The Hat Trick: What we learned in the Flyers’ overtime win over Boston

USATSI_13652806_168382939_lowres

Five of the last six games have featured the Philadelphia Flyers in an overtime period or shootout. For the City of Brotherly Love, it is both exhausting and thrilling. Just last season, the Flyers wouldn’t have been able to find this kind of success in the extra hockey periods. Now sitting third in the Metropolitan Division, Philadelphia is in uncharted territory. The success that the Alain Vigneault era has begun with is a sight to behold.

Travis Konecny, Oskar Lindblom, and Sean Couturier make up the popular TLC line of the Philadelphia Flyers. This line, which consists of the team’s top two leading scorers, was responsible for the first goal in the TD Garden against the Boston Bruins. Konecny became the first opposing player this season to score first at the TD Garden when he put a juicy rebound in the back of the net from Jaroslav Halak. Just over four minutes later, Philippe “Philadelphia” Myers kept his goal-scoring streak alive at three games. Once again, Konecny and Couturier had their hands in the mix as Myers put a wrist shot snipe above the glove of Halak.

In the second period, the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins kept everything about the same as it ended in the first period. Watching the Bruins broadcast, the announcers were sounding off about how the non-goal in the second period wasn’t backed up by a proper explanation. For those that may have tuned in after, Carter Hart made a great sprawling save and the referee blew the whistle and waved off any goal. Due to the referee blowing the play dead, the goal would not have counted. The review went to Toronto and the call stood with the second period ending, 2-0 in favor of the Flyers.

The Philadelphia Flyers are usually the strongest in the third period, but that just hasn’t been the case in the past two games. The inability to close in the third period hasn’t allowed the Flyers to win in regulation. The Boston Bruins began to rally as Danton Heinen was able to turn on the crease and spin the puck by Carter Hart to cut Philadelphia’s lead in half. To follow, the Bruins would tie up the game about twelve and a half minutes into the third period when Brad Marchand’s wrist shot beat Hart on the glove side. Again, the Flyers were headed to overtime.

Hello, overtime hockey. It’s more than a familiar acquaintance for the Philadelphia Flyers, it is now a good friend. In the overtime period, the Boston Bruins played with high energy and it looked as if sudden death was not favoring the Bruins. In the shootout, “Philly” Joel Farabee scored as the first shooter for the Flyers. Carter Hart closed out the win with three straight saves, blocking David Pastrnak on the way to a 3-2 victory.

“We’re Going Streaking!”

Not because it is a line from Will Farrell in “Old School,” but because the Philadelphia Flyers point streak has extended to six games. Five of the last six games went past regulation. What makes that tidbit special is that the Flyers have found success to get two points in five of those six games. Now Philadelphia is ahead of their state rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Anytime you bleed orange and black and can say that it’s a good thing.

My Philly Boys

“Philadelphia” Myers and “Philly” Joel contributed to this victory for the Philadelphia Flyers. Both of them are showing exactly why their call up was worth the roster move for the Flyers. Joel Farabee gets the game-winning goal in the shootout against a quality goaltender like Jaroslav Halak. Philippe Myers not only is coming into his own as a defenseman, but he is contributing well on offense with a three-game goal streak. That’s good enough for second all-time in defenseman goal-game streaks.

The “Hart” Stopper

Just six games ago, Philadelphia Flyers fans and reporters were thinking the same thing. “What happened to Carter Hart?” He had a few bad starts after flashing quality at the beginning of the season. After this run, I am more than ready to say that we all witnessed just a hiccup in Hart’s play. The Flyers have two good goaltenders, which could make them contenders.

Next, the Philadelphia Flyers are home at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania against the Washington Capitals. This game takes place on Wednesday, November 13th at 7:30 pm. Be sure to give a follow for more Flyers coverage at EricReesePSN on Twitter, as I will be representing Philly Sports Network at the Wells Fargo Center!

Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports