Instant reactions: Tyson Foerster leads Flyers to 6-3 win on Bernie Parent Night

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Well, that certainly was nothing like the Flyers-Devils matchups I grew up with, and what a time for a big win against a division rival, on the night the Flyers honor Bernie Parent.

The New Jersey Devils struck first, with Timo Meier lighting the lamp in the first half of the first period, but then the Philadelphia Flyers exploded for four goals, three of them in 26 seconds, to take a 4-1 lead through 20 minutes. Tyson Foerster scored a pair after Noah Cates tied the game and Matvei Michkov gave Philly the lead. Crazy pace through most of the first, with five total goals and seven minor penalties called. The Orange & Black have played some boring games this season, but tonight was not one of them.

From there, Bobby Brink scored the Flyers’ fifth goal, and the Flyers held on.

But the biggest story tonight? NO OVERTIME!

First period

One hundred career games for Matvei Michkov, they grow up so fast. Here’s hoping he marks the occasion with a few highlights for the home crowd.

Three minutes into the contest we’re yet to see a shot on either Dan Vladar or Jake Allen. The Devils pick up the game’s first three of shots before we hit the four minute mark, both stopped by Vladar.

After a great chance for Emil Andrae, the Devils bring play the other way and draw a penalty, with Cam York headed to the box for hooking Paul Cotter behind the Philadelphia net. After a few chances in front stopped by Vladar in traffic, New Jersey’s pressure was relentless following a failed clear by Sean Couturier, and eventually Timo Meier puts home his own rebound to make it 1-0.

That’s now seven straight games the Flyers have allowed the first goal. They’ve been good coming back, but not necessarily the best trend regardless.

After a slow first few minutes, NJ now leads the shot battle 8-2.

THE FLYERS ANSWER IMMEDIATELY! Noah Cates nets his fifth of the year, slamming home an Egor Zamula rebound two shifts after falling behind. Good to see Zamula act quickly to get the puck to the net and create a rebound in his third shift since returning to the lineup for the first time since the Calgary game on November 2nd.

MICHKOV MAKES IT 2-1 ON THE BREAKAWAY! The Mad Russian breaks a 3-game pointless streak by getting free in the neutral zone, receiving a pass from Coots, then racing in to beat Allen five-hole.

NOW IT’S 3-1! TYSON FOERSTER SCORES ON A ONE-TIMER NINE SECONDS AFTER MICHKOV, AND THEN FOERSTER MAKES IT 4-1, NOW! PHILLY HAS THREE GOALS IN 26 SECONDS! INSANITY! Also, Allen should’ve had that last one. Steve Jacot called it “Ersson-esque,” allowing a wrist shot (and not necessarily Tyson’s best) from the right wing circle off the rush to beat him far side under his armpit on his stick hand.

Maybe the Flyers should just come out with an empty net and concede the first goal. They’re just better when they’re fighting back.

PECOOOOOOO! Now Philly is headed to the power play, with Arseny Gritsyuk gets called for hooking. It has been ALL Flyers since the Devils’ opening power play goal, and now the Flyguys can add another one with the man advantage.

Allen appears to be warming up, denying several decent chances by Cates and Michkov on this Flyers power play, which ends without a fifth first period goal.

We’ve got a neutral zone scrum with 1:34 left in the period, when Gritsyuk tackles Michkov in retaliation for a slash as the two came up the ice. Both are sent to the box, for roughing, and Mich getting the extra two for the slash. Gritsyuk definitely got his money’s worth with the takedown, and draws a power play for the Devils. The Flyers get out of the period up 4-1, and will have 26 seconds of PK time to begin the second.

Damn. That was a wild period.

The Flyers had only managed to score four-plus goals in a game six times in the first 19. This is the first time they’ve netted four in a single period this year, having scored three in the first against Montreal, three in the second against Seattle, and three in the third (two ENGs) against Florida.

According to Twitter, three goals in 26 seconds is the fastest streak in Flyers history. Foerster’s two goals in 17 seconds is the shortest time between goals for a Flyer since Jeff Carter scored twice in 13 seconds against the Atlanta Thrashers in 2008.

