Unlike Monday night, the Flyers gave Philadelphia something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving eve. After a slow start all around, the Flyers came out on top with explosive goal scoring and exceptional goaltending for a 4-2 win.
Our first period was, as usual, less than ideal. The early minutes of the game had some good maintenance of the puck for Philadelphia, yet it quickly turned into turnovers and plenty of chances for Florida. Dan Vladar stopped this game from the slippery slope of a first period that we normally face, saving 14 of 15 shots in the first 20 minutes alone. Brad Marchand got one behind Vladar after an attempt by Sam Bennett was loose and slid under Philadelphia’s Nick Seeler, basically landing on Marchand’s stick. A smart, urgent play by Marchand, yet no true possibility of Vladar stopping it. Defensively, we had virtually no possession of the puck. We were only able to record 7 of our 18 total shots on goal in the first period.
Things began to even out in the second period, with both teams only earning 5 shots on goal. After an early Panthers goal for their second of the night, our defense came together to steady things up and some key offensive plays got the Flyers on the board. Emil Andrae earned his first goal of the year on a messy play in front of the net. Drysdale and Tippett earned the assists, their 7th and 8th of the year, respectively.
After another messy goal, initially looking like Emil Andrae had earned his second of both the night and the year, Michkov earned the tying point for the Flyers. Andrae earned the assist, and Drysdale recorded his second assist of the night.
Although things stayed steady in the third, with 6 shots for Philadelphia and 7 for Florida. Yet as the Flyers looked like they were about to go to overtime for the seemingly hundredth time this year, Tyson Foerster scored his 8th of the year with just 46 seconds left to give the Flyers the lead. This was his 4th goal in the last 4 games as he seems to launch a hot streak. After a slow return from his injury, he seems to be back and better than before.
The Flyers have had a habit this week of scoring back-to-back goals, and last night was no different. 21 seconds after Foerster’s leading goal, Couturier gave the Flyers a 4-2 lead and win for the night.
Dan Vladar made a total of 25 saves on 27 shots, really standing on his head to secure a Flyers’ win against a skilled Florida Panthers.
They certainly gave fans plenty to be thankful for heading into Thanksgiving. The Flyers head back up north on Black Friday for a 4:00pm puckdrop at the New York Islanders, the first of this weekend’s back-to-back games. They are still on the road Saturday again against the Devils for a 7:00pm puckdrop.
Philly's Next Shift 