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Some takeaways from Flyers’ 2-1 overtime win over Detroit

The Flyers played another close-checking, low-scoring game. And they won, defeating Detroit 2-1 on Rasmus Ristolainen’s overtime winner.

Jan 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (39) takes a shot on goal against Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon (34) during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

It wasn’t a work of art, but it was two points. The Flyers edged the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in overtime in another low-scoring, tight-checking affair Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center.

The basics

First period: No scoring

Second period: 5:21 – Joel Farabee (Sean Couturier, Matvei Michkov)

Third period: 0:30 – Ben Chiarot (Lucas Raymond)

Overtime: 4:34- Rasmus Ristolainen (Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee)

SOG: 26 (PHI) – 28 (DET)

Some takeaways

Laughton-less evening

On Pride Night, a community Scott Laughton has been a trusted ally for, Laughton unfortunately wasn’t in the lineup due to a family matter. Laughton, who scored four goals against Detroit earlier this season, is a thorn in Detroit’s side. But the Flyers had to cope without him which caused some personnel changes.

Joel Farabee, who acted as Laughton’s partner regarding the evening, opened up the proceedings with a nifty goal in the second period on what looked like a nothing play to start. A few one-on-one battles won by Matvei Michkov and then Sean Couturier left Farabee in close on Alex Lyon. Farabee put a backhand high over Lyon for a 1-0 lead.

Farabee looked good most of the night and was responsible. A perfect example of this was prior to a Flyers’ power play in the second when, seeing Nick Seeler pinching, he got back in time to shut down a Detroit chance just inside the blueline.

Uncle Elmer

Red Wings newcomer Elmer Soderblom is two Michkovs tall. At 6’8″ and nearly 250 pounds, Soderblom could’ve made life hell on earth for the Flyers fourth line in his NHL debut after being called up from Grand Rapids. He missed a chance early but another chance eight minutes in resulted in Sam Ersson making his first big save of the night, swallowing up the puck and the rebound. In terms of the analytics, Detroit’s fourth line made life tough for the Flyers fourth line most of the night.

Abols unable to score in debut

Rodrigo Abols played his first NHL game Tuesday night, and he made a decent first impression. Getting a chance early in the game and not looking out of place, Abols ideally would be able to do what Anthony Richard did for the Flyers during a brief stint earlier in the season. And he didn’t look bad in the defensive zone, making some smart passes to relieve pressure and generate easier clears. Although the line of Abols, Olle Lycksell and Garnet Hathaway were underwhelming offensively and had next to no chemistry, they didn’t cost Philadelphia on the scoreboard.

After two periods the chances for were abysmal for all three linemates: Hathaway was 1-13 while both Abols and Lycksell were each 1-11.

Tyson Foerster takes a puck

After Morgan Frost fed Travis Konecny with a pass that Konecny put off the crossbar, a Detroit clear caught Tyson Foerster up in the face. He managed to skate to the bench under his own power, looking like he might have gotten hit in the mouth or nose and not in the eye. If there was any silver lining, the incident took place late in the second, leaving Owen Tippett to take Foerster’s place on Noah Cates’ line.

Foerster was back on the ice in the beginning of the third period so he was okay. Unfortunately seconds later Detroit tied things up when Ben Chiarot put the puck over Ersson after Dylan Larkin beat Noah Cates.

The Flyers needed to create more if they wanted the win after getting just three shots on goal in roughly 25 minutes of playing time. They started getting more rubber on Lyon down the home stretch, with Konecny again beating Lyon but not the post.

Tight checking again

Philadelphia allowed one shot on goal in the first seven minutes while only managing to get three on Detroit’s Alex Lyon. It was also beneficial to keep things moving with few whistles (two in the first nine minutes and three 16 minutes in), leaving the rather hot Red Wings’ power play a non-starter. Meanwhile the Flyers line led by Noah Cates had the Flyers’ first great chance but Lyon kept things scoreless.

For the first half, the game mirrored the Devils game in some respects, a lot of attention to detail and making the small but smart plays and not running up and down the ice on odd-man rushes both ways, and by essentially being a five-man wall in front of Sam Ersson, getting in front of pucks whenever possible. One of the few odd-man rushes happened midway through the second after Alex DeBrincat ran into Jamie Drysdale and was slow getting up. It didn’t look serious, more just a case of getting the wind knocked out of him.

Kane tidbit

During the Detroit broadcast, Patrick Kane revealed he sometimes has nightmares of the goal he scored back in 2010 in Philadelphia. In the nightmare he skates around and celebrates as if he scored the goal only to find out Michael Leighton made the save. If only that ended up being reality in Flyers’ lore.

Ersson comes up big yet again

It’s starting to sound like an ear-pleasing broken record, but Ersson had another solid game between the pipes. Ersson didn’t have to do much in the first two periods but came up big a few times in the third to keep things tied. His positioning since his injury has made him look far bigger than he had earlier in the season, getting a pad or a blocker on the shots he needed to. And they were timely ones during a few trying moments midway through the third.

A horrible gaffe by Bobby Brink in the third didn’t cost Philadelphia as Ersson again made the stop. And a game-saving block on Andrew Copp right on his doorstep with under a minute to go gave the Flyers at least a point out of the contest.

Overtime Rasmus

The Flyers won the game late in overtime when Joel Farabee fed Owen Tippett who looked like he beat Lyon. However the puck was just on the line when Rasmus Ristolainen banged it home for another two points in the standings.

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