Second period

The Devils open the period on the attack, and Vladar makes a nice save on a shot from the high middle with a little traffic coming in. But that’ll do it for the penalty time, successful kill for Philly.

After the kill, Christian Dvorak nearly makes it 5-1 on a feed from Trevor Zegras in stride, and shortly after Travis Konecny takes a stick to the face and the Flyers are on the PECOOOO Power Play!

Travis Konecny scooped up a loose puck off a high flip into the neutral zone and got himself a chance on the break, but Allen stoned him with the glove. He was going down but threw his glove forward to direct it out of danger. Allen has really picked it since the rough fourth goal. But the Flyers are keeping up the pressure, possessing the puck and moving it well in the o-zone. We’re headed to a break with 13:28 left, and Philly leading the shot battle 16-12.

After putting eight shots on Vladar in the first half of the first period, the Devils have only managed four shots in the almost 20 minutes since. But NJ has picked up the pressure out of the stoppage, trapping the Flyers without a change for well over a minute, but got one attempt in on the Flyers’ netminder, and they finally get a change and get back going the other way.

Foerster had a chance to complete the hat trick with a feed from Konecny down low and Allen behind the net, but Nico Hischier poked the puck away at the last second. I’m blaming the NBCSP “Hat Trick Alert” graphic on the score bug, more so than the Devils’ captain.

BUT BOBBY BRINK WON’T BE DENIED! 5-1! Coots does a great job controlling the puck on the wall in the neutral zone and hits Brink in stride as he enters the zone and Bobby Orr Brink finishes it off, putting a knuckling puck over Allen’s blocker. Really strong work along the wall by the Flyers’ captain to fight off NJ’s checking and find his winger.

Hischier makes it 5-2 following a little bit of controversy, as Sanheim was skating behind his net and gets shoved from behind into the wall, creating an opportunity for the Devils, on which they capitalized. Sanheim was PISSED coming off the ice. Personally, after the no-call and still holding a three-goal lead, if I was Rick Tocchet, I’d send out Deslauriers and Hathaway and Seeler and tell them to just grab the first guy they see off the draw. But I’m also a violent lunatic.

Vladar makes a big kick save after some good puck movement in the Flyers’ zone to keep it 5-2, and then makes another big one with 1:03 left in the period. Brink’s goal is looking huge right now, with the Devils pushing in the closing minutes of the middle frame.

Third period

About seven minutes into the period both the Devils and Flyers have a few shots and chances, and NJ is starting to take over a little bit. Shots are 28-22 Devils, and Vladar is certainly coming up big protecting the lead.

Dan Vladar makes a great sprawling save on a 2-on-1 when Sanheim’s failed slide allowed a cross-crease pass, as continues to impress in his 13th start for Philadelphia.

With 9:22 left, Garnet Hathaway gets a shot on goal, and then gets tripped up in the corner by Simon Nemec. If nothing else, this will be a great way to kill two minutes off the clock, but it would be cool to see Foerster get that third goal, too.

So much for killing time. Vladar has been tested quite a few times here by the short-handed Devils, but he stays strong. No goal on the man advantage, but the Flyers still lead 5-2 with 7:22 left. It feels a little more tense than it should, though.

Jake Allen comes out of the net with more than six minutes left, and the Devils make it 5-3 on a goal that deflected off Hischier off a point shot from Simon Nemec, and now it’s a game. I wish Vladar had made that save, but it seemed to take a crazy direction-change.

After a lot of tense moments, the Flyers clear the puck to center SPRINGING TREVOR ZEGRAS ON A BREAKAWAY, AND ZEGRAS FIRES IT OVER ALLEN’S GLOVE! 6-3! Great work by Zegras to feel the back pressure and fool the goaltender into thinking deke before popping one up and in. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

With 2:00 left, Matvei Michkov takes a decent hit nowhere near the puck, so the Flyers can either get Foerster his hat trick, or finish the game up a man. But they’ll have to maintain the zone to avoid any more goalie pull shenanigans. Foerster is on the bench as its the Michkov unit that starts, and I’m offended by that decision.

The game ends without a cascade of the fans’ hats, and the Flyers earn a REGULATION WIN!

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