Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame

After one of the worst starts to a game the Philadelphia Flyers have put together this season, Carl Grundstrom, Matvei Michkov and Dan Vladar lead the Orange & Black back to yet another come-from-behind victory.

The Vancouver Canucks outshot Philly 10-0 through 11+ minutes before Rick Tocchet’s club awoke and started imposing their will on his former employer. Michkov recorded his fourth multi-point game of the season, Grundstrom extended his goal streak to four games, and Travis Konecny netted his seventh of the month as the Flyers defeated the Canucks in Vancouver.

First period

The Flyers ice the puck twice in the first 1:07 of game time. With the puck dropping some time after 10:07PM locally, it’d be cool if they didn’t do that too much more.

Nick Seeler’s gloves are off and he’s trying to beat up Evander Kane! Hell yeah! Kane hit Seeler maybe a tad late behind Philly’s net, and Seeler decided he didn’t like it and both engaged in fisticuffs. Seeler was the aggressor, but not sure how many he landed. We’ll have to check out HockeyFights later on.

Vancouver is controlling the shot/chance battle early. Two-and-a-half minutes in the shots are 4-0 Canucks and a few of the attempts have been dangerous.

The Canucks take the 1-0 lead on their eighth shot. Philly had a 2-on-1 but Emil Andrae’s cross-ice pass was to nobody and the Canucks took play the other way, forcing Dan Vladar to freeze the puck. Shortly after, David Kampf beat Vladar in front on a feed to the crease from Drew O’Connor. Jamie Drysdale was manned-up with Kampf but couldn’t nullify the stick.

And now the Flyers are short-handed. Great. Bobby Brink is going for slashing. The Flyers get the kill, but with about 13 minutes left they trail 1-0 on the scoreboard, and 10-0 in the shot battle. Not a great start, and there haven’t been many signs of a momentum swing. Vancouver is winning races and battles consistently.

The Flyers are getting their asses kicked. If not for a lucky break on a failed keep that lead to an offside, the Flyers might’ve been hemmed in until whenever the Canucks finally scored. Philly is losing every 50/50 puck, and if they do happen to gather it, they’re just chipping right to whatever Canuck is on the half-wall. This is the worst they’ve looked in weeks.

Trevor Zegras gets the first Flyers SOG, a lob from the the left wing wall at the blue line with about 8:40 left, and Thatcher Demko wasn’t all that aggressive and left a rebound for Christian Dvorak but DVo just missed tying the game. BUT ON THE NEXT SHIFT NOAH CATES TIES THE GAME! Matvei Michkov carried the puck into the zone and dished to Cates from the right wing hashmarks, and Cates just let one go from that dot and it beat Demko.

As the broadcast shows a commercial for the Ed Snider Legacy Game on January 6th, and then we come back with a live read for suites at Xfinity Mobile Arena, now seems like a great time to tell you to GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THE PHLY SUITE TAKEOVER FOR THE DUCKS GAME!

A flurry of chances in the final few minutes, including Denver Barkey nearly netting his the first of his NHL career, highlighted a strong finish for the Flyers, who flat-out sucked for the first 12 or so minutes of the first period. The buzzer ends the period. Shots are 10-5 Canucks, with total attempts favoring Vancouver 25-13. But hey, the score is tied and Philly has the momentum.

Second period

Michkov is in alone after a turnover at the opposite blue line, but Demko closes the five-hole and denies Michkov. Boooo! A couple shift later Sean Couturier almost cashes in a great centering pass from Barkey off the faceoff, but once again, Demko says no. This period has started much better than the first.

CARL GRUNDTROM EXTENDS HIS GOAL STREAK TO FOUR GAMES! After a long shift in the offensive zone for the Coots line, the fourth line came on and continued the pressure, but just when it seemed the Canucks survived about two straight minutes on defense, the Flyers broke back in, with Travis Sanheim hwading it from defensive to offensive blue lines, and Nikita Grebenkin poking the puck ahead to Grundstrom, who went far-side, high from the bottom of the RW circle to make it 2-1.

Vancouver gets a power play with 12:41 left when Liam Ohgren falls with Sanheim’s stick in the area. The Canucks’ power play is the one aspect of their team that doesn’t stink. They’re operating at 20%, so the PK is really the biggest challenge, and the Flyers meet it on this occasion.

Michkov got another partial breakaway chance but was mostly angled to the outside. He tried to force his way to the middle and it looked like he went five-hole but I wonder if he was trying to go back against the grain to the left as he’s moving to the right but just ran out of room. Either way, he’s been noticeable lately, and that’s a start.

TRAVIS KONECNY COLLECTS HIS OWN REBOUND AND MAKES IT 3-1! After Vladar makes a big stop in front off a Dvorak turnover, the Flyers take it the other way. Drysdale finds TK in front, and Konecny first tried to direct it on net but wasn’t in great position so he turned and buried it on the forehand as the puck bounced to him off Demko’s pad.

After the Flyers were outshot 10-0 through the first 11+ minutes of the game, shots are now 20-19 in favor of Philadelphia with two minutes left, and now the Orange and Black are getting a PECOOOOO Power Play! Buuuuuut they nullify their own advantage after 29 seconds. Drysdale got a great opportunity for a one-timer but whiffed, leaving the puck right at the top of the offensive zone, forcing DryGuy the FlyGuy to get in Conor Garland’s way to prevent a breakaway, and that allows the officials to call interference.

Christian Dvorak gets a chance in front off a brilliant spinning pass off Zegras’ stick from below the goal line with 10 seconds left, but Demko squeezed it. The period ends with Philly leading 3-1, and with the Flyers having taken control of the game, outshooting the Canucks 18-9 in the period and 23-19 for the game.

Third period

Drysdale nearly had a chance at a breakaway out of the penalty box, but the pass was JUST ahead of him. He eventually caught up to it right in front of Demko but didn’t really get much of a chance with a defender right on him.

A shift later, Seeler thought there was going to be an icing and held up, allowing the Canucks to work the puck in front and eventually O’Connor made it 3-2. BUT AT THE OTHER END THE FLYERS CASH A 2-ON-1 TO RE-TAKE A TWO-GOAL LEAD! Bobby Brink crashed the far post, and Michkov found him alone in front after creating space on the rush. It’s 4-2 now. Quite the eventful opening 94 seconds of the third.

The Flyers really weren’t going into their usual shell while protecting the lead, but around the halfway point, the Canucks began asserting themselves like they hadn’t since the first half of the opening frame, and with 8:44 left in regulation, the Flyers ice the puck. Shots are 30-27, Philly.

After another failed one-timer by Drysdale (his stick blew up this time), Evander Kane gets an outlet pass, but Vladar robs him on the breakaway. Of course, the first man back was DryGuy, and he had to kick the puck behind the net and wait for armed reinforcements. The Flyers survived again.

The Flyers took a late penalty, and Vancouver pulled the goalie for the extra attacker, but Owen Tippett notched the ENG to put it away. But it’s not quite over! With the penalty now expired, the Canucks take advantage of a mad scramble and make it 5-3 with Vladar sprawled across the ice and 90 seconds left.

Dvorak adds a second empty-netter after some good stick work by Zegras and TK forced the turnover and headed the puck up to Dvo. And that’ll do it. Philly wins 6-3. what a night.

Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame