Late-game response gives Flyers important regulation win
Jake Voracek laid it out several hours before the game.
"It's been like that for the past few games," Voracek said. "But we got to win. We have to win every single game from here. That's the way we have to look at it."
After allowing the game-tying goal with 10:36 to play in the third, the Flyers needed to find a way to score against the stingiest defense in the league.
They scored four goals in the final 7:38.
Needing wins, and more importantly wins in regulation, the Flyers not only managed a key victory, but got some help around the league and gained in the playoff race for the first time in several nights with a strong 6-3 win over the Devils.
"I think it was immediate," head coach Dave Hakstol said. "Next shift, guys went back out and got back at it. We were able to answer it pretty quick."
"It was huge for us," Shayne Gostisbehere said. "In the past, you might have seen a Flyer team roll over and die a little bit or go to overtime. The way we responded was pretty cool and just shows what direction this team is going in."
Gostisbehere continued his own personal success, extending his NHL-record points streak for a rookie defenseman to 13 games with a goal in the first period.
The Flyers got a boost from a set of new line combinations. Voracek was placed on a line with Nick Cousins and R.J. Umberger. Brayden Schenn, who had a goal and two assists in the win, was moved to the top line with Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds. Giroux and Simmonds also had multi-point games and together, the line combined for eight points.
"It's got nothing to do with the line combinations," Hakstol said. "It's just guys out and competing hard together. Obviously our penalty kill did a tremendous job tonight. Both sides of specialty teams answered the bell when they needed to. Everybody in the lineup competed hard."
Special teams helped with that turnaround. The Flyers scored twice on the power play and had a very successful night on the penalty kill when they needed it most. The Devils had seven power plays, but only scored once on the five-minute power play created with Radko Gudas' match penalty.
"I think special teams were the key tonight. Our PK did a great job," Simmonds said. "We gave up one but they did a great job blocking shots and getting pucks down 200 feet. Our power play got a couple goals there. I thought we played great at 5-on-5 as well."
"We played good team defense," Gostisbehere said. "We switched something up today in the neutral zone and I think it worked really well for us. They're a very good defensive team and it's good to see some goals go in the net for us."
Four different goal scorers in the third provided the Flyers almost perfect response to a weekend where all seemed lost. Suddenly, the Flyers now seem to have new life instead.
Coupled with a Tampa Bay Lightning loss, the Flyers moved to within four points of the final playoff spot, trailing both the Lightning and Penguins by the four-point margin and the Carolina Hurricanes by two points.
"We still have a lot of hockey to play," Schenn said. "We obviously had a bad weekend, not the way we want it to be. To get three out of four points against the Devils, we'll definitely take it. We play Montreal and Toronto and Carolina, so it's a good chance for us to try to make up some points."
The Flyers will get their chances to still erase the deficit in the standings. They have two games against the Lightning coming up in early March. They don't play the Penguins again until March 19, but have three more meetings with the cross-state rivals this season. They close their current five-game road trip against the Carolina Hurricanes next Tuesday.
It's very much in their hands, as they bridge the gap between these crucial games with even more games of similar magnitude. If that's what this team can do in must-win games, they are far from dead.
But be cautious. We've been fooled before.
It's certainly a good start and great response to a weekend where all appeared lost for the Flyers. But a longer journey awaits for the Flyers.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
