The Philadelphia Flyers hoped to keep their winning streak in-tact against the Vancouver Canucks.
Coming off yet another victory in their last contest, the Philadelphia Flyers looked for their eighth straight victory hosting the Vancouver Canucks in the second game of a five game handstand.
Carter Hart received his third straight start and opposed Jacob Markstrom in-net. Markstrom entered the game with a 20-13-6 record, 2.79 Goals-Against Average, and a .910 save percentage. The Flyers needed another good showing from their offense in order to get the win, especially given the 6’6 net-minder’s success on the season coming in.
Nolan Patrick took a tripping penalty early on to start the game, but the Hart led penalty killing unit was up to the task and kept things even at zero. The Flyers went on to receive two power-play opportunities of their own, scoring on one of them thanks to Sean Couturier which gave them a 1-0 lead after one period of play.
The second began with Jakub Voracek doubling the Flyers lead on a breakaway opportunity, showcasing some silky mitts on Markstrom for his 12th tally of the year. Vancouver quickly got it back, though, on a misplay from Hart outside of his crease that gave Brock Boeser an easy, open-net goal. Neither goaltender would allow another as time expired in the second, but the Flyers did still have 17 seconds of power-play time left to kill going into the final period of regulation.
Philadelphia killed the remaining seconds left on the Canucks man advantage, winning the opening face-off to begin the third. They failed to capitalize on power-play a little later on, applying almost no pressure during the two minute time frame.
Vancouver applied a good amount of pressure in the Flyers zone, leading to another power-play for the trailing team, but Hart had none of it. He made an absolutely spectacular save to keep the game at 2-1, looking all the bit athletic in the process. His efforts were eventually rewarded, as the Flyers defeated the Canucks by one.
This was, once again, the Carter Hart show for the Orange and Black in this game. He finished with 41 saves on 42 shots and was nothing but clutch for Philadelphia down the stretch. The 20 year-old goalie is finally giving the team stability between the pipes and has provided new life to a once dead looking Flyers squad.
The Flyers are now 24-23-6 and have won eight straight. Next game is Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.