First they lost it, then they won it, and then won it again! In a highly entertaining affair, the Flyers defeated the Penguins 3-2 on Tuesday night to improve to 5-1 on home ice this season. Let’s wrap:
Konnect 200
At the 2:46 mark of the second period, Travis Konecny scored a fantastic, end-to-end goal to give the Flyers the lead in this one. Just as a Penguins powerplay expired, Konecny blocked a Kris Letang pass in the defensive zone that led to a Philadelphia rush the other way. The winger would then rip a well-placed, low blocked side shot that beat Pittsburgh netminder Artus Silvos cleanly. The assists went to Sean Couturier and Bobby Brink on the play.
The tally is just Konecny’s 2nd goal of the season, but is the 200th of his career. In fact, according to NHL stats, 65-of-those 200 goals have been go-ahead tallies, showcasing that Konecny often scores when it matters.
Undoubtedly though, he’s struggled mightily to begin this season and in fact, dating back to the second half of last season as well. Perhaps seeing one hit back of the net again will help Konecny’s confidence. The Flyers need him scoring in order to win.
Philadelphia would take a 2-1 lead into the third period before Sidney Crosby found a way to bank a puck off Sam Ersson and into the net. That Crosby marker eventually sent the game to overtime and well, chaos then followed.
Rivalry Renewed
Where to begin? The Flyers and Penguins played one of the most bizarre, yet eventful 3-on-3 overtimes you’ll ever see. In summary, the chain of events are as followed:
- The Flyers take a penalty and Evgeni Malkin jumps on the ice and scores before his goaltender left the ice. As a result, the goal is disallowed.
- Pittsburgh then takes a penalty of their own. Tyson Foerster scores off a bullet of a shot, but the play is reviewed and deemed offside. We play on.
- At the end of overtime, a melee erupts that sees both Sidney Crosby and Trevor Zegras ejected as time expires. Crosby is ineligible for the shootout due to jumping off the bench to even the number of players on the ice for the Penguins. Zegras, on the other hand, becomes ineligible for the shootout as well because he takes a swing at Noel Accari’s head while he was on the ice.
Only Philadelphia and Pittsburgh could deliver such a wild game in the first month of the season.
Bend it Like Bobby
When we eventually reached the shootout, it didn’t disappoint as both Matvei Michkov and Bobby Brink scored for the Flyers in the skills competition. Brink’s game winning goal in particular was a thing of beauty, already adding to a two-point night for him.
“There was a long break in between [overtime and the shootout],” Brink said. “I stood there for about 10 minutes, trying to feel my feet so that’s about it.”
Obviously, it’s still early in the season, but Brink has already registered seven points in nine games played.
They Said It
Rick Tocchet on his players sticking up for another: “I think that pack mentality, you eat together as a pack. “If your the lone wolf, you’re done. Not to be philosophical, but I believe in that stuff. We’re preaching discipline too, I just think we are sticking together and that’s a good thing.”
Travis Konecny on Sam Ersson and the Flyers goaltending: “Our goalies are awesome. They’re having fun, they’re two awesome guys that love to be a part of post-practice things, messing around in the locker room. Sometimes, as goalies, you can get isolated. These guys really make an effort to be a part of things. Just great character guys.”
Noah Cates on being trusted to play against top lines: “It’s a huge honor. You got to be ready and focused, every night and every shift. Since I’ve came into the league I’ve done it so it’s all I know.”
Did You Know?
According to NHL stats, Trevor Zegras becomes the first Flyer since Claude Giroux (7GP) and Wayne Simmonds (6GP) in 2016-2017 to record a point in each of the team’s first six home games of a season. Zegras, of course, picked up the secondary assist on the Bobby Brink powerplay goal in the first period.
On Deck
The Flyers will return to action on Thursday, October 30th, when they host the Nashville Predators. The game will be broadcast in locally on NBCSP with puckdrop set for 7:00 p.m.
