There’s something extremely fun about the Flyers playing in New Jersey, even when they lose. I think it might be that there are always something like five different raucous “Let’s Go Flyers!” chants every time there’s a game at Prudential Center. And it’s even more fun when that’s the refrain that drowns out the organ player at the end of a solid Flyers win and a dominant Flyers third period in Newark.
I mean, come on with this:
Lmao pic.twitter.com/MjhhFdNOmG
— FGSB (@FlyGoalScoredBy) February 17, 2016
Look, the Flyers didn’t play a perfect game tonight by any means. Often when you play against a stingy defensive team like the Devils, it’s far from perfect. And when you’re a team that’s as offensively flawed as the Flyers, that can be an overall ugly combination. Tonight though, the Flyers hung with it … particularly early when they needed to weather a game that was up and down and back and around, in large part thanks to some questionable officiating.
It started off though, frankly, with a lot of bullshit from Radko Gudas. I argued last week that even if the letter of the law indicated that he was innocent of a dirty hit in the Buffalo game, he still deserved a suspension because of just how reckless he was on that play. He lived up to it again tonight, taking a match penalty for an ugly elbow to the head hit on Bobby Farnham. That subsequent power play led to a New Jersey goal, and it sure felt like we might get another game like we had the other day in Philadelphia: a Devils-controlled, low-scoring contest.
Ahh, but then, Shayne Gostisbehere. He not only extended his point streak to thirteen games, but he scored a beautiful game-tying goal over the shoulder of Cory Schneider that made me want to go do dirty things to my sheets. (That’s a ghost joke.)
Brayden Schenn gave the Flyers the lead with a power play goal midway through the second — one that Ghost probably deserved another assist on thanks to a beautiful keep at the blue line on the play. But he didn’t get one because tertiary assists are not a thing. Ah well. In any event, the Flyers entered the third period up 2-1, and the floodgates open up from there.
Jordin Tootoo opened up the scoring midway through, tying it at 2-2 (lol). And then Wayne Simmonds, and then 50 seconds later Nick Cousins. And then a deep breath. And then Kyle Palmieri kept it weird with a Devils goal, and then Ryan White kept it 100 with a Flyers goal.
All told, this turned out to be the ugliest defensive effort for the Devils all year, and the second time in four games in which the Flyers scored more than five goals. The third period explosion gave them hope that this season is still alive — and yeah, despite a Carolina win tonight, the Flyers are only four points out of the final playoff spot in the East as of this writing.
This was a very important win in the playoff picture, and it was fun to celebrate it in our little home away from home up there Newark.
Questions Answered
- Can the Flyers crack Cory Schneider and score multiple (at least 2!) goals, after failing to do so in three of their last four games? SIX GOALS WHAT
- MacDonald – Gostisbehere did not work out so well last game. Better tonight? Beat writers were all about MacD’s +3 rating tonight. And +/- is a BS stat, but yeah, I mean, this unit was fine tonight. They finished in the black in possession and in goals, so we’ll absolutely take that.
- Does anyone fight Bobby Farnham? I feel like someone should fight Bobbyi Farnham. Gudas’ elbow, I guess. But nah somebody needs to clean his clock in a clean way at some point. Maybe next season if he’s still in the league, huh?
- What percent of the Jersey crowd tonight is Flyers fans? lol by the third period basically 100 lol
- Point streak? POOOOOOOINT STREAK
Comment of the Night
Maybe it time to throw some rubber on the other goalie this period.
>> David, shortly before the Flyers scored four goals in that period
