Highlights Beyond Highlights- Oct. 31 vs. Blues

We start late in the first period when the Flyers were dealing with a problem. This clip starts with a faceoff after an icing call; at this point, the five players on the ice had already been out there for a full minute. The Flyers were nearly able to clear on several occasions, but St. Louis kept the puck in by inches each time. Then Nick Seeler loses his stick at the blue line, so now the Flyers are both tired and defending with 4 ½ players. After a bit, Farabee gives his stick to Seeler, so now at least both defensemen are equipped. Eventually, Seeler fully commits and fully absorbs a shot from the right circle, the rebound of which is cleared and the Flyers are finally able to change after nearly two minutes on the ice. It was one of six blocks on the night for Seeler, who was the Independence Blue Cross Player of the Game on the radio broadcast.

Next is a look at Matvei Michkov on the power play in the third period. The deception here is what makes him so dangerous – he has the puck facing away from the net, so he shouldn’t be a threat, but he has the option to either pass to the point or keep the puck himself. He simply coasts patiently until the St. Louis defender overcommits, then turns in towards the slot and maneuvers himself to a place where he scored from in Washington last Wednesday. This time he misses just wide, but a few seconds later he just completely undresses Matthew Kessel en route to another scoring chance.

Finally, a clip that is one of the reasons this feature started happening – you’ve seen the game-winning goal highlight, but we want to back it up a few more seconds to show you how this play started.

It’s Jordan Kyrou skating the puck out of the zone for the Blues, and he has his eye on a lane up the middle of the ice. That’s where Joel Farabee comes in. Farabee turned around and started skating backwards like a third defenseman while spreading his wingspan and getting his stick way out to his right, effectively shutting down that lane. When Kyrou pulled the puck back to regroup, it hopped off his stick, giving Scott Laughton the opportunity to grab it and go the other way.

That started the sequence that led to the goal, but that start doesn’t even come without Farabee putting himself in that defensive position. If Farabee isn’t there, or even if he is but he’s skating forward or not otherwise defending Kyrou that way, then Kyrou just skates ahead and enters the zone or plays the puck in. Instead, Kyrou tried to pull away from the pressure, and Laughton may well have just taken the puck away even if it didn’t hop away from Kyrou.

Honorable mention to Laughton for protecting the puck from two Blues after the zone entry and to Brink for outmuscling Ryan Suter, who’s not bad, in front of the net to get the deflection. No doubt it was a thrill for Brink, a Minnesota native who was playing youth and high school hockey in the state while Suter was helping the Minnesota Wild to five consecutive playoff appearances from 2013-17.