Postgame 5: Flyers Grind Out 3-2 Win over Bruins

In a game with playoff-like intensity, the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Boston Bruins, 3-2, at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon. Philly held three separate one-goal needs before nailing down the victory.

Up and down the lineup, Flyers players put forth a hard-working, patient and resilient effort. Whenever Boston pushed back, the Flyers found ways to respond. Forwards and defensemen, line after line, defense pair after D pair, turned in yeoman work to keep the Bruins at bay for most of the game. By the third period, the Flyers started generating noticeably more attack time.

The first period was a tight-checking 20 minutes of hockey. Boston had a slight territorial edge, but play was even overall. Neither team scored.

In the middle frame, time and space remained hard to find. The Flyers grinded out the period and eventually took a lead on a power play marker.

Stationed beside the net, Travis Konecny (PPG, 29th) gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead with a power play goal at 18:16 of the second period. A combination of hard work -- Ryan Poehling keeping the play alive up high, Scott Laughton setting up a scoring chance for Tyson Foerster in the center slot -- and good luck (Foerster fanned on the shot but it functioned like a pass to an open Konecny) added up to eventual the goal.

Boston's Justin Brazeau (5th) goal of the season beat Egor Zamula one-on-one, took the puck to the net and scored at 10:19 of the third period to tie the score at 1-1. The assists went to Charlie Coyle and Mason Lohre.

Konecny struck again (30th goal of the season) for a 2-1 lead at 15:16. The play started with a good play in the defensive zone to prevent a turnover. Frost passed to Konecny, and went toward the net. Konecny's shot from the left side ramped up a defender's stick and into the net. The assists went to Frost and Owen Tippett.

Boston got the goal right back at 16:12. The Flyers were caught puck watching and Danton Heinen (14th goal of the season), moved untouched into prime shooting position. Taking a pass from Morgan Geekie, Heinen ripped the puck past Samuel Ersson into the net. The assists went to Geekie and Jake DeBrusk as Boston re-tied the game at 2-2.

At 18:31, the Flyers finally went ahead to stay. From the left circle, Tyson Foerster (18th goal of the season) wristed home a rising shot off the rush. The lone assist went to Ryan Poehling.

Samuel Ersson earned the win in goal, making 18 saves on 20 shots. Linus Ullmark denied 26 of 29 shots in a losing cause.

The Flyers won the special teams battle on the day. Philly went 1-for-3 on the power play. The Bruins were 0-for-2.

Sean Couturier returned to the starting lineup after being scratched in each of the two previous games. Nicolas Deslauriers exited the lineup.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

74 Owen Tippett - 48 Morgan Frost - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 21 Scott Laughton - 10 Bobby Brink
71 Tyson Foerster - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway
27 Noah Cates - 14 Sean Couturier - 62 Olle Lycksell

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
5 Egor Zamula - 77 Erik Johnson
50 Adam Ginning - 23 Ronnie Attard

33 Samuel Ersson
[32 Felix Sandström]

TURNING POINT

Through the first 40 minutes of the game, the Flyers showed a lot of patience and willingness to battle for space on both sides of the puck. The Konecny power play goal put Philly ahead, but it was still anyone's game entering the third period.

In the third period, the Flyers played their best hockey from an offensive standpoint. Even as the Bruins scored a pair of goals to forge 1-1 and 2-2 deadlocks, the Flyers kept their foot on the gas. On this day, a very good Boston team was the one that blinked first in a hard-fought match.

POSTGAME 5

1) The Flyers started the game with the Couturier line. Shots were 1-0 Boston as the Bruins iced the puck at 2:10. At 3:53, Foerster hit the far side post from the right circle.

Egor Zamula was called for interference in the defensive zone at 4:59. Late in the kill, Ersson made back-to-back saves on Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle. The PKers also blocked a couple of shot attempts, most notably a clutch block by Konecny.

At 9:52, Pastnak missed the net on a one-timer from the left circle. Flyers got their first shot on goal of the game at 10:51 on a routine shot by Farabee.

Cates had a strong forechecking shift and took a defender to the net with him at 13:40. Shots on goal were now 4-3 Flyers.

Complaining about a non-penalty on Johnson, Marchand slammed his stick on the boards as he sat on the bench. He received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at 14:00. The power play failed to generate any pressure.

