The Flyers' 5-4 overtime win in Ottawa on Thursday night was one of the most dramatic -- and, given the often lopsided flow of play for the game's first 50 minutes, improbable -- comeback victories in recent memory. The game also tied a franchise record: the team's fourth straight game that has been decided beyond regulation. Courtesy of Matvei Michkov's remarkable ability to score goals from almost any angle, the Flyers went 3-0-1 in that four-game span.
The Flyers captured shootout victories over the Tampa Bay Lightning and San Jose Sharks, dropped a five-round shootout to the Florida Panthers and then captured Thursday's victory despite a large-scale territorial disadvantage and a parade of penalties (particularly in the second period). The Ottawa and San Jose games, while both ended in victory, were nearly polar opposites in game play.
Against the Sharks, the Flyers seemed to be in firm control over the first period-and-a-half as they built a 3-0 lead. Somehow, even though the actual game play didn't change much, San Jose scored the next three goals to force overtime.
After starting the season by winning just one of the first seven games (1-5-1), the Flyers have brought their record up to 7-8-2. There are still issues that need to be addressed but the team's resilience, willingness to block shots and player-to-player dressing room cohesion remain beyond reproach.
Fedotov stands tall
Ivan Fedotov's stat line from Thursday's game may not look that impressive -- four goals against on 36 shots -- but this was the type of game where goalie statistics do not accurately capture the flow of play.
Fedotov had little chance of stopping a double-deflected shot that went in off teammate Travis Sanheim's skate. The Senators also earned their two power play markers, especially on a one-timer from the left dot that Drake Batherson hammered into the net.
On numerous occasions throughout the game, especially in stopping 13 of 14 shots in both the first and second periods, Fedotov had to sprawl out and use his entire 6-foot-7 frame to take away everything on the lower part of the net during scrambles in close.
Both of Fedotov's victories this season have come in games where he was not the originally planned starting goalie but got pressed into service. It happened in Tampa after Aleksei Kolosov sustained a lower-body injury at practice the previous day. It happened again on Thursday when Samuel Ersson (lower body injury, day-to-day) was deemed unavailable for a matchup with the Sens.
The best performance Fedotov turned in by far during his brief late-season stint with the Flyers this past spring, was a relief appearance in his NHL debut. Of course, like every goaltender, Fedotov prefers having ample prep time ahead of playing in a game. But, if nothing else, he's shown that he can deliver in a pinch.
Silver Stick: Johnson on the cusp of coveted milestone
Assuming he is in the starting lineup when the Flyers host the Buffalo Sabres at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday evening, Flyers defenseman Erik Johnson will play in his 1,00th career NHL regular season game.
A total of 402 players -- 398 skaters and four goaltenders -- have played 1,000 regular season games in the NHL. Johnson is on the brink of being the 403rd to reach the milestone in the NHL's 107-year history. He'll become the fifth to reach Silver Stick status this season, joining former Flyers defenseman Luke Schenn, Tyler Myers, Mikael Backlund and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
On Sunday, look for a special feature article on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com looking at Johnson and others to reach the Silver Stick milestone while wearing a Flyers' uniform.
Phantoms Focus
Coming off a late-game comeback and last-minute overtime victory of their own, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (6-3-3) are in the midst of a stretch of three divisional games in four nights.
Ian Laperriere's club is on the road on Friday to play the Springfield Thunderbirds (4-8-1). The team then faces a very challenging turnaround, going back to Allentown immediately after playing the Thunderbirds to host the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears (10-3-1) on Saturday.
For Saturday's game, the Phantoms will likely have to keep things very simple, receive excellent goaltending and generate some opportunistic offense to battle through the fatigue factor.
Entering the weekend, the Phantoms are riding a seven-game point streak (5-0-2) with five wins in their last six games. It will be a tough test to extend that stretch to nine straight games. Springfield cannot be taken lightly despite their record, while the Bears remain the measuring stick against whom all other clubs strive to compete succesfully.
