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Following their 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers (41-27-12, 94 points, 26 regulation) needed the strongest of response games against the Winnipeg Jets in order to stay ahead in their race to secure a playoff berth.
They got exactly that as they trounced Winnipeg, 7-1, in their final regular season road game.
Philadelphia was led by a strong performance by captain Sean Couturier, who scored two goals, added an assist, and was a plus two. Noah Cates scored a back-breaking shorthanded goal late in the second period, added two assists, and a plus-three.
Matvei Michkov scored an important first period response goal and added an assist. It was an important rebound game for the second year Russian forward after a rough outing on Thursday.
Like Michkov, goalie Dan Vladar also recovered from the Red Wings game to finish with 27 saves.
Forward Porter Martone scored, extending his point streak to seven straight games to start his NHL career. Defensemen Travis Sanheim and Nick Seeler added goals of their own, while Rasmus Ristolainen picked up two assists.
Additionally, center Christian Dvorak picked up an assist, which was his 300th NHL career point.
By defeating the Jets, the Flyers improved their chances of securing a playoff berth with two games left on their schedule. Earlier in the day, the New York Islanders lost to the Ottawa Senators 3-0, falling behind the Flyers by three points.
However, the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 at Bell Centre. The victory keeps them within two points of Philadelphia for the final Metropolitan Division playoff spot.
The Good
- Just a stellar performance by the Flyers’ fourth line with a combined plus-seven. Flyers head coach Tocchet activated Garnet Hathaway for the first time in three games. Hathaway lined up on the right of Sean Couturier and Luke Glendening and they set a physical tone from puck drop. On the Flyers third goal, hard work off the board by Hathaway and Couturier was able to get the puck off of Fleury and beat Hellebuyck short-side.
- What more can be said about the work Sean Couturier has done in the past few weeks since assuming fourth line duties? The limited minutes have kept him fresh for the most critical moments of the season. In the early third period, he knifed through the slot and went forehand to backhand on Jets goalie Eric Comrie. It was a vintage performance, worthy of his Selke-winning season six years ago.
- Travis Konecny and Porter Martone combined on a tremendous rush goal to get the Flyers started. Martone hit an outlet pass that hit Travis Konecny in stride. As the puck hopped on Konecny cutting to the middle, he corralled it and whipped it to the rookie near the right post. The rookie swept it past Hellebuyck for his third goal of the season.
- Response goals for Philadelphia were critical. Matvei Michkov put the Jets on their heels only 1:27 after Fleury’s game tying goal. Linemate Denver Barkey worked the puck off the boards to Noah Cates. Cates found Michkov, who absolutely wired one over Hellebuyck’s glove. And 25 seconds later, Couturier made it a two goal lead.
- Travis Sanheim continues to shoulder big minutes (a team high 25:26, including 4:07 shorthanded). And he was rewarded when he fired a howitzer point shot that deflected off of Neal Pionk past Hellebuyck. The goal set a new career high with 11 goals on the season.
- Dan Vladar’s performance in the first — and especially the second — period buoyed the Flyers. Dangerous chances for defenseman Dylan Demelo and Kyle Conner in the first period that the Flyers goalie was able to stave off. The Flyers got sloppy late in the period and he kept the door shut.
- When the Flyers win of late, it’s because they are uniformly strong on the draw. Saturday’s game saw them hold form as they won 33 of 57 faceoffs.
The Bad
- Vladar had some questionable rebound control on Winnipegs’s first goal. On a two man entry, Jets defenseman Haydn Fleury worked with Cole Kepke. The Flyers goalie allowed the puck to carm to Fleury. However, he was able to make some important stops shortly after the Flyers established a two goal lead.
- As good as Martone has been, there’s times when he needs to be more selfish when he has a clear chance to score. While he put one on the board in the first period, he passed up a glorious chance on a later power-play. And in the second period, he again opted to pass when he had a score near the right post.
- After a strong start defensively, the play in front of Vladar got loose later in the first period, forcing him to make some critical stops to keep the Jets to one goal. The Jets were credited with nine high danger chances in the first period, indicative of the Flyers sloppiness during that period.
- The second period saw the Jets dominate possession of the puck (76 percent Corsi). The Flyers were opportunistic in getting two goals to take away any chance of victory.
- Denver Barkey moved into Alex Bump’s spot on Cates line. It was a mixed performance, even with a plus-three. Positively, Barkey made a great pass play to start the scoring sequence Michkov’s goal. However, he lost containment in the offensive zone to Kyle Conner late in the second period. The play led to a late power-play chance for the Jets. Fortunately, the Cates shorthanded goal covered for it.
The Ugly
- It wasn’t the best of performances from the top line of Trevor Zegras, Owen Tippett, and Tyson Foerster. Zegras continues to be a work in progress at the center position, specifically on faceoffs, where he was four for 10. Tippett was invisible most of the night, as he was against the Red Wings on Thursday. He had no points and three missed shots. Foerster did have some positive defensive work with a takeaway and two blocked shots. But otherwise, they took a back seat on Saturday night.
What’s Next?
The Flyers close out the regular season with a particularly tough back to back at home with the Carolina Hurricanes and the Montreal Canadiens.
The Hurricanes are trying to secure home ice advantage for the Eastern Conference portion of the playoffs. The Habs are in the midst of a pitched battle for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with Buffalo and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Their surprising loss to Columbus at home was a set-back they will be looking to recover from.
Expect both teams to be playing with those motivations in mind. If the Flyers are going to secure their first playoff spot since the 2019-20 season, they’re likely in for a battle.
Their performance on Saturday enhanced their chances, but they’ll need to take care of business on Monday and possibly Tuesday to do so.
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