Flyers get Much-needed Bounce-back Game

(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

It wasn't a pretty win by any stretch, but the Flyers got a much-needed two points after dropping three straight games.

With a three-game losing streak gone, the Flyers can finally turn the page and don't have to worry about a singular win on the season.

Saturday's game was a much-needed bounce-back game from a host of players as the Flyers handled their first Eastern Conference opponent and picked up their first home win of the season.

"We had a better jump than last game," Jake Voracek said. "I was saying every time we get home from a road trip, that game is always important no matter how good of a team you are. We were missing a step last game, but we had it since the beginning today and it showed in the end."

"I thought we carried the pace of play there," Shayne Gostisbehere said. "It's something that our team just kept it going. We didn’t let it get us down. This was a good team win."

Two players that stood out were Voracek and Gostisbehere. Aside from providing three points each in the win, they had added jump to their game as success started, something that they will look to build on over a grinding two weeks to come on the schedule.

"We just have to keep it rolling, we have to stick to our system and it’s all a process," Gostisbehere said. "We just have to keep getting pucks to the net and good things are going to happen."

Overall, 11 different players contributed to the scoring with some unlikely sources getting goals, if you want to call them unlikely at this point.

There is nothing strange about Matt Read scoring this season. The much-maligned winger picked up his fifth goal in five games on a deflection in the second period that put the Flyers ahead for good in the game.

"It made hockey a little bit more fun. The last couple of years have been frustrating," Read said. "You are battling as much as you can out there to try and get better. Scoring a couple of goals here early get the confidence high. I enjoy going on the ice every shift and giving it your all and trying to make this team better every shift."

"He was great from day one," head coach Dave Hakstol said. "He is moving his feet. He is playing with speed and along with that comes the tenacity of his game and probably along with that the confidence in his game. You see that in all 200 feet of his game. He is playing well. He is playing hard."

It wasn't a perfect game by any stretch, but to watch three young players like Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny contribute with points and play well without the puck was an encouraging sign.

This win gives the Flyers something to build on and as they prepare for four games in the next week to come, they will face a busy as ever.

"We just go back to work tomorrow," Hakstol said. "We are working on consistency and I think that’s the trick early in the second. We are striving to be a more consistent team in what we do and tonight we did better. We still made some mistakes within our group but we have to keep working to be a consistent group in the things that we do and try to do them as consistently as possible in 60 minutes. We are not going to over think coming off a win or a loss."