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Philadelphia Flyers Split Weekend Games: Stats and Analysis

By Marc Naples

Nov 11, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Roman Polak (46) pins Philadelphia Flyers forward Nick Cousins (25) against the boards at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Philadelphia 6-3. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 11, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Roman Polak (46) pins Philadelphia Flyers forward Nick Cousins (25) against the boards at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Philadelphia 6-3. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia Flyers looked to rebound from their collapse in Toronto in a home matchup with the Minnesota Wild. It certainly didn’t start out right, as the Flyers conceded a goal only 20 seconds into the game. The Flyers pushed back hard, with 17 shots on goal in the first period and a seeing-eye goal from Brandon Manning.

The teams again traded goals in the second period, making it a tie game despite the Flyers outshooting the Wild 29-14. Unlike the Toronto game however, Steve Mason (relieving Michal Neuvirth who left with an injury) had a very strong period 3rd period. This allowed the Flyers to win the game via a power play goal by Brayden Schenn after a great pass from Wayne Simmonds.

One day after allowing 6 goals, the Flyers matched a season low in goals allowed at 2, for a 3-2 win.

Forwards

  • Raffl In, Lyubimov Out. Michael Raffl returned to the lineup from his somewhat baffling healthy scratch against Toronto, while Roman Lyubimov was removed. This new combination of Raffl, Read and Bellemare was one of the Flyers’ strongest on the night.
  • No Even-Strength Goals from the Forwards. This wasn’t a game with a high volume of even-strength scoring chances for the Flyers, and in fact no Flyers forward scored at even strength.
  • Low ice-time for Giroux. Claude Giroux saw one of his least busy games of the season, playing 13:20 overall.

Defense

  • All About the Defense. The story of this game for the Flyers was all about the defense. Defensemen scored both even-strength goals, while Mark Streit didn’t score but led the team with 5 shots on goal.
  • Defensive Pairs Rolled Back. Dave Hakstol cut short his experiment with the defensive pairs against the Leafs, restoring Manning to the lineup in favor of Schultz. This also meant the pairs went back to Manning and Gudas as the top pair and Ghost with Del Zotto.
  • Gudas and Manning Carry the Load. Radko Gudas didn’t have the best possession numbers in this one, but he and partner Manning led the way in ice time playing over 22 minutes each, as well as combining for 12 hits.
  • Del Zotto Trying to Get to Speed. After missing the first several weeks of the season, Michael Del Zotto is still trying to get up to speed. He was beaten again on the Wild’s second period goal, but he did rebound by making nice plays to start and finish the sequence for the Flyers’ second goal.

Goaltending and Special Teams

This was one game where goaltending and special teams sealed the win for the Flyers. Michal Neuvirth initially got the start after Mason’s poor game against Toronto, but he left the game after 1 period with an injury.

In relief, Mason played a very good game. He was particularly strong in the 3rd period, making key saves right down to the wire. With Neuvirth out several weeks, the Flyers really need the old Steve Mason back.

While Mason finally delivered the goaltending, the Flyers power play continues to be very hot. They scored the game winning goal on the power play, while piling up 9 shots in 3 power plays opportunities.

Next: Flyers Fall Short to Wings

Up Next

The Philadelphia Flyers return to action Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa has been a bit of a surprise this season, sitting 3rd in the Atlantic division primarily on the strength of stingy defense. While they don’t score very much, Erik Karlsson is one of the best offensive defenseman in the NHL in several years, so the Flyers must keep a lookout for him.

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