It was a game that was emotional from the start to the finish. After starting the game in a two-game hole, the Flyers rallied back. Philly rallied back three times to send the game into overtime. For whatever reason, overtime has been their bread and butter. Owen Tippett would lock the game up with a goal with 90 seconds left to play in regulation as the Flyers won to end a three-game losing streak.
Honoring Gaudreau
Before the game, the Flyers joined the Blue Jackets and honored the late, great Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. The South Jersey natives were killed tragically this summer by a drunk driver just before their sister's wedding. Guy Gaudreau dropped the ceremonial puck at center ice before the game as the Philly community chanted "Johnny Hockey".
"Holidays, it's hard I'm sure for the family. We're going to try to make them as comfortable as possible when they come here tonight. Obviously, a circumstance that's a hell of a lot bigger than a damn hockey game," John Tortorella said before the game.
And speaking of the holidays, remember to be responsible this season.
Sloppy Hockey
Errors again put Philly into a hole early. A Jamie Drysdale turnover led to Columbus' first goal in the first frame. Mathieu Olivier stole the puck and made a hard shot at Sam Ersson, who dove and made a tremendous save. Kent Johnson took the puck and passed it back to Olivier, who slapped it into the open net. The Jackets extended the lead in the second. Ersson was playing the puck behind the net and unknowingly passed it to CBJ's Sean Kuraly. Kuraly fed it to Mikael Pyyhtia who scored the easy empty net shot.
Just a minute later, Olly Lycksell, just recalled from the AHL, seemingly scored for the Flyers. Upon review, Scott Laughton's blade, trying to secure a turnover, had just crossed over the blue line. Goal was deemed offsides upon review.
Flyers Roar Back
Lycksell's near goal lit a fire under the Flyers. Philly had come close several times, but Elvis Merzlikins would not let them in. Morgan Frost, however, broke through the wall seven minutes in after Tippett drew Merzlkins away from the left side and fed Frost a puck for an open shot. Noah Cates grabbed a Tyson Foerster pass two minutes later and tied the game up. It was his third goal in three straight games.
Kirill Marchenko would break the tie 90 seconds later to give Columbus the lead again. But the Flyers would not go down quietly. Frost would tie the game up again, sending a scorcher over the shoulder of Merzlikins. And again, Columbus would retake the lead with 4:11 to go on a lost faceoff goal by Jake Christiansen. This time, it was Foerster's turn to answer with redirection of a Travis Konency shot in front of the net. This sent the game into overtime.
This is where Tippett won the game. Streaking down center ice, he deeked out Merzikins and deposited the puck in the back of the net. He had four points in this one (1G, 3A). As coach Tortorella said of his performance in this game, "I've got to get him his ice time because I think he's about ready to really take off."
Hot and Not
Tippett had a big night, but so did some other guys. Frost scored two goals and seems to be coming around now. Konecny had three assists on the night. Cates is on a three-game goal-scoring streak. Any time you can get that kind of performance from a bottom-six guy, you are in good shape. Foerster also had two points and has five points (3 G, 2 A) in his last two games. This kind of production from Foerster and Frost has been missing most nights and is a greatly welcomed sign.
The defense helped put the Flyers behind early again. Drysdale is continuing to make errors and was a -3 for the night. He was also in places where he could have cleared a puck in front of the neck or grabbed a rebound and failed to do it. Likewise, Errson's error was on him, but the other goals were due to defensive breakdowns.
The Flyers can work on getting their offense and goaltending back on track while fixing their defensive woes just one more time before Christmas. They will travel to Pittsburgh to play the Penguins on Monday night. Then the four-game NHL holiday break kicks in.