Flyers Rally for Win in Giroux’s 1,000th Game

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Trailing by a goal late in the third, the Flyers needed to catch a break. They thought they had the tying goal with just under seven minutes to play, but it was called back on a high stick. With 4:15 to play in the third, they got a bounce off Kevin Hayes that produced the tying goal. With 1:19 to play, Hayes set up the eventual game-winner.

Joel Farabee scored off the great feed from Hayes to secure a 5-4 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center on a night when the team honored Claude Giroux for his 1,000th game.  

The Flyers wasted little time getting on the board in this one. After a fight by Zack MacEwen with Michael McCarron energized the crowd, Travis Sanheim opened the scoring just 44 seconds later at 7:44. It was Sanheim's fifth of the season. 

The Flyers had two power-play chances in the period after the goal, but failed to score. They finished the period with a 17-11 lead in shots. 

The Predators tied the game up just 23 seconds into the second period. Off a turnover, Tanner Jeannot got the puck in the slot and fired a shot high over Carter Hart to make it a 1-1 game.

Just 59 seconds later, the Flyers were on a power play and got the goal right back. Cam York got the puck in the slot and buried a rebound to make it 2-1 with his second goal of the season at 1:22.

Less than three minutes later, the Flyers extended the lead. Out of a scramble in front, James van Riemsdyk was able to find a loose puck and score to make it 3-1.

The Predators got one of the goals back less than two minutes later. Phil Myers took a shot that hit the shin pad of MacEwen and changed directions, beating Hart under the arm to make it 3-2.

With 3:55 to play in the period, the Predators were on a four-minute power play and took advantage. Ryan Johansen scored from the slot to even things up at three.

Through two periods, shots were 28-19 Flyers.

It didn't take long for Nashville to get on the board in the third. Just 1:11 into the period, Roman Josi got space and powered in behind the net before setting up Filip Forsberg in front of the crease. Forsberg went between the legs to score his 32nd goal of the season, making it 4-3 Nashville.

With 6:32 to play, Derick Brassard scored to tie the game, managing to find a loose puck behind Juuse Saros and put it home. However, after a challenge, the goal was called back for a high-stick by Cam Atkinson, keeping the game at 4-3.

But the Flyers got the game tied as Rasmus Ristolainen went coast-to-coast with the puck and centered off Hayes and in to make it 4-4 with 4:15 left.

Then with 1:19 to go, Hayes took the puck from Sanheim and centered to a wide open Farabee for the easy tap-in goal to make it 5-4.

Hart made 29 saves on 33 shots in the win. Saros made 29 saves on 34 shots in the loss.

Sanheim, Hayes, and Farabee each finished with a goal and an assist in the win. Josi had three assists in the loss.

Giroux was a minus-1 with two penalty minutes, two shots, three hits, one blocked shot, and 17:47 of ice time.

The Flyers face the Ottawa Senators on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Box Score

Scoring Summary

1st Period

• PHI Travis Sanheim (5) (Unassisted) 7:44

2nd Period

• NSH Tanner Jeannot (20) (Colton Sissons) 0:23
• PHI Cam York (2) PP (Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee) 1:22
• PHI James van Riemsdyk (14) (Cam Atkinson, Derick Brassard) 3:48
• NSH Phil Myers (1) (Roman Josi, Nick Cousins) 5:16
• NSH Ryan Johansen (16) PP (Mikael Granlund, Josi) 16:05

3rd Period

• NSH Filip Forsberg (32) (Josi, Matt Duchene) 1:11
• PHI Kevin Hayes (5) (Rasmus Ristolainen) 15:45
• PHI Farabee (12) (Hayes, Sanheim) 18:41

Game Statistics