The Flyers’ line shuffling should cease to exist when it comes to the first line. A hat trick from Sean Couturier as part of a five-point night for both he and Travis Konecny. Toss in a few points for Matvei Michkov and the Flyers defeat the Wild and end a six-game winless streak in a wild 7-5 win.
The basics
First period: 1:18- Sean Couturier (Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Konecny), 3:51- Nick Seeler (Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov)
Second period: 14:54- Brock Faber (Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek), 15:26- Marcus Foligno (Declan Chisholm), 18:16- Matvei Michkov (Sean Couturier, Owen Tippett), 19:56- Joel Eriksson Ek (Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy) (PPG)
Third period: 2:17- Marcus Foligno (Zach Bogosian, Jonas Brodin), 4:55- Travis Konecny (Morgan Frost, Owen Tippett) (PPG), 8:26- Sean Couturier (Travis Konecny, Nick Seeler), 13:27- Jake Middletton (Kirill Kaprizov), 17:36- Rasmus Ristolainen (Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny), 19:00- Sean Couturier (Noah Cates, Travis Sanheim)
SOG: 26 (MIN) – 23 (PHI)
Some takeaways
Lots more puck support and pace
The Flyers looked to be playing with a lot more structure in the game, something that coach JOhn Tortorella was looking for most of this six game winless streak. The neutral zone looked a lot busier and muddled for the Wild and the Flyers more often than not played as a five-man unit. And the forecheck was present after the first two goals, with Philadelphia eager to get three and not try and prevent the Wild from getting their first.
Perhaps the strangest thing was seeing all these pluses and looking at the shot clock and realizing they didn’t have all that many more shots in the first period than they did in the opening period in Washington. In fact, just four shots 29 minutes into the game versus the 15 Minnesota had. Funny how a few early goals can change totally change the optics.
Two goals against too quickly far too often
The Flyers probably didn’t deserve to be tied with the Wild late in the second period, but they once again gave up two goals within a minute of each other. First it was Brock Faber and then Marcus Foligno who ended up tying the game at two apiece. If you’re counting that’s more than a handful of times in just eight games now that the Flyers have seen a pair of quick goals against them, something not seen often under Tortorella but a lot under Alain Vigneault. But the Flyers came down and Michkov, on a delayed penalty, decided to give the Flyers the lead back. More importantly it was scored quickly after the deflating thirtysomething seconds and putting the Flyers back on top with three goals on, er, six shots.
Watch me jumpstart
The Flyers opened the day with news that Jett Luchanko was heading back to Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League. Then they added the fact that Cam York would be out some time with an upper body injury, resulting in Erik Johnson filling in at least for this game if not for the next few weeks. If that wasn’t enough, they were facing an unbeaten team in the Wild. But holy moses they got the smelling salts into them early and often. Three minutes in they had pounced on the Wild with two quick goals, perhaps the most important of the season being one by Sean Couturier.
Couturier’s first the year and his second in an awful long time got a monkey off his back as well as gave the Flyers the lead, something they haven’t had much lately. A great way to get his 500th point of his career to boot. As if that wasn’t enough, a few shifts later Nick Seeler made it 2-0 on a great play that started with Matvei Michkov, giving the Flyers and their fan base something to cheer after doing basically next to nothing thus far at Wells Fargo Center. Even more impressive as the Wild had a ridiculous .952 save percentage five-on-five thus far in the season.
Captain hat trick
In the third, Couturier was at the doorstep and got a rebound to put home his second of the day and the Flyers the lead again. The third was a tale of a different team, taking the play to the Wild after playing rope-a-dope most of the opening two periods, had 11 shots in the opening 11 minutes of the third.
The Couturier line (who ended the game with 58.06 per cent of chances for) struck again when Rasmus Ristolainen put the Flyers ahead 6-5 by driving the net. The puck almost would’ve been Couturier’s third of the day for the hat trick but it was not to be. But thankfully the Flyers made Couturier get that third goal into the empty net. Couturier celebrated as hats rained down from Wells Fargo Center.
Eek, er, EJ
With Erik Johnson’s underlying metrics looking really bad to start the season, it was perhaps blind faith that Johnson could somehow have a decent, not great, but decent game. At times having Johnson on the ice sadly looked like an odd-man advantage for Minnesota. Late in the first Johnson was just not quick enough to cut down on a Wild player who made a pass in the slot for a great chance that goaltender Sam Ersson stopped. He also made a bad gaffe early in the second that didn’t get the puck out but fortunately didn’t cost them.
Johnson ended up with 5:51 of ice time in the first period or about a minute more than Jamie Drysdale got in the opening twenty. By contract, Travis Sanheim was on pace for a boatload of minutes, playing 9:24 in the first and Rasmus Ristolainen not too far behind with 8:19.
Penalties and penalty killing
The Flyers need to take no penalties or, if they do, at least smart or good penalties that prevent a great opportunity or a goal. The Flyers found themselves in penalty hell for about a half-minute down two men but survived thanks to great stops by Ersson and an even greater play by Seeler to make the block a pass with his glove, bat the puck out of the air into the corner, then clear and get Philadelphia at least with one more skater.
Another just brutal brain cramp took place late in the second when Ristolainen, who had played great thus far, was heading off the ice but decided to play the puck, resulting in a too many men on the ice minor. The Wild struck on the power play and tied things up with just 3.2 seconds left in the second to once again make it a tie game.
Line juggling again
One combination people probably didn’t see was having Nic Deslauriers in the lineup on the fourth line and not having Garnet Hathaway on the same line. Instead Hathaway found himself on a line with Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost. The line looked okay, with the greasy game Hathaway plays seeming to rub off on Tippett a little bit. They were even in chances for after one period and had a golden chance in the second when Hathaway and Frost were on a two-on-one. Frost received a pass from Hathaway and missed what was basically a wide open net to make it 3-0.
Michkov a marvel
Michkov through two periods had a goal and an assist, the goal probably more spectacular because it was through a maze of players, hitting the iron and leaving Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson helpless and clueless.
The rookie, averaging more than a point a game now and now with an even-strength goal that should shut up a few more critics, is one of those players who can score on any shift. He was also on the ice for Philadelphia’s fourth of the afternoon too. It’s something the Flyers have not had since arguably Giroux and Eric Lindros. And he’s 19 years young people! If it’s gushing then guilty as charged.
Powerful play
The Flyers added another power play goal to their totals, making that eight in eight games. In the third period Frost patiently skated near the blueline and got a puck through. The rebound went right to Konecny at the doorstep who put it home to tie the game at four.
