They rolled out, with seven goals conceded in a huge defeat.
It was almost like Mason, having already slammed his team for lack of effort in interviews this week had just slammed them through a table! They stormed onto the ice with passion and fire, scoring twice in the first period. The first time they had done so in a while. Simmonds was able to rectify the errors the Flyers suffered on the power play in previous games and then assisted with Couturier to feed Grossman the Puck and make it two.
The main criticism I have had recently with the side is that they start slowly. It takes until mid period 2 to the start of period 3..or a selection of goals to get the team fired up and moving the puck down the ice and converting opportunities. This was non existent against Detroit and it showed the world exactly what kind of hockey the team are capable of.
Detroit responded almost instantly, overwhelming the Flyers with half of the second period remaining with the score at 2-1. The Flyers withstood the pressure and defended valiantly. Again, something not only Mason had criticised, but the majority of the Hockey world in recent games.
Goalie Steve Mason made a huge glove save on Tomas Tatar to bring an end to the attack, allowing The Flyers to reform and rush forward. This later turned into a power play goal scored by Brayden Schenn. Schenn scored the fourth goal as the Flyers grew increasingly confident on the ice. The goals started flying in with Matt Read and Zac Rinaldo also adding their names to the tally.
Overall this is the kind of performance fans love, a team that’s in a dangerous position but having a tough time get ripped to shreds in front of the home crowd. Detroit are now 0-10 in their last meetings here and the Flyers made that known. If they had played this sort of hockey last weekend in Boston, we may have been staring at a playoff birth.
The Flyers begin their final long trip of the season with four road games in Canada starting in tomorrow’s fixture against fellow playoff contenders the Ottawa Senators.
