On Tuesday evening, the Philadelphia Flyers won a tight-checking contest over the Detroit Red Wings at Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. Rasmus Ristolainen scored the game-winner with 26 seconds remaining in the overtime period to secure the 2-1 home victory, while Sam Ersson stopped 27 shots in the victory. Joel Farabee led the Flyers’ offense charge against Detroit with a goal and an assist.
A Scoreless First Period in South Philadelphia
A quick first period in South Philly saw no goals scored and limited offensive opportunities overall. Philadelphia outshot Detroit 8-6 in the period; however, both goalies were up to the task in the opening frame.
Rodrigo Abols, a veteran of 70 AHL games, was solid in the first NHL game of his career, providing important minutes with Philadelphia missed Ryan Poehling (injured reserve) and Scott Laughton (family matter) from the lineup. Overall, it was a pretty solid endorsement from a veteran head coach for an NHL rookie debut.
“I liked him,” Flyers Head Coach John Tortorella said about the 6-foot-4 forward postgame.”I think he understands the game. Big guy… I think we need to get bigger as a team as we move along here. (He) asked the right questions. I thought he handled himself really well… played, I think, 10 or 11 minutes. I didn’t mind him at all.”
Joel Farabee Provides a Flyers Lead in the Second Frame
Philadelphia winger Joel Farabee opened the scoring for the Flyers at 5:21 of the middle frame. Farabee picked up a loose puck in the slot, moved it to the backhand, and shelved it above a flailing Alex Lyon for the 1-0 lead. The goal was a turning point in the game, but not in the way most fans inside Wells Fargo Center expected.
“After we scored the goal, quite honestly, I thought we lost ourselves,” Tortorella said. “I thought we lost momentum. I don’t think we gave up a whole bunch, but we just didn’t develop much offense. I thought ‘Ers’ (Ersson) made some key saves at some key times as the game went on.”
Detroit had chances in the second period but could not solve Sam Ersson as the Flyers netminder made those critical stops the bench boss mentioned to keep Philly’s lead intact after 40 minutes. “‘Ers’ (Ersson) has steadied himself and looks so much more confident. He’s not busy… when he’s not busy, and the puck is hitting him, you can tell he’s there (confident).”
Detroit Stuns Ersson Early in the Third Period
Sam Ersson’s lone goal-allowing mistake came 30 seconds into the final regulation period. Red Wings center Lucas Raymond laid a smooth pass across the ice for defenseman Ben Chariot to deposit past the Flyers goalie to tie the game at one.
Ersson made some questionable puck-handling decisions late in the game that nearly cost the Flyers. The 25-year-old goalie played two pucks to the Flyers blue line, resulting in turnovers and dangerous chances for the Red Wings. Travis Sanheim disrupted the most threatening chance as he disrupted Patrick Kane‘s stick, allowing the puck to slide harmlessly to the corner. To his credit, Ersson made the game’s biggest save with 30 seconds remaining in regulation as the Swedish netminder dove forward in his crease to cover a loose puck and allow the Flyers to reach overtime still knotted at one.
Rasmus Ristolainen Scores OT Winner
Philadelphia and Detroit traded minor chances in overtime until the clock ticked past Lou Nolan’s iconic “There’s one minute to play” announcement to the crowd. With time winding down, the Flyers rushed down the ice with speed as Joel Farabee feathered a pass to Owen Tippett, who managed to slide the puck around a sprawling Lyon… where it stopped on the goal line. Rasmus Ristolainen and Farabee crashed the crease, and the Finnish defenseman poked the puck over the line to kickstart the celebrations for a 2-1 Flyers win.
Philly improves to 22-20-6 on the season and moves into a fifth-place tie with their next opponent, the New York Rangers. Both teams are rolling, entering Thursday night’s matchup at Madison Square Garden. The Flyers have won five-of-six games, while New York brings a 6-1-3 record over their last 10 games into the matchup against Philadelphia.
Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
