Flyers Earn Third Straight Win In Shootout Fashion vs Senators
The Philadelphia Flyers took on the Ottawa Senators in their final meeting of the 2019-20 regular season.
Looking to earn their third-straight win following a 6-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in their last contest, the Philadelphia Flyers visited the Canadian Tire Centre to face the Ottawa Senators. The Sens came into this tilt hoping to spark a winning streak of their own, beating the Nashville Predators 5-4 in overtime on Thursday. This game also served as the rubber match for the Eastern Conference clubs, as both of them have earned W’s in their previous two contests entering tonight. Brian Elliott got the nod from Head Coach Alain Vigneault between the pipes and opposed Marcus Hogberg on the opposite end of the ice. Matt Niskanen also missed the game due to the flu and was replaced in the lineup by Robert Hagg.
The Flyers were awarded a power-play less than four minutes into the opening frame thanks to a tripping penalty from Thomas Chabot and capitalized on the opportunity. Kevin Hayes scored his ninth goal of the year after making a power move to the net on the rush, putting his side ahead by one while jump-starting a two-game point streak in the process. Jakub Voracek and Elliott were awarded assists on Hayes’ tally, marking the first time a Flyers goaltender earned a point this season.
Speaking of Elliott, the veteran netminder had himself one helluva period. Moose made several great saves throughout the first, including an absolute highlight-reel stop on Logan Brown on the man advantage, which would probably be considered robbery in some states and providences. He finished the stanza saving all 17 shots he saw and was the main reason why Philadelphia entered the second with a 1-0 lead.
The middle frame had a similar start to its’ predecessor in that it began with another Flyers goal. James van Riemsdyk continued to stay scorching hot on offense, netting his 11th tally of the year and to put Philly up 2-0. Nicolas Aube-Kubel made a series of good plays in both ends of the ice in the events leading up to the goal but unfortunately didn’t receive an assist for his efforts. Ottawa would go on to score three straight goals in the period to take a 3-2 lead, but Voracek scored a greasy goal late in the period to tie things back up following 40 minutes of play.
Philadelphia kicked off the third just as they did with the previous two periods, by scoring a goal! JvR did more JvR things, got himself loose for a breakaway and beat Hogberg for the second of the night to put the Flyers up 4-3. Aube-Kubel made a beautiful ariel pass to spring van Riemsdyk into the opposing zone and this time was rewarded with the lone apple on the tally. That lead wouldn’t last long, though, as Tyler Ennis scored his second of the night on the rebound that ended up sending the contest to extras. Overtime failed to decide a victor, due in large part to Hogberg’s play in the net, so the teams went to a shootout where Sean Couturier scored in the third round while Elliott shut the door to give the Orange and Black the 5-4 win.
I can’t lie, this was a fun game to watch. While you’d rather see Philadelphia hold a team like the Senators to under three goals, no squad is perfect every night and what matters most is that the Flyers came away with a victory even with their lapses defensively, doing so in a rather entertaining fashion.
light. Hot. Which Flyers Alternate Jersey Over This Decade Was The Best?
The Flyers are now 20-11-5 on the year! Next game is Monday against the New York Rangers on Christmas Eve Eve!