Derick Brassard

Claude Giroux scored with 8.1 seconds left in the third to tie the game back up, forcing overtime and giving the Flyers a crucial and deserved point. Ultimately, the Lightning claimed the win in a shootout by a score of 4-3.

The Carolina Hurricanes have set the tone for the Metropolitan Division. While every team seems to be hovering around where the Flyers are with a 6-3-2 record and 14 points, the Hurricanes sit at the top of the division with a 10-1-0 record and 20 points. A challenging weekend back-to-back on the road begins for the Flyers in Raleigh.

This game begins a busy remainder of the month for the Flyers. They will play 11 games in the next 21 days, reaching the quarter-mark of the season in the process. It will be no easy task either, as a number of star players and elite teams will appear on the schedule. It starts with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have found a groove after a slow start with wins in five of their last six games. 

For most of the game, they stayed the course, but not in a way that is surviving another team’s push. They controlled large portions of the game with their play. It also helped that the goaltending remained on point, one of the most noticeable consistencies of the first 10 games of the season. The result was a big two points in regulation against a divisional opponent that had only lost in regulation once all season, and silencing an all-time great in the scoring column with a milestone in his sights.

Martin Jones made 31 saves and two second-period goals led the Flyers to a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

If not for excellent goaltending again, the Flyers would not have been in position to win this game. They would certainly have not gained a point in the standings, which could certainly prove valuable later. Despite that, it is hardly a moral victory for the Flyers. Another sloppy game is showing a troubling trend as a difficult month is just getting started.

The Vancouver Canucks come in with a modest 3-3-1 record in the first seven games of their season, including the 5-4 shootout victory in Philadelphia on Oct. 15. The Flyers will be looking for a different result as they look to build on Wednesday’s win.

For the third straight game, the Flyers faced the “win a period, win a game” scenario, once again going up against some stiff competition to start the season. After falling short last Saturday against the still-undefeated Florida Panthers, the Flyers passed the test this time.

The Flyers open a three-game Western Canada road trip against the Edmonton Oilers, another team undefeated with a 5-0-0 record. Wednesday’s game will mark a second straight without Ryan Ellis in the lineup, making the challenge that much tougher.