Nolan Patrick
It took until late in the third period for the Flyers to complete the rally, but they did and forced overtime. The game required a shootout, and the Flyers scored on both attempts to complete the comeback and pick up a 5-4 win over the Sabres on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center.
In the third period, the Flyers looked tired. They looked like the tank was empty. And the Penguins, certainly not at their best, were able to take advantage with one goal that proved to be the difference in a 4-3 result. And it doesn’t get any easier, as the Flyers are right back on the ice on Sunday.
It wasn’t a pretty win, and it wasn’t going to be pretty with the Flyers still plenty shorthanded from their COVID situation. But Claude Giroux marked the first player to return on a list that will only be increasing with each passing day, and he showed just how motivated he was to come back strong.
Captain Claude Giroux was back on the ice for the first time since going on the COVID list on Feb. 9, leading to the postponement of that night’s game against the Washington Capitals. Plus, five more Flyers games have new dates in the latest round of league reschedulings.
While the Rangers snapped a four-game losing streak and earned just their fifth win of the season against the Flyers on Thursday night, the circumstances the Flyers were in made this an uphill battle from the start. The Flyers got off to a good one at that, but ultimately had to overcome too much to secure that second point.
The Flyers were back on Tuesday for practice with a limited group and more players are expected to rejoin the team on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers. The Flyers also had five games rescheduled by the NHL in the wake of COVID-19 caused postponements.
Much like the game the week before, the last time the Flyers bounced back from a 6-1 defeat, there were moments where the team that dominated the second half of last season showed up. There were also moments that prolonged the struggles that they have had so far. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s Flyers win over the Devils.
Behind solid goaltending, a good power-play performance and timely goals in the third, the Flyers got back in the win column with a 5-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
The Flyers are out to avenge another 6-1 loss – they did last Tuesday against the Sabres – and try to return to the win column after suffering back-to-back regular season losses for the first time since last January. The Devils are looking to follow up a 2-0 win over the Islanders on Sunday. The Flyers face the Devils at 7 p.m.
Two nights after letting a two-goal lead slip away in the third and falling in a shootout, the Flyers take on the Boston Bruins again on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
