Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame

The Philadelphia Flyers dominated most of the first 40 minutes, scoring three unanswered goals after the San Jose Sharks scored on their first shot of the game, which occurred nearly 12 minutes into the first period.

Despite a lighter workload in the opening couple of periods, Dan Vladar was excellent once again, making huge stops to preserve the lead in the second period.

But tonight, the highlight is the fourth line and Carl Grundstrom, scoring with both Garnet Hathaway and Rodrigo Abols on the ice, counting as the fourth line’s first goal of the season. HOT DAMN!

It wasn’t the sharpest third period, but Travis Konecny, after registering his 500th career point on an assist earlier, sealed it with the empty net goal, and the Flyers have once again come up with a bounce back win following a loss.

First period

The Flyers started fast with a couple of shots and a few chances with Macklin Celebrini on the ice, and then on the next shift the birthday boy, Matvei Michkov nearly had a costly turnover into the slot but then got a breakaway opportunity but was denied with heavy pressure in pursuit.

Ty Murchison got to handle the puck a few times in his first shift, but I just think it’s cool a fifth round rookie call-up getting to wear #96 on his sweater. Murchison logged the first statistic of his career on his first shift, with a shot attempt that was blocked aside.

Has Celebrini come off the ice yet? He’s played two of the first five minutes of the game.

Shots are 6-0 in favor of the Flyers through 6:20, although the Sharks have rung a puck off the post. Ryan Reaves is in the lineup and logs a hit against the 6-1, 212 pound rookie Murchison, who did not back down from one of the league’s top heavyweights. Typically, I’d be hoping for a showdown between Reaves and Nic Deslauriers at some point, but “unfortunately,” Carl Grundstrom is dressed in D-Lo’s spot on the fourth line tonight.

The trio of Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak and Travis Konecny are aplying pressure with some nice pass plays to set up a few chances around the midway point of the first, and the Noah Cates line picks up where the Zegras line left off, creating some chances in front, but San Jose’s netminder Alex Nedeljkovic has been really strong so far, credited with nine saves through 10+ minutes.

The Sharks strike first, on their first shot of the game. A breakdown down low allows a basically unchecked Collin Graf to bury a one-timer from the LW circle off a pass from John Klingberg on the opposite side after Will Smith had wheeled around the zone and fed Klingberg. A lot of crossers got the Flyers off balance, and they now trail 1-0 after controlling the first half of the period.

Of course, I have to mention the Scoring/Trailing First stats- this is the 19th time Philly has allowed the game’s first goal, and they’re 10-6-2 in the first 18 (.611 points-percentage). This is San Jose’s 16th time scoring first in 31 games. The Sharks are 10-3-2 when getting the game’s fist lead.

PECOOOOO! With 3:50 left, Nikita Grebenkin draws a hold from Timothy Liligren with some really strong board work low in the offensive zone. The Zegras unit got a chance or two, the most notable an Owen Tippett one-timer from the slot off a pass from Zegras down on the goal line, but it caught a defender’s stick and missed high. The Cates unit got the second half and recorded a few chances but Nedeljkovic was all over it again!

CHRISTIAN DVORAK TIES IT! Dvo muscles his way to a rolling puck in the neutral zone, and creates a short breakaway for himself and elects a forehand-backhand move over his signature drop-pass and evens the score with his seventh tally of the season. Moments earlier, Smith was stopped on a breakaway by Vladar, and TK was there to flip the puck into the neutral zone where it hit Zegras in the back and bounced to the charging Dvorak. Konecny gets the secondary assist, which marks the 500th point of his career.

As the period comes to an end, the fourth line draws a hooking penalty and the Flyers will open the middle frame with a man advantage.

Second period

Scott Hartnell, tonight’s color commentator with Brian Boucher most likely fulfilling his TNT duties, notes that Michkov isn’t on the bench or with his usual power play unit as the second begins. Definitely a concern. According to some tweets, he’s getting repairs in the locker room and will be back. PHEW!

The penalty expires, but Philly continues the pressure, and are already at 20 SOG less than three minutes into the period.

THE FOURTH LINE SCORED A GOAL! Nick Seeler wrists a puck towards the Sharks’ net, and Grundstrom manages to get a stick on it while tied up skating through the slot, and all three members of the fourth line (Grundstrom, Rodrigo Abols and Garnet Hathaway) are plus-one for the first time this year. Seeler and Travis Sanheim get the assists, but it actually happened! The fourth line scored, and the Flyers lead 2-1. HOORAY!

Some real scrambled moments for Philly in the d-zone lead to Celebrini nearly tying the game as Vladar is late to get over, but the 19-year-old star missed the target. Celebrini started the sequence by nearly deking Emil Andrae out of his skates before dishing the puck and getting back on the opposite side of the ice, but no harm done. Although San Jose has really picked it up since the Orange & Black took the lead.

Oh, and Michkov is officially back, taking a shift 4:30 into the period.

The fourth line’s next shift started strong with more offensive pressure, but then they got trapped in the defensive zone until Vladar was able to catch and freeze a puck.

Flyers to the PK with 11:04 left, as TK gets called for hooking. The Flyers have struggled a little on the kill, ranking 31st in the league (68.8%) since November 15th, and having allowed a power play goal in five straight. Philly gets the kill against the Sharks’ PP operating at 19.1% (14th) overall, but 25.6% (7th) on the road coming into tonight’s contest.

With 4:14 left, the Flyers lead the shot battle 24-9, but it has been much closer this period, with Philly up 8-6 in the second.

Vladar makes a huge stop on a 2-on-1 to maintain the lead with about 3:30 left! Philly turned the puck up ice afterwards, but they’d been caught deep after a chance of their own and it was all on Vladar and he came up huge for his ninth save of the game. ANOTHER HUGE STOP in the final minute, with a chance right down low, but Vladar flashes a pad to deny the tying goal.

CATES MAKES IT 3-1 WITH 10.9 SECONDS LEFT! Cates accepts a pass on the rush from Bobby Brink to beat Nedeljkovic with a wrister from the LW circle. That’s how you support your goaltender! Jamie Drysdale gets the secondary helper.

That’ll do it for the second, with the Flyers leading by two, and holding a 26-11 shot advantage. The Flyguys have had trouble protecting leads, so this third period will be a big test against a young by dynamic Sharks team that won’t be worrying about much but pushing for offense.

Third period

The Flyers have iced the puck 45 seconds into the frame. I hate it. They win the draw, but take forever to break it out, finally just clearing it for the Shark to break right back in and after some attempts to clear up the boards they ice it again. They finally break it out and survive a hesitant start to the third. After a third icing, they turn it over behind the net and Vladar has to make another big save on Ty Dellandrea.

We’re getting yet another OT game if the Flyers keep playing like they’re afraid to handle the puck unless Vladar goes into Hasek-mode. They’ve been managing the puck well all night, and passing very well, but the first eight-nine minutes of the third have been the opposite.

San Jose to the power play, with Michkov to the box for high-sticking with 8:03 left in regulation. Ugh. He’s not getting back on the ice tonight. HUGE KILL! Hathaway may have gotten away with a trip on Celebrini, but hell of a job to keep the Sharks off the board and hold the two-goal lead. We’re now under six minutes left.

San Jose empties the net in favor of the extra attacker with just under four minutes to go. The Flyers immediately force a turnover and clear it the length of the ice, but miss the empty goal and ice it. Some good work by Michkov to ensure the puck leaves the zone after the faceoff without icing it.

Philly has only registered 1 SOG this period, but with the Sharks pushing, Vladar has only been asked to make four saves thus far, and he’s made them all. Still 3-1 with 3:22 left. I shouldn’t be as nervous as I am, but the puck control has been suspect all period, and the possibility of Celebrini heroics still exists. Some failed clears give Celelbrini to cut the lead with a shot from the point, but Vladar makes a slick kick save.

After a near miss on the empty net, Celebrini gets knocked down in the slot and slides into Vladar, but Valdar pops up. Off the ensuing faceoff the Flyers break out, and after TK fails on a pass across to Zegras, he gets the puck back and scores the clincher himself. PHEW!

Well, that’ll do it, a nice win for the Flyers, who continue to impress, especially after losses.

Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame