Martin Jones navigated the Philadelphia Flyers to a 6-3 victory previously against the Boston Bruins. Can he do it again on home ice?
Twice this week, the Philadelphia Flyers settled games in overtime or a shootout. Tonight is the sixth game in the second set of ten, which is living up to the hype.
Last time, the Flyers were able to handle the Boston Bruins to a 6-3 victory. Martin Jones earned the win against Jeremy Swayman. Across from him tonight was Linus Ullmark. Could Jones sweep both of the Bruins’ goaltenders?
Philadelphia has yet to lose back-to-back games in 2021-2022.
First Period
Winning the special teams battle is the secret to stealing victories. Out of the gate, Martin Jones stood on his head for the Philadelphia Flyers. During the beginning few minutes, Jones was sprawling in the net to keep Jake DeBrusk from scoring.
Living in the neutral and defensive zones instead of enforcing their advantage with the extra man is frustrating. When speaking of the Flyers’ powerplay, it’s like beating a dead horse. They cannot sustain possession in a five-on-four scenario, which is why they entered tonight ranked 28th. Comparably, the Boston Bruins are moving the puck more efficiently, finding better shooting lanes, and moving quicker.
Speaking of hustle, the Bruins scoring play begins with Curtis Lazar beelining for Keith Yandle at the boards behind Jones. Disconnecting Yandle from the puck allowed Anton Blidh to recover, finding Tomas Nosek. Nosek corraled the puck and elevated it with a backhand. Boston made the better sequence of small plays, contributing to a late lead. At the end of the first period, the Bruins lead 1-0.
Second Period
Out of the gate, Derek Forbort scored his first of two goals in the second period. An unlucky bounce for the Philadelphia Flyers put the Boston Bruins up by two goals. Forbort unleashed a shot from the blue line, deflecting off of Justin Braun’s stick.
Less than a minute later, another Derick scored. Derick Brassard is a finisher, potting the puck laid up for him by Cam Atkinson.
Trailing, 2-1, the Flyers found their way back.
Brad Marchand served a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, drawn by Rasmus Ristolainen. Brassard finished again, set up from a direct feed by Claude Giroux. Those two must stay on the powerplay unit together. Giroux and Brassard started to bud as recently as Thursday.
Tied, 2-2, Philadelphia wasn’t out of the woods yet. Forbort struck again, this time from a drop pass by Craig Smith. Nick Seeler, assuming his defensive position, unintentionally screened Martin Jones. Both teams have a variation of a Derick who scored two goals in the second period. At the end of two, the Bruins lead 3-2.
Third Period
Instead of getting back into the game, everything unraveled for the Philadelphia Flyers. Whether it was something they could control or not, the Flyers couldn’t recover against the Boston Bruins.
Similar to the second period, the Bruins scored early. Craig Smith had a step on Travis Sanheim before ripping a wrist shot past the glove of Martin Jones. Back down by two goals, Philadelphia began to run out of time. That’s the precious commodity when the offensive gameplan isn’t producing many shots or scoring opportunities.
Already down two goals, the Flyers were about to begin a powerplay chance. The linesman had the puck hit out of his hands by Patrice Bergeron but penalized Claude Giroux. It was a costly, awful call that transformed into a four-on-four goal by David Pastrnak. Giroux was rightfully hot about the call, putting his team down by three. That much iced the game, securing a victory for Boston, 5-3.
It’s the first time this season Philadelphia lost back-to-back games.
Up Next
Next up, the Philadelphia Flyers have their rubber match against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The puck drops at 7pm on November 23rd, 2021.
Photo Credit: Alex McIntyre
