POSTGAME 5: Flyers Eke Out Shootout Win, 4-3

Playing the second half of a back-to-back set, the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Rangers via shootout, 4-3 (1-0), at Madison Square Garden on Sunday evening. The Flyers were unable to protect a three-goal lead in the third period and New York stormed back to force overtime. Kevin Hayes scored in the third round of the shootout to rescue a victory.

Early first-period goals spaced 50 seconds apart by Cam York (3rd goal of the season) and Owen Tippett (1st as a Flyer, 7th overall) gave the Flyers a 2-0 lead that they took to intermission. The second period was scoreless but dominated territorially by the Rangers.
In the opening minute of the third period, the Flyers very briefly took a three-goal lead on a Joel Farabee slam-dunk (16th) off the rush after passes from Oskar Lindblom to Travis Sanheim and from Sanheim to the goal-scorer. Thirty-eight seconds later, Artemi Panarin (19th) immediately cut the Flyers' lead back to two goals. With less than five minutes remaining in regulation, the Rangers generated goals just 12 seconds apart from Mika Zibanejad (26th) and Andrew Copp (16th).
Martin Jones was outstanding in net for the Flyers. He stopped 43 of 46 shots over 65 minutes and then went 3-for-3 in the shootout. He finished it out with an outstanding save on Filip Chytil in the final round of the shootout.
Igor Sheshterkin started out a little shakily but then settled in and played brilliantly as needed. The Vezina Trophy favorite finished with 23 saves in regulation and overtime. Sheshterkin then stopped the Flyers' first two shootout attempts before he was beaten by Hayes.
The Flyers went 0-for-3 on the power play. The Rangers also went 0-for-3.
TURNING POINT
After coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to force overtime, New York came out attacking in sudden death. Morgan Frost had two chances in the New York end and then Frost blocked a Panarin shot at the other end on a nerve-wracking and protracted sequence. With 33.3 seconds left in OT, Travis Sanheim received a high-stick to the mouth from Chris Kreider. The Flyers went on a 4-on-3 power play. A Farabee shot was blocked and the game went to a shootout. In the skills competition:
1st Round: Atkinson blasted a shot directly into the goalie. Zibanejad was denied by Jones' glove.
2nd Round: Tippett cut to the middle and was stopped by the glove. Panarin moved in deliberately and then missed the net as the puck hopped on its edge.
3rd Round: Hayes wristed a shot over Sheshterkin's shoulder. Filip Chytil was stoned at the left post by a full-extension skate save.
It was the Flyers' first shootout win and first shootout goal (on 18 attempts) of the season.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) Frank Vatrano had an early scoring chance in the first period. After a Rangers icing at 2:04, Sheshterkin turned aside an opportunity for Hayden Hodgson below the left circle.
A few shifts later, Jones had to react quickly to an Alexis Lafreniere blast off a Flyers turnover. On the next shift, Rangers heavyweight Ryan Reaves threw his weight around on Attard and Hodgson.
At 5:54, the Flyers earned the game's first goal. Thompson won a left circle draw cleanly back to York, who scored from the point.

Fifty seconds later, the Flyers made it 2-0. Jones made a save on Lafreniere at one end. At the other end, Tippett lost the puck, recovered it and fired a shot over Sheshterkin's glove. Kevin Hayes earned the lone assist at 6:44.

