The Philadelphia Flyers returned from a road trip and extended the winning streak to four with a 6-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes at the Wells Fargo Center.
“We talked how tough these games are when you come off that west coast trip; we didn’t want it to settle in and use it as something to crutch.”
John Tortorella; 1/5/2023
John Tortorella has his club at 6-4-0 over the last ten games. On November 26th, 2022, the Flyers completed a ten-game losing streak. They’re battling hard against the teams on their schedule, and the close decisions are breaking in their favor.
“We’re going to find out. We’ve got Washington, Boston, Washington coming up here, whatever the schedule is. I’m not going to allow you to say that’s why we’re winning because I do think our team is playing better.”
John Tortorella; 1/5/2023
Tonight didn’t start hot for Philadelphia. The Coyotes beat them to the scoreboard in the first period, 1-0, when Michael Carcone split Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen in the offensive zone on the way to slipping the puck by Carter Hart. A low-energy opening period didn’t last long.
Beginning the second on the powerplay, Tony DeAngelo helped break open the scoring for the Flyers by locating Travis Konecny for the one-timer finish, 1-1.
“I’m not sure who set it up; Rock or Tony. Tony had talked to Rock that he felt he could get open behind them.”
John Tortorella; 1/5/2023
Nick Ritchie regained the lead on a weak goal surrendered by Hart, but Joel Farabee pounced on a rebound to knot the game, 2-2. Everything began to unravel after Wade Allison finished with a late chip as the eventual game-winner, 3-2. Extending the lead, Kevin Hayes sent an all-star feed for an Ivan Provorov finish, 4-2. Not finished, Hayes scored on an oncoming powerplay, 5-2. On the man advantage, Philadelphia went 2/3 while scoring a handful in response to a slow first period.
“We just continue to play, you get some bounces. If you ask me about tonight’s game, we played so much faster. They wait for you in the neutral zone; it’s a 1-3-1, they’re just waiting for you. The best way to beat that is don’t let them get set up in it. The onus falls on the [defense] to get the puck up the ice as quickly as possible. That’s where I thought we made a really big change in our game in the second period.”
John Tortorella; 1/5/2023
“Let’s go, Flyers,” broke out in the Wells Fargo Center on ‘Throwback Thursday,’ making for an organic nostalgia trip to the 90s. Closing this contest, Owen Tippett slipped a backdoor feed to James van Riemsdyk, bringing the final score to 6-2, a victory for the Flyers.
All-Star Hayesy (+)
Hayes is a 2023 NHL All-Star. He earns the accolade for the first time in his career.
“It’s a cool situation for me because, not to get emotional, it’s probably the only thing my brother, since he stopped playing hockey wanted me to accomplish. I never honestly thought it would happen. It did, and it’s cool.”
Kevin Hayes; 1/5/2023
Facing hardships on and off the ice, Hayes is a fantastic story representing Philadelphia at the NHL All-Star Weekend. Finally, he is healthy, which directly correlates to his contribution to the offense. He leads the team in assists.
“It’s pretty special for him. I’m sure he’s going to have his brother’s kids there too enjoying it. It’s going to be an awesome experience for him, and we’re all really happy for him.”
Travis Konecny; 1/5/2023
Return Victory (+)
Returning into the lineup, Hart began his 2023 in the win column. He saved 21/23 shots on goal, improving to 11-11-6.
His statistics between the pipes are better than his record suggests. Hart averages 2.86GAA with a 91.1%SV. Usually, those belong to a goaltender touting greater than a middling win percentage.
On this four-game winning streak, the Flyers are attacking and finishing games strongly, assisting their goaltenders.
“This was one of our best games of the year, as a team. We didn’t give them much in the third either. To finish strong like that; JvR puts a nice goal in there at the end, it was a good sixty-minute effort by us.”
Carter Hart; 1/5/2023
Up Next
Next, the Philadelphia Flyers host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday at 7pm.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
