With 1:25 remaining in the 3rd, just as Alex Lyon’s skates touched the bench for the extra attacker, Jake Voracek scored to tie the game.
JAKE VORACEK SENDS IT TO OVERTIME pic.twitter.com/fhfLpPxYun
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) February 21, 2018
Just 1:26 into overtime, Voracek fired home a shot to beat Price and give the Flyers a 3-2 win in overtime.
Voracek with the snipe, Flyers get the 2 points. pic.twitter.com/Xp3hCIdjQs
— Murph (@2Murphy8) February 21, 2018
Before these two plays, Voracek was not having a great night. Voracek on multiple occasions prior in the game chose to pass instead of shoot the puck. On those occasions, he caused the Flyers more of a headache then joy.
However, Voracek put all that behind him and had a final 2 minutes and 51 seconds to remember.
“It’s always easier to say we were over passing things; if you were on the ice, the actual situations seem completely different.” Voracek said. “I hear ‘shoot the puck’ every single time I touch it so if I were to listen to all the people who say shoot it or whatever, you know 500 shots, the other end will receive it. Like I said, you see something you try and make the play and if it doesn’t work out… obviously I should have shot it.”
With the 2 goals, Voracek raised his season total to 13 goals.
It just shows the tremendous fight that this team has.
Here are 4 more observations from the Flyers 3-2 OT win over the Canadiens…
A Lyon ? Roars
Coming off a stellar relief appearance on Sunday in New York, Alex Lyon picked up right where he left off.
Lyon finished the game with 25 saves on 27 shots. Both goals were somewhat not his fault. The first goal coming off a deflection right in-front of him with yet again no Flyer clearing the guy away in-front of him. The second coming off a defensive breakdown that had him flopping around the crease like a fish out of water.
Tonight was the Flyers 1st game with the new goal-tending tandem and Lyon showed he belonged. With Mrazek seen to be getting the majority of the starts over the final 20 games, it is good to have a backup that can play on any night to give Mrazek a rest.
If Lyon can play like he has in his last 2 appearances, the Flyers could have solid goal-tending from both goalies down the stretch. A huge benefit for a team fighting for a Metro Division title.
Here Comes The Injuries
During morning skate, Flyers GM Ron Hextall gave us an injury update that nobody wanted to hear. He told us that Wayne Simmonds would miss 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury.
Simmonds is just another Flyer on a long list that have injuries at the moment. But, their may be another name their too.
During the 1st period, Travis Konecny blocked a Canadiens shot off the outside of his skate. Konecny limped to the bench and went up the tunnel. He did return to the game, but very sparingly.
None more apparent than his usual spot on the Flyers overtime of himself, Couturier, and Provorov. However, the news doesn’t end their.
After the game, Konecny was in the trainers room getting looked at. Not somewhere you want to be post-game. Hopefully he will not miss a long period of time with the Flyers already down a top 9 guy in Wayne Simmonds for the next 2-3 weeks.
Playoffs Becoming Less Cloudier
With another Flyers win and points now in their last 9 games, the Flyers have went from playoff bubble to Metro title contender. The Flyers are 7-0-2 in those 9 games and have opened an 8-point gap on the last team out of the playoffs.
That is a buffer that I believe will hold up and the Flyers should make the playoffs. But, I think this team wants more than just making the playoffs. They want a Metro Division title.
After the Flyers lost their 10th straight game, they sat last in the Metro and 11 points out of the Metro division leader. That was Decemeber 2nd. Today, the Flyers sit just 3 points behind the Metro division leaders, the Washington Capitals.
The Flyers sit just 3 points back after another come from behind win and another Capitals loss. If the Flyers can keep up their surge, 22-8-3 since Dec. 2nd, and the Capitals keep falling, the Flyers could come very close to or actually win the Metro Division at season’s end.
But, one thing is for sure, this team should at the very least make the playoffs now with an 8-point cushion.
Wild 24 Hours
Well, it all started with a simple call-up. Last night around 8:30pm, the Flyers recalled Oskar Lindblom. It was a shock to many. However, it was a well-deserved call-up for the 1st year pro. Lindblom has been extremely impressive for the Phantoms after being the Flyers last cut in training camp. He has 16 goals and 18 assists in 54 games for the Phantoms this season.
Then, it was a trade. Around 10:00pm, the Flyers acquired Petr Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings for 2018 4th round pick and 2019 3rd round pick. The 4th round pick has conditions attached to it to bring it as low as a 2nd round pick. Mrazek has a 8-7-3 record with a 2.89 GAA and a .910 save percentage this season for Detroit.
However, then came GM Ron Hextall’s conference call where we got some news about multiple things.
First, he talked about Mrazek and what he means to this team.
“We’re excited to have obtained Petr Mrazek. Petr is a proven NHL goaltender, and given the situation we’re in, we needed a proven goaltender and we got one.” Ron Hextall said. “Our players have done a really good job. They’ve worked extremely hard. We’re in a tough situation – you lose your top two goalies when you’re fighting for a playoff spot, and our players have worked hard for a long time now, and I didn’t feel like it was fair to not have a proven NHL goaltender for this team.”
Second, he gave us a small update on Michal Neuvirth. Also, a possible reason why Oskar Lindblom was brought up.
“Michal’s out long-term. But it is longer term, not short-term. It’s not days, it’s weeks – I know that much.” Hextall said about Neuvirth.
“We might have another injury. That one I’ll let you know on tomorrow.” Hextall said about the Lindblom recall.
Then, came the morning skate where we found out the bad news. Lindblom was recalled because of an injury and it was a big one. GM Ron Hextall announced that Simmonds will miss 2-3 weeks with an upper-body injury.
Lindblom and the rest of his new teammates have a big hole to fill with Simmonds missing time. However, I believe they will be just fine.
Result : Flyers 3 – Canadiens 2, WIN
Record : 31 – 19 – 10
Next Game : 2/22 Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia PA, NBCSports Philadelphia 7:00pm
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
