After grinding out an overtime win against the Golden Knights on Saturday, the Flyers were back in action on Sunday. Hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers wanted to extend their current winning streak to five games. It was the first game in Philadelphia for Ivan Provorov, who was traded to Columbus in the off-season. Provy spent six years with the team before the trade that sent him to Colombus. He was welcomed warmly back to the City of Brotherly Love. That was all the love he would receive, though, as the puck would drop and the game would begin.
To the Action
The early going of the first period was more of a feeling-out process for the Flyers, as this was the second time they faced the Blue Jackets this season. In their previous meeting, the Flyers would win by a final score of 4-2. Flyers goalie Sam Ersson would face a few tough shots that he managed to get a hold of and keep the Blue Jackets off the board in the early stages.
Philadelphia would open the scoring when a pass to Joel Farabee would give him a step on a defender and put him in a position to throw a backhanded shot on net. This gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead a little more than five minutes into the opening period. Columbus would respond, though, as Alexandre Texier would find a spot in the high slot and rip a wrister past Ersson to tie the game at one apiece before the end of the first period.
On the Brink
The Flyers got a power play early in the second period. Rookie Bobby Brink ripped home a shot to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead. Brink, who had been a healthy scratch for a couple of games, was activated for this game in place of Morgan Frost. About five minutes later, a great poke check by Sean Walker would spring Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway on a two-man break.
A couple of back-and-forth passes between the two would give Poehling a shot that he would tuck into the net. After a brief review, the call of a good goal would stand, and Philadelphia would have a 3-1 lead. Columbus would cut the lead back down to one goal after a scrum in front of the net led to a loose puck on the stick of Ivan Provorov. His shot would hit teammate Boone Jenner and go in. Jenner was given credit for the goal. That goal would make it a 3-2 game at the end of the second period of play.
In the End
The third period would open with strong pressure from the Blue Jackets attempting to tie the game. However, Ersson would weather the storm and keep his team in front. Just before the seven-minute mark of the final period, Travis Konecny would hustle on a loose puck as the Blue Jackets were changing defensemen. TK waited patiently for Tyson Foerster to get in front of the net before throwing a wrist shot high and tight to the post. It would find its way in, giving Philadelphia another two-goal lead. This time, the score was 4-2 in favor of the Flyers.
Columbus would empty their net in the waning minutes, hoping to put the game within reach. The Flyers would win a key faceoff in their zone. Cam York would throw a puck down the ice that would, after a strange bounce off the boards. The puck finds its way in to put the game away for Philadelphia. The final horn would sound, with the Philadelphia Flyers winning by a final score of 5-2.
Make It Five in a Row
This game was the Flyers’ fifth consecutive win. The team hasn’t accomplished this feat in roughly five and a half years. The special teams’ play was the highlight of the night. Philadelphia went 1-4 on the powerplay and a perfect 5-5 on the penalty kill. Sam Ersson would stop 20 of 22 shots faced to help his team put away a very down Columbus side. The win pushed Philadelphia to second place in the Metropolitan Division and fifth overall in the conference. The young talent is starting to find its way more and more as the season progresses. The Flyers will have the night off Monday before making their way up I-95 to New York to face the Islanders on Tuesday night.
Austin is the host of The Attacking Third (Tuesday nights at 9 pm). His passion for soccer started in the early 2000s because of his brother and father’s influence. He is a dedicated fan of all Philly sports and also is a fan of gaming.