At 17:09, after Ersson froze a puck near the net, Couturier got into a scrum in front. No penalties were called.

Boston had a bang-bang chance off an offensive zone faceoff. A moment later, at 17:13, York was called for slashing Pavel Zacha. The Bruins went to their second power play. With 33 seconds left, at 18:40, Konecy drew a holding penalty on James van Riemsdyk during a counterattack. The Flyers took 40 seconds of carryover time into the second period.

2) First period shots on goal were 6-5 Flyers. Shot attempts were 17-12 Bruins. Scoring chances were 10-4 Boston High-danger scoring chances were tied at 3-3. Faceoffs were 10-8 Boston. The Flyers blocked seven Boston shot attempts and the Bruins missed the net on three attempts.

3) The Flyers were unable to do anything during the brief carryover power play. After play moved back to 5-on-5, Frost started a near tic-tac-toe play but Konecny missed the net from 12 feet in the low right slot.

At 1:50, Hathaway landed a crunching hit on the offensive side boards on Matt Grzelcyk. Through 5:17, shots on goal were 1-1 Flyers.

Poehling put on a burst of speed and left a drop pass for Hathaway. Ullmark made the save at 7:19. Shots on goal for the game at this juncture -- through 27:19 of play -- were tied at 7-7.

Boston generated a scramble near the net with Johnson down on the ice after getting hit by a rising shot. On the next shift, Couturier created a chance by taking the puck to the net. Through 10:01, shots on goal were 4-3 Bruins.

Boston hemmed the Flyers in their own end for a prolonged time. The pressure ended with a Zacha wrister from the center slot at 12:39. The Couturier line generated some forechecking time on the next shift.

Attard missed the net with an open look at the top of the right circle. Tippett self-created a chance off the rush at 14:37. Frost tucked the rebound wide. Through 16:21, shots on goal were 6-5 Bruins.

Couturier won a battle behind the net and Cates had a chance in front. At 16:43, Cates was high-sticked by Andrew Peeke.The power play came through for a 1-0 lead at 18:15.

With 25.1 seconds left in the period, after Johnson broke up a play in the defensive zone, Laughton broke loose on a breakaway. Ullmark made a sprawling save to keep the Flyers lead at one goal.

4) Second period shots on goal were 8-6 Flyers (13-12 Flyers overall). Shot attempts were 15-15 (33-26 Boston overall). Scoring chances were 11-8 Flyers (18-15 Bruins overall). High-danger scoring chances were 6-3 Flyers (8-6 Flyers overall). Faceoffs were 10-9 Bruins (20-17 Bruins overall).

5) Hathaway had a scoring chance off the rush on the second shift of the third period. Tippett followed suit on the next shift as Frost drew a defender with him. The Couturier line had a strong shift of their own with Lycksell redirecting a shot just wide from five feet.

The teams traded off rushes as time moved past four minutes into the third period. Farabee backhanded a shot at the net at 5:14. On the next shift, Ersson denied Trent Frederic in close on a shift where Boston get set up in the Philly zone. Through 6:50, shots on goal were 5-4 Boston.

At the eight-minute mark, Philly got their forecheck going. Seven seconds later, with Hathaway going to the net, Laughton put a right circle shot to the net. Ullmark held for a stoppage.

Couturier made a strong play in the neutral zone. Cates was denied in close at 9:06. Boston's Brazeau tied the score at 10:19. The next several shifts were evenly played. A TV timeout ensued at 13:46.

The Couturier line staged another good forechecking shift. Konecny scored again at 15:16, Frost sprung Tippett for a breakaway chance. Ullmark preserved the tie. That is,until Foerster untied the score at 18:31. The Bruins called timeout after the goal.

The Bruins pulled Ullmark for an extra attacker. Philly nailed down the hard-fought win.

Third period shots on goal were 16-7 Flyers (29-20 Flyers overall). Shot attempts were 26-18 Flyers (53-52 Flyers overall). Scoring chances were 10-7 Flyers (26-25 Flyers overall). High-danger scoring chances were 7-4 Flyers (15-10 Flyers overall). Faceoffs were 8-7 Bruins (28-25 Bruins overall).