Claude Giroux with a multi-point game as Flyers drop second in a row
It was emotional. It was a homecoming. It was all that and more for Claude Giroux when he returned to Philadelphia for the first time as an opponent. It wasn’t the first time they saw him in a Senators uniform as they just played Ottawa last week. But regardless, the Flyers still had a game to play, Giroux just happened to be on the other side of the ice for this one.
And it was Giroux and the Senators who came away with the victory. While the win was much needed for Ottawa, this is still going to be a game that Giroux won’t soon forget.
"“Just coming in the building and seeing people that work here. Faces that I’ve seen for 14 years and you know, just great people. Obviously it was fun for us, we were able to get a win that we needed. I’m going to remember this game for a long time.” Giroux said after the game."
The Flyers did get on the board in the first period, though it ended up being their only goal of the game. Kevin Hayes carried the puck from center ice and into the offensive zone. He sent it over to Travis Konecny who had a quick give-and-go with Joel Farabee. Konecny power-moved his way to the net, causing a battle in front. A few wacks at the puck turned into the first goal of the game courtesy of Hayes.
Just as the Blues did, the Ottawa Senators were looking to bring some energy as they had dropped seven straight games. Travis Konecny and Jacob Bernard-Docker dropped the gloves as well as Tony DeAngelo and Mark Kastelic. Konecny admitted he thought Bernard-Docker got a bit low on him when he had a chance to get around him. it was nothing more than that for him
DeAngelo may have been looking for some payback as Kastelic dropped him with a heavy hit earlier. But the latter fight ended up working in Ottawa’s favor as they tied things up about a minute later.
Rasmus Ristolainen was caught deep in the offensive zone after his pass to the middle of the ice went to no one in particular. Brady Thackuk grabbed the loose puck and carried it up the wall, sliding it to Claude Giroux while taking contact. He chipped it over to Thomas Chabot who had the emptiest of ice in front of him. He beat Carter Hart on the blocker side.
Special teams were not kind to the Flyers in the second period as they ended up barely outshooting Ottawa with the man advantage. They had five total shots on three opportunities as the Senators had three shorthanded shots.
"“You can’t win in the National Hockey League playing against two opponents. That’s the opponent themsevles and us. We did so many good things, but then we self-imploded with the penalties.” John Tortorella mentioned after the game."
It was Ottawa who cashed in on their power play opportunity late in the second period. A goaltender like Hart can make a lot of outstanding saves, but there was nothing he could do on Alex DeBrincat’s power play tally. It was Tim Stutzle to Brady Tkachuk to DeBrincat for the back-door goal. Chabot found Stutzle along the boards. Stutzle zipped a pass to the side of the net for Tkachuk as no one bothered to cover DeBrincat at the other side of the net. Can’t get any easier than that.
Give another advantage in the special teams’ department to Ottawa as they cashed in on another chance in the third period. It was DeBrincat with his second of the net off a perfect bounce off the end boards. Giroux, who admitted later he was looking for Derick Brassard, had his bounce pass off him and the boards before settling on DeBrincat’s stick. And the shot from almost behind the goal line was perfectly placed.
John Tortorella decided to go with an early goalie pull down two goals, but it immediately backfired on the Flyers. 18 seconds after Hart went to the bench, Stutzle powered through the contact by Rasmus Ristolainen and potted one into the vacant net.
Tomorrow becomes that much more important as the team is back at it for another afternoon matinee against the Dallas Stars. The team has struggled in back-to-back games and will get a chance to get back in the win column less than 24 hours later.