The Flyers very nearly made it a three goal lead shortly after the Tippett goal. Hodgson had a breakaway after Travis Sanheim made a good defensive play and triggered the counter. Shots on the goal were 5-5 at this point.
Chytil hit the post on a short side backhander. Atkinson then prevented a goal on a clutch -- but painful -- shot block on K'Andre Miller.
With 5:35 remaining in the first period, Jones erased a York miscue with a save on Jonny Brodzinski for his ninth save of the opening period. With 3:16 left, Jones cleanly absorbed an unscreened point blast from Jacob Trouba.
Sheshtekin made two great saves on Hayes -- especially on a rebound kick save -- with about 2:30 remaining in the opening period and Tipppett also lurking near the net. In the final 90 seconds, Jones made his third save of the period on Lafreniere.
2) First period shots on goal were 13-8 in the Rangers' favor but Jones looked quite sharp in the opening 20 minutes. Shots on goal were 24-14 in New York's favor (36.4 percent Corsi share for the Flyers). Scoring chances were 12-8 in the Rangers' favor (3-1 Rangers in high-danger chances).
3) The Flyers first shot on goal was a Tippett breakaway created by Hayes. At the other end, Jones denied Chris Kreider. Two shifts later, Jones denied the deadly Artemi Panarin after a Philadelphia neutral zone turnover.
The Rangers got the game's first power play at 9:07 of the second period. James van Riemsdyk was called for tripping New York defenseman Patrik Nemeth while forechecking in the Rangers zone. Jones made stops on Andrew Copp and Panarin and then two more on Vatrano late in the kill.
With the teams back at 5-on-5, Hayes rode Brodzinski off a puck. Shortly thereafter, Tippett got his second breakaway of the game. Once again, he was stopped by Sheshterkin.
Morgan Frost forced an Adam Fox turnover and Sheshterkin turned aside a quick shot from Noah Cates at the bottom o fhtof the left circle. Trouba hit the post -- the third time the Rangers drew iron on the period -- with about six minutes remaining in the middle frame.
A would-be Flyers counterattack was whistled down on a holding penalty called on Hodgson high in the defensive zone at 16:09. The Rangers won the first draw; a Fox blast was deflected out of play by Copp. A Zibanejad one-timer went just wide. Jones then stopped a Fox shot that was deflected on net. With 35 seconds remaining, Jones made a stop on Chytil without allowing a rebound. A failed cear by Ristolainen created some nervous moments as the penalty was about to expire but redeemed himself by boxing out Barclay Goodrow.
4) Apart from the Tippett breakaway, the Rangers had almost all the truly dangerous chances in the second period. Shots were 19-8 Rangers; shot attempts across all situations were 31-9 Rangers (22.5 percent Corsi for the Flyers) with the Rangers generating 10 shot attempts and six shots on their two power plays. Scoring chances were 17-3 Rangers (including six on the power play) and high-danger chances were 8-2 Rangers with two New York high-danger looks on the power play.
5) A patient play in the neutral zone by Oskar Lindblom paid off at the 44-second mark of the third period. Sanheim jumped into the play, took a pass on the tape and moved in. The defenseman then fed the puck across to Farabee for a slam-dunk and at 3-0 lead. However, a mere 38 seconds later, Panarin redirected a Trouba shot into the net to immediately cut the deficit to 3-1 at 1:22. K'Andre Miller got the secondary assist.

The Flyers went to their first power play at 2:38 as Reaves was called for a high-stick on Ristolainen Midway through, Sheshterkin absorbed a Konecny shot. The second unit was unable to generate any clean entries.
Philly went right back to the power play at 5:11. Panarin was called on a phantom hooking penalty. Jones had to make a shoulder save on a Copp shorthanded breakaway. The Rangers then missed connections on a 2-on-1. With the second unit on the ice, Atkinson was robbed near the net by Sheshterkin on a Ristolainen rebound.
Konecny was stripped of the puck by Miller after the defenseman was initially caught on the wrong side of the puck. Jones stopped a Kreider tracer off the counterattack at the other end.
There were nervous moments on a series of failed defensive zone exit or clearing opportunities by the Flyers. With 6:31 on the clock, Sanheim fired the puck from the defensive zone and it landed in the Flyers bench. Mike Yeo held the puck up to show the officials but there was nevertheless a conference at the scorer's table to determine there would not be a delay of game penalty.
The Rangers were attacking in the Flyers end when they accidentally lost the puck over the blueline and brought it back in offside at 5:02. The stoppage enabled Philadelphia to complete a line change at leisure.
New York moved to within 3-2 at 15:28. Ristolainen was jammed as he gloved down a pop fly in the neutral zone and New York moved forward on the attack. A Vatrano shot, which knocked Jones' mask ajar, produced a rebound that Zibanejad potted. Lindgren got the secondary assist. A mere 12 seconds later, Copp scored off the rush to forge a 3-3 tie. The assists went to Panarin and Goodrow at 15:40.
As the Flyers reeled and hung by a thread despite a timeout, Hodgson was called for tripping Lindgren. After a lengthy delayed call, the Flyers touched up at 16:49. The Flyers took a deep breath and stepped up on the kill.
With 16.6 seconds remaining, the Rangers got away with a seeming hand pass. Jones made a save on Brodzinski. The game went to overtime. Third period shots were 9-6 Rangers.