The Flyers hosted the Las Vegas Golden Knights for the fifth and final game of their homestand. The Flyers previously defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime on Saturday with a game-winning goal from Matvei Michkov. Despite their struggles on the road, the Golden Knights came into the contest leading the Pacific division. Philadelphia started Ivan Fedotov in the net, and Vegas started Ilya Samsonov between the pipes.
Before the contest began, it was the Flyers’ annual ‘Hockey Fights Cancer Night.’ Flyers captain Sean Couturier wrote in Oskar Lindblom, a former Flyer and Cancer survivor, about who he fights for.
Flyers burst out of the gates
It didn’t take long for Philadelphia to insert their dominance after the puck drop. With plenty of shot attempts and good offensive play, there was no surprise that Philadelphia took the lead. Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen had a solid feed to Morgan Frost, which he could reflect in the net. After the Blackhawks game, Frost said he had to play better, and getting his second goal of the season shows that he is determined to do that. John Tortorella stated following the game, “(He) had some good plays in defensive positioning, but I want the other part to come, the offense. He’s going to have to continue to play better.”
Around three minutes following Frost’s goal, Couturier got his sixth goal against the VGK. The captain has five goals in the season, giving the Flyers a 2-0 lead.
Second-period breakout
The second frame was fascinating, as five goals were scored within 20 minutes. Under 30 seconds into the frame was all Emil Andrae needed to score his first NHL goal. Andrae was ecstatic about his goal and his elaborate celebration. The Flyers and Knights continued to battle, but momentum shifted to Vegas despite Philadelphia being up 3-0. Jack Eichel got the VGK on the board, cutting down a three-goal lead to just two.
A few minutes later, the two-goal lead was cut down to one as Ivan Barbashev scored for the VGK. It seemed unsuitable for Philadelphia as Samsonov was playing better between the pipes, unlike the first frame. However, Matvei Michkov scored for Philadelphia, regaining the two-goal lead. Unfortunately, Couturier got a two-minute hooking minor, giving the Golden Knights an extra man advantage. The Golden Knights are the fourth-best team in the NHL regarding power play. It took five seconds before Pavel Dorofeyev scored with the extra attacker. After 40 minutes, the Flyers lead 4-3.
In the final frame, the Flyers were still looking for success getting the puck behind the net. Vegas was putting a lot of offensive pressure on the Flyers. At one point, former Flyer Robert Hagg had a shot blocked by Garnet Hathaway, which sent him down the tunnel. It looked like the puck had crushed his hand; however, he returned to the ice quickly afterward.
Tanner Pearson was able to tie up the contest after his team was down by three goals. Fedotov looked fine on the net, but Vegas is a very shoot-heavy team that generates high-scoring games. The Flyers made a lot of effort to get their fifth goal in regulation but couldn’t get the job done.
Overtime
In overtime, the Flyers returned to the power play nearing the midway point. This was the same way the Flyers defeated the Blackhawks on Saturday with the extra man on four vs three overtime hockey. However, despite the eight shots on goal, Philadelphia had nothing going in. Since an additional five minutes wasn’t enough, the Flyers found themselves back in the shootout. In the first round, Konency and Dorofeyev were unsuccessful. In the second round, Michkov shot in the post but didn’t go in. Eichel’s goal went in past Fedotov. To cap things off, Owen Tippett’s wrist shot was saved, which meant the Golden Knights won the contest.
The Flyers have an off day on Tuesday before heading to Nashville to take on the struggling Predators.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
