The Philadelphia Flyers finally returned to the win column after a three-game winless streak. The team defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3. While Columbus has struggled lately and is in last place in the Metropolitan, the Flyers needed this win. Not only was this a massive two points, but it also allowed numerous players to regain some confidence.
Coming out swinging
In the first frame, Noah Cates started off the scoring. He was able to record his second goal of the season, continuing to make a significant impact on the ice. While he last recorded a point in an assist against the St. Louis Blues five games ago, he’s been a key factor in the Flyers’ offense.
Owen Tippett also scored early on, his ninth goal of the season. Tippett did start the season slow, but he’s been capitalizing on his scoring again as of late. This is something that the Flyers were expecting from him when they extended him over the summer.
Flyers maintain momentum
In the second frame, Travis Konency picked up a power-play goal. The play would only be complete with Matvei Michkov keeping the puck in the offensive zone. While Bobby Brink did get the primary assist with the feed to Konency, Michkov made a considerable contribution and picked up a point with the secondary assist.
The Flyers have one of the best penalty kills in the NHL; however, they’ve not been as dominant on the PK lately. While the Flyers had a 3-0 lead past the game’s midway point, Zach Werenski prevented the Blue Jackets from a shutout by getting the puck past Sam Ersson. With one minute left in the second frame, Konency responded and picked up his second goal of the game, re-establishing the Flyers’ three-goal lead, making the contest 4-1 heading into the final frame.
Finishing strong
Not even two minutes into the third period, Matvei Michkov made an incredible pass to Morgan Frost, who shot into the net. Frost rebounded and scored his fourth goal, giving the Flyers a 5-1 lead. Frost’s goal would be the last that Philadelphia would score in the game. The goal also gave Michkov his 16th assist for the season.
Sean Monahan and Kent Johnson both scored for Columbus late on to make the final score 5-3. The Flyers did lose some of the momentum that they had within the first two frames. However, they were still about to skate away with two points before returning home to Philly.
After the game, John Tortorella said, “I felt it was an important game for us to get back to playing with energy.” That seemed to be the big takeaway. While Columbus isn’t a good team this season, it was a chance for the Flyers to feel good about themselves again, take that energy, and use it against their opponents this week.
Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
