Anthony Mazziotti
After dropping five straight the Flyers had their backs against the wall. They desperately needed to get at least a point out of the Jets game on Saturday afternoon. The Orange and Black played sound hockey and accomplished their goal: defeating the third best team in the Western Conference 2-1 in regulation.
The first period had a lot of back and forth but no goals. Petr Mrazek made a couple of really nice saves, the game off appeared to do wonders early on. The Flyers outshot the Jets after twenty minutes but couldn’t solve Connor Hellebuyck.
The Flyers went on an early power play in the second period but couldn’t make the best of their opportunity. Around the five minute mark the Flyer had their second chance on a man advantage. This time Valtteri Filppula maintained possession, found Claude Giroux who put sniped Hellebuyck on a six-on-five opportunity.
Flyers got set up on the delayed penalty and G wrists it home. 1-0. pic.twitter.com/9rHajFeieN
— Nick Piccone (@nickpiccone) March 10, 2018
Two minutes later the Flyers beat Hellebuyck again. At first glance it looked like he robbed MacDonald and play continued. Seconds later the buzzer sounded and the referees took a second look. Upon further review the call was made – Andrew MacDonald, with assists from Nolan Patrick and Jake Voracek, gave the Flyers a two-goal lead.
How about Andrew MacDonald putting the Flyers up 2-0 pic.twitter.com/dR9FVP3rWL
— Nick Piccone (@nickpiccone) March 10, 2018
The second period ended with the Flyers killing off two Jets’ power plays with ease.
Early in the third period Radko Gudas was sent to the box for delay of game. The Flyers killed off that penalty as well. On their fourth power play, due to a Travis Konecny trip, the Jets (namely Patrik Laine) beat Mrazek. The third period had a few more flurries from the Jets but the Flyers ended up holding on to get a huge two points.
This game was a breath of fresh air for the Flyers, they controlled the game for the most part and outright beat a good team. That said, let’s look at five takeaways:
1. Hakstol the disciplinarian.
Dave Hakstol is hard to understand at times. As I mentioned earlier, Travis Konecny took a bad tripping penalty in a key spot which eventually lead to the Jets’ lone goal. After that penalty, TK didn’t get any more play time.
I have to say I agree with Hak here as the move ended up paying off. The Flyers still won and he sent a loud, clear message to the young winger. TK is smarter than that penalty, I think he will take the criticism well and come back strong.
2. Travis Sanheim looked really good.
Sanheim is out here looking like he should have never been sent down #FlyersTalk
— Philly Influencer (@PHL_Influencer) March 10, 2018
This is Sanheim’s first game since mid-January. He was called up to fill in for Robert Hagg (who is out for two weeks with a lower-body injury) and Johnny Oduya.
Number six looked confident with the puck, made some nice passes, and looked good in all phases of the game. This could be chalked up to his time back down at the AHL, or the fact that he’s been good this whole time. The world may never know.
3. Petr Mrazek looked well-rested.
Having Thursday night off looked like it paid off for Mrazek. In Saturday’s game he stopped 27 of 28 shots and was the game’s first star against the Jets.
Mrazek looked refreshed and clear-headed. He made a lot of nice saves and kind of stole the game for the Orange and Black.
Before the game I had a gut feeling that Mrazek would steal this one for the #Flyers Considering he stopped 27/28 shots, I’d say he did just that.
— Philly Influencer (@PHL_Influencer) March 10, 2018
Here’s hoping Mrazek can build off this performance and play strong against the Golden Knights on Monday.
4. Nolan Patrick remains hot.
Patrick had an assist on Andrew MacDonald’s goal. This is his third point in as many games. He has five points in the last five games.
The kid is really coming into his own. I love that he’s paired with Voracek and Lindblom; they play very well together.
5. The PK arguably won the game.
I know, I just said Mrazek stole the game, but the Flyers penalty kill was a huge part of this win. They generated pressure and odd-man rushes. The only legitimate chance the Jets had, they capitalized on. Could you imagine if they had time to set up on their first three power plays? We might be talking about a different outcome.
Kudos to the Flyers special teams, namely the PK, for swinging the momentum of the game.
The Flyers return to action on Monday night against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
You can follow Anthony Mazziotti on Twitter (@AntMazziotti) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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