The Flyers’ schedule coming out their ten day hiatus from games was not very friendly. They were immediately thrown into games against two top teams in the NHL. To make matters worse, Philly had to play a weekend of back-to-back games as well. For the latter half, the Colorado Avalanche came into Philadelphia with the highest scoring offense in the league.
However, the Flyers held their own during their packed weekend. After coming back and stealing a point against the Penguins, the orange and black dominated the Avalanche. Joel Farabee continued his hot streak as the Flyers took three out of four possible weekend points after defeating Colorado, 6-3.
Bend, Don’t Break
To start this game, the Flyers were being controlled by Colorado. The Avalanche held the tempo, and were holding the majority of the scoring chances. That was until Matt Niskanen snuck a goal in toward the end of the first, deflecting one off an Avs’ defender’s stick. Philly would then use their momentum to put home a Kevin Hayes’ power play redirection with seconds remaining on the clock.
The game would then begin to get topsy-turvy. Colorado would score, then the Flyers would extend their lead back to two. In fact, the Avs cut the Flyers’ lead to one goal on three separate occasions. Colorado kept the momentum for the majority of the game, and got plenty of chances. With the time winding down in the third, and the Avalanche swarming, the Flyers managed to keep the puck out of their net. Philly certainly showcased a textbook “bend, don’t break,” attitude last night.
Three Stars:
1st Star: Joel Farabee
Philly Joel was back at it again. The youngster notched two goals for the Flyers, extending his point streak to five games. He was all over the ice, and played with a ton of energy. Sean Couturier was the main contributor for both of Farabee’s goals, as Coots helped on three goals for the night. Coots’ third assist on the night itself could have easily landed him on the three stars as well:
Second Star: Kevin Hayes
Kevin Hayes continues to contribute in every facet for the Flyers. Hayes scored two goals of his own in the win Saturday night. His first goal came with six seconds left in the first period, where he redirected one home on the powerplay. Later in the game, his penalty kill work would shine once again.
Hayes’ excellent work while being man down never goes unrecognized. However, just to make sure everyone was paying attention, he got one by Grubauer on the penalty kill:
Third Star: Alex Lyon
Philadelphia was saved by the man between the pipes more times than not in Saturday’s win. Alex Lyon was the only Flyer ready to play hockey in the first period. In the first period alone, he saved 16 shots to contribute to his 28 total. Lyon made some huge saves late as well, keeping the Avs’ deficit to two in the dying minutes of the game. He picked up his first win of the 2019-2020 season.
Up Next:
Philadelphia gets their Sunday off to travel and watch the Super Bowl. They will return to action in Monday night, as they take on the lowly Detroit Red Wings team in Motown.
Catch the game at 7:30 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia tomorrow night. The Flyers should come out with energy, as they continue to close the gap on a top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Mandatory Credit – © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
