Big 2nd Period Lifts Flyers Past Panthers, 5-1

(Kate Frese/SB Nation)

By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly staff 

Though the Flyers and Panthers both entered their matchup Tuesday with some of the hotter offenses in the league, it took them a while to get going. But once the Flyers' offense got in gear, it reared its dominant head once again.

Sean Couturier, Shayne Gostisbehere, Claude Giroux and Dale Weise all tallied for the Orange and Black, helping them take a 5-1 lead in more than convincing fashion.

Couturier opened the scoring just 65 seconds into the second stanza, helping the Flyers dig themselves out of a 15-11 shots hole that sealed the first period. Gostisbehere followed up with his first of the season, and with the secondary assist, Robert Hagg earned the first assist of his NHL career.

On a power play midway through the third period, the Flyers found twine yet again. Derek MacKenzie made contact with Michal Neuvirth while tracking a rebound, and as Gostisbehere and Wayne Simmonds went to set the Panthers captain straight, Giroux found himself all alone. He then tucked the puck by Roberto Luongo, and the Flyers had a three-goal lead on an interesting play.

The goal scoring didn't stop there. Travis Konecny found himself on a speedy breakaway, but Luongo turned him aside. Nolan Patrick slid the rebound across the slot to Weise, who slammed it home for a 4-0 lead to cap the big rally.

Valtteri Filppula found himself on the board with an empty-netter, winning a faceoff in the neutral zone and sending it down the length of the ice. Jakub Voracek had previously hit the post on an empty-net chance, falling short of his first goal of the year.

Neuvirth was just 3:50 away from the shutout when Jamie McGinn scored for the Panthers, finally putting them on the board in the third period. He cashed in on a feed across the slot from Nick Bjugstad.

In all, Neuvirth turned in a steady effort for the Flyers, making 40 saves for his third time as a Flyer. Luongo countered with 34 saves on 38 shots.

Both Giroux and Gostisbehere led the way for the Orange and Black, with two points apiece. Giroux recorded a pair of assists, while Gostisbehere turned in a goal and an assist.

The Flyers next take the ice on Thursday, continuing their homestand with a matchup against the Nashville Predators in a rematch of last week's thriller. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

Box Score

Scoring Summary

1st Period

• None

2nd Period

• PHI Sean Couturier (4) (Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux) 1:05
• PHI Shayne Gostisbehere (1) (Wayne Simmonds, Robert Hagg) 7:35
• PHI Claude Giroux (4) PP (Valtteri Filppula, Gostisbehere) 13:22
• PHI Dale Weise (1) (Nolan Patrick, Travis Konecny) 16:16

3rd Period

• FLA Jamie McGinn (1) PP (Nick Bjugstad, Radim Vrbata) 16:10
• PHI Filppula (4) EN 18:23

Game Statistics