Alain Vigneault
Nearly every goal the Flyers scored in their 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche proved to be timely in some way, whether because of a timely save by Lyon or just helping them always keep a grip on control of the game. The Flyers never trailed, but with full knowledge of how the game 24 hours earlier played out, a big swing could have been moments away.
At the end of a seven-game stretch that featured five of the top six teams in the league as of Wednesday morning’s standings, the Flyers came away with a 5-2-0 record. Against those five teams, they were 4-1-0 with the only loss being a 1-0 defeat to Tampa Bay. So forgive Alain Vigneault if he was in the mood to celebrate this win and going on a break the way it started.
Travis Konecny scored the first two goals of the game and James van Riemsdyk had a goal and two assists, helping to pace the Flyers to a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers next game comes against another team outside of playoff position. The Los Angeles Kings come to town on Saturday night and it is a game the Flyers certainly feel the need to come away with a better result.
Claude Giroux noted that, while it’s no excuse, it can be tough to get up the next day and play another game, no matter the opponent. Alain Vigneault didn’t buy into the theory. “You know that word that starts with b?” the Flyers head coach said.
A strange ending capped off a Flyers comeback win against a team at the top of the standings. It’s a win they want to build on as they prepare to hit the road again.
Andrei Vasilevskiy posted a shutout for the second straight game and the Lightning showed a real commitment to defensive play and taking away virtually everything the Flyers could have brought to the table. There was simply no room to operate, no room to execute and when the Flyers were able to pump the puck deep, they could not win the races because the Lightning were perfectly placed.
It will not go down as the most memorable decade in Flyers franchise history, but there were certainly a few great moments from start to finish in the 2010s.
Kevin Hayes struck for a pair of goals in the third period against his former team, including the game-winner as the Flyers went into the holiday break with their fourth straight win, defeating the Rangers, 5-1, on Monday night at Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers took full advantage of a team without their top player and captain. In the first period, they scored three goals in a span of 4:01. In the second period, they added three more in a span of 4:07. That was more than enough in a 6-1 win on Thursday night that continued the team’s incredible run of success on home ice.
