Postgame 5: Flyers Cool Off Jets, 2-0

Missing two key starters from the lineup and playing their fourth game in six nights, the Philadelphia Flyers shut out the Winnipeg Jets, 2-0, at Canada Life Centre on Saturday night. Cam Atkinson scored two goals and Sam Ersson turned back 35 shots for his third shutout of the season.

The Flyers (23-14-6) have won three games in a row and are 4-1-1 over their last six games. The Jets saw their eight-game winning streak and 14-game point streak come to an end.

There was a feeling out process early in the game. The Flyers stepped up as the first period moved along. After killing an early penalty and getting their legs under them, the Flyers took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission.

After two previous prime scoring chances in the first period, Cam Atkinson (9th goal of the season) ended a 26-game goal drought. Ryan Poehling put the puck at the net and Atkinson re-directed it home for a 1-0 lead at 14:47 of the first period. The assists went to Poehling and Joel Farabee.

For much of the second period, the Flyers did more than just hold their own. Philadelphia controlled the play and outchanced the Jets, expanding their lead to 2-0 in the process. The Jets made a latter-period push but the Flyers took their two-goal lead into the third period.

Philly made it five straight games with a power play goal as they opened a 2-0 lead at 2:52 of the second period. Morgan Frost measured a shot from up high in the attack zone. Atkinson potted the rebound (PPG, 10th goal of the season, second goal of the game). Frost and Cam York collected the apples.

Connor Hellebuyck played well for the Jets but took the loss. He stopped 34 of 36 shots.

The Flyers went 1-for-2 on the power play. The Jets went 0-for-3.

Neither Sean Couturier (undisclosed minor injury) nor Jamie Drysdale (illness) were available for Saturday's game. Bobby Brink and Marc Staal returned to the lineup.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

The Flyers, playing without Couturier and dressing 11 forwards (three centers) and seven defensemen, juggled line combinations through much of the game. Below are the combinations that skated on the first rotation of lines.

74 Owen Tippett - 21 Scott Laughton - 11 Travis Konecny

86 Joel Farabee - 25 Ryan Poehling - 89 Cam Atkinson

71 Tyson Foerster - 48 Morgan Frost - 19 Garnet Hathaway

44 Nicolas Deslauriers - [rotation] - 10 Bobby Brink

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim

24 Nick Seeler - 26 Sean Walker
5 Egor Zamula- 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
18 Marc Staal

33 Samuel Ersson
[79 Carter Hart]

TURNING POINT

It was hard to tell who was more excited by the drought-busting Atkinson goal that gave the Flyers the all-important first goal of the game. The Flyers were the better team for roughly the first 35 minutes of the game. Ersson shut the door the rest of the way.

POSTGAME 5

1) One minute into the first period, Tyson Foerster was called for hooking Alex Iafallo near the Flyers' net. The Jets quickly went to the power play. Gabe Vilardi had a low center slot scoring chance with 50 seconds left on the power play. Ersson made a glove save. The kill was otherwise strong. Through four minutes, shots on goal were 3-2 Jets.

At 5:36, Ersson denied Vladislav Namestnikov near the left post. At 7:10, after Sanheim broke up a 2-on-1 for Winnipeg, Seeler ripped a point shot on net through moderate traffic. Hellebuyck tracked it for a routine save. Ersson gloved down a Nikolaj Ehlers shot from the left slot after the Flyers were beaten in rush coverage.

With 8:21 remaining in the first period, Atkinson put a backhander on net near the left post off a nice pass from Zamula. Atkinson had another scoring chance at 14:40. Seven seconds later, Atkinson scored.

Shortly after Atkinson's goal, Ersson made perhaps his toughest save of the first period. The Flyers' netminder robbed Gabe Vilardi on a Grade A scoring chance.

2) First period shots on goal were 16-11 Flyers. Shot attempts were 26-21 Flyers.  Scoring chances were 12-10 Flyers. High-danger scoring chances were 4-3 Flyers. Faceoffs were 17-8 Flyers (led by Laughton's 7-for-10).

