Couturier Scores Winner as Flyers Defeat Senators in Shootout

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The much-anticipated rematch between the Flyers and Senators did not feature the same physicality as two weeks ago, but it was another close and exciting game. Just like the first two meetings, a one-goal margin separated the two teams.

After missing out on several chances to end the game in overtime, the Flyers came away victorious in the shootout, taking a 5-4 decision in Ottawa on Saturday night.

The Flyers opened the scoring early in the game. After setting up a pair of goals in the first period of Thursday's game, Kevin Hayes was on the finishing end, taking a lead pass from Jake Voracek and scoring on a partial break to make it 1-0 at 3:16.

The rest of the first period was about Brian Elliott, who made several great saves to keep Ottawa off the board despite facing 18 shots. 

Early in the second, the Flyers got another bounce to take a 2-0 lead. James van Riemsdyk put the puck on net and got a bounce off the skate of Cody Goloubef and in. 

Ottawa erased the two-goal deficit in 25 seconds. At the six-minute mark, Tyler Ennis scored on a rebound to cut the lead to one. Just 25 seconds later, Mark Borowiecki fired a shot through a screen and beat Elliott to tie the game up.

Late in the second, Ottawa took the lead. Anthony Duclair fired a loose puck high over Elliott on the power play to give the Senators the lead with 1:39 to go in the period. It was Duclair's 21st goal of the season.

The Flyers wasted no time in responding. With 47.9 seconds left, Voracek was able to knock in a rebound off a Tyler Pitlick shot to tie the game back up.

Through two periods, Ottawa had a 25-23 lead in shots.

Early in the third, van Riemsdyk struck again to give the Flyers the lead. He took a great lead pass from Nicolas Aube-Kubel and scored on a backhand on a breakaway at 1:10 of the period to make it 4-3 Flyers.

The lead held up until there was 9:43 remaining in the third, when a shot by Duclair was stopped by Elliott, but the rebound went right to Ennis for the easy tap-in goal to tie the game up at four.

The Flyers failed to score on a late power play in the third and the game went to overtime.

The Flyers dominated the overtime, taking seven of the eight shots between the two teams in the frantic five-minute session. The Flyers had several great chances to end the game, but Marcus Hogberg stopped them all, forcing a shootout.

In the shootout, the only goal came from Sean Couturier in the third round. Both Morgan Frost and Claude Giroux were stopped in the first two rounds. Duclair hit the post for Ottawa in the second round and both Ennis and Vladislav Namestnikov were stopped by Elliott, sealing the win for the Flyers.

Elliott finished the game with 30 saves on 34 shots. Hogberg made 34 saves on 38 shots.

van Riemsdyk and Voracek each finished with multi-point games for the Flyers. Ennis had three points, while Duclair and Borowiecki each had two points.

The Flyers have one final game before the holiday break, facing the New York Rangers at home on Monday night at 7 p.m.

Box Score

Scoring Summary

1st Period

• PHI Kevin Hayes (9) PP (Jake Voracek, Brian Elliott) 3:16

2nd Period

• PHI James van Riemsdyk (11) (Unassisted) 1:03
• OTT Tyler Ennis (9) (Andreas Englund, Colin White) 6:00
• OTT Mark Borowiecki (4) (Erik Brannstrom, Ennis) 6:25
• OTT Anthony Duclair (21) PP (Unassisted) 18:21
• PHI Voracek (8) (Tyler Pitlick, Morgan Frost) 19:12

3rd Period

• PHI van Riemsdyk (12) (Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Ivan Provorov) 1:10
• OTT Ennis (10) (Duclair, Borowiecki) 10:17

Overtime

• No Scoring

Shootout

• PHI Morgan Frost – Save
• OTT Tyler Ennis – Save
• PHI Claude Giroux – Save
• OTT Anthony Duclair – Miss
• PHI Sean Couturier – Goal
• OTT Vladislav Namestnikov – Save

Game Statistics