After a lackluster effort on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Philadelphia Flyers bounced back on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings with a 2-1 victory. With the win, the Flyers jumped the Red Wings in the standings and improved to 20-20-7. The Flyers are six points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
“I just liked the way we kept our patience until we scored a couple. We played hard. Played harder tonight than we did the other night.”
John Tortorella; 1/21/2023
Scoreless until the third period, Scott Laughton gave the Flyers the lead. Wade Allison was the main playmaker leading up to the goal. He dashed into the neutral zone, finding Kevin Hayes, who dished to Laughton all alone to beat Ville Husso with a backhanded finish.
Noah Cates would double the Flyers’ lead later in the third period. Dominik Kubalik mistakingly made a pass behind his net which ended up on the stick of Travis Konecny. Konecny dished a pass to Cates who capitalized on the Red Wings’ mismanagement, beating Husso with a one-timer.
The Red Wings tried to mount a comeback when Lucas Raymond scored on Carter Hart in the dying moments of the period to make it 2-1. A surge that was too little too late for the Red Wings saw the Flyers come out victorious.
Carter Hart (+)
Key saves from Carter Hart stole the game for the Flyers. Hart made 30/31 saves throughout the night and robbed the Red Wings of clear scoring opportunities. In the first period, he robbed Dylan Larkin. Then in the third period, he stoned Raymond in the final seconds, leading the Flyers to a win.
“I thought he came up big at the end, especially when the puck bounced over Risto [Ristolainen]. He just looked solid. It wasn’t a lot of extra motion. I just think he looked solid.”
John Tortorella; 1/21/2023
Game-Winner Catesy
Cates’ goal in the third period was the game-winner. With his sixth goal of the year, he opened the door for the Flyers to find more momentum. It was a busy week for the Flyers, and it’s not over yet. Crediting forechecking and limiting turnovers, which Philadelphia got away from versus the Blackhawks, the Flyers stuck together in a tight game to earn a win:
“Two tough teams, they’re coming from the road, and it’s been a long month for us. We’re just playing hard, playing for each other; good goaltending and whatnot. A little slow start, but kind of got crazy at the end. Good win, and like I said, we got to get back to our game and that’s the forecheck. We did that in the third.”
Noah Cates; 1/21/2023
Up Next
The Flyers finish their busy week against the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night. The puck drops at 7:00p at the Wells Fargo Center.
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