3) Frost generated a nice offensive zone entry off the rush. Neal Pionk slashed/high sticked him for a minor penalty. Atkinson cashed in at 2:52 to make it a 2-0 lead. On his next shift, Atkinson had a bid for a natural hat trick but Hellebuyck stopped his 22-foot shot. 

At 7:02, Tippett was denied near the left post after receiving a return pass from Sanheim on a give-and-go.  Frost backhanded a shot on net at 7:36. Hellebuyck held for a stoppage. Shots on goal were 9-2 Flyers at this point. On the next shift, Poehling made a strong defensive play on Namestnikov just inside the Flyers' blueline.

Playing his 500th career NHL game, Hathaway set up shop in front of the Winnipeg net and jockeyed with Lowry at a stoppage of play at  8:45

At 8:55, the Flyers went back to the power play. Philly had a lot of time in the offensive zone but they were unable to extend the lead. The Jets had a 3-on-2 rush after the penalty expired but the Flyers escaped damage. The next two shifts were spent in the Philadelphia zone.

Sanheim set up Konecny point blank off the rush at 14:30. Konecny had time and space but didn't get the shot where he wanted it. Atkinson had a promising looking rush but the poke was poke-checked and Philly went offside at 15:54.

A line Deslauriers, Laughton and Brink, with Staal and Sanheim on the blueline got into trouble with about three minutes left in the middle frame. Ersson had to make several saves. At 18:02, Ersson made an excellent save on an open Josh Morrissey from center slot.

Winnipeg went to their second power play at 18:40. Morrissey went around Foerster up high in the Philadelphia zone and Foerster hooked the Jets defenseman for his second minor penalty of the game. Hathaway blocked a shot in the final five seconds of the period. The Jets took 49 seconds of 5-on-4 power play time into the third period.

4) Second period shots on goal were 16-11 Flyers (31-22 Flyers overall). Shot attempts were 25-22 Flyers (53-43 Flyers overall). Scoring chances were 12-5 Flyers (24-15 Flyers overall). High-danger scoring chances were 7-2 Flyers (11-5 Flyers overall). Faceoffs were 10-6 Winnipeg (23-18 Flyers overall).

5)  The Flyers killed off the remainder of the carryover Foerster minor. With play back at 5-on-5, Frost tipped an Atkinson shot at the net. The puck bounced in front of Hellebuyck, who knocked it down carefully.

Rasmus Kupari had a good look at the net off an Axel Jonsson-Fjallby setup. Ersson made the save. At 3:40, Frost set up Foerster in the right slot. He was unable to finish. 

At 5:42, Ersson stopped Cole Perfetti near the right post. Ersson gloved down a Morrissey shot from the left circle at 7:52, holding for a stoppage. Third period shots were 5-2 at this juncture.The next shift saw Winnipeg pressuring again in the Philadelphia zone

Zamula was stripped of the puck at the offensive blueline. Perfetti took the puck the other way and went hard to the net at 8:30. Ersson made his 29th save of the game.  At 10:21, shots on goal in the period were 7-3 Jets.

Atkinson came close again to a hat trick goal. Then with 8:31 left, Hellebuyck made a save on Foerster from the right circle.  It was the Flyers' 36th shot on goal of the game. At the other end, Dominic Toninato was unable to finish in close.The Jets went offside at 14:03.

The Flyers had a very long defensive zone shift  but kept play to the outside -- mostly along the boards -- but then iced the puck at 16:16. The Flyers got through it. Atkinson iced the puck. With 2:36 left, the Jets pulled Hellebuyck.

At 18:45, Sanheim batted the puck over the glass deep in the defensive zone. He was called for a delay of game minor and the Jets had a 6-on-4 for the remainder of regulation. Konecny made two critical clearing passes. At 19:49, Ersson stopped a Morrissey one-timer off an Ehlers pass.

Third period shots on goal were 13-5 Jets (36-35 Flyers overall). High-danger scoring chances were 6-1 Jets(10-10 overall overall). Faceoffs were 10-9 Jets (23-18 F 32-28 Flyers overall).