Flyguys Win Third Straight Against Hated Rivals in Pittsburgh

The Flyers winning streak has reached three with a crucial 2-1 victory Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh dominated the number of shots, scoring chances, and Power Plays, but it was the Flyers who came out on top of the intense intrastate rivalry, 2-1.  Brayden Schenn managed both goals as he continues his solid campaign, while Ray Emery did a nice Steve Mason impression, stopping 30 of 31 shots.  Overall, it wasn’t a pretty victory but it was a hugely important one, as the club now moves to 7-10-1 on the season after a horrific start.

Lets take a closer look at the game:

• Ray Emery was an absolute rock.  The Mason/Emery combo may be the best the Flyers have had in a long, long time.
• Nicklas Grossmann continues to stand out as a force on blueline.  This 6’4″ Swede hits everything, blocks a ton of shots, and is rarely out of position (although he was on Crosby’s PP tally).  One of the most underrated defensemen in the entire NHL.
• Wayne Simmonds was the true hero on the teams first goal as he out-muscled two Pens defenders on the fore-check, before making a tape-to-tape pass to a wide-open Schenn, who roofed it over Fleury’s glove hand.
• Despite being out-shot, the orange and black put together a pretty solid performance against a supremely talented opponent.  However, like was said before, Emery certainly bailed them out a few times.
•  Are the Flyers back to being contenders? The team looks for its fourth straight victory Friday night in Winnipeg against an inconsistent but dangerous Jets squad.

The Flyers-Jets games always seem to high-scoring affairs, so tune in Friday night at 8 p.m. to see what promises to be an exciting match-up.

 

Flyers Look Flawless in Ottawa

Voracek notched his 2nd and 3rd goals of the season on Tuesday against the Sens.

It was the complete team effort Flyers fans have been looking for since the start of this dreadful season; from the last guy on the bench to the first-line stars, every player did their job, almost to perfection.

Ever since the closed door meeting following last Thursday’s 3-0 loss to New Jersey, this club has looked like a different team.  The team we all expected to see from day one.  Claude Giroux looks like the true star we’re accustomed to watching.  Jake Voracek has been up on his skates, creating chances up and down the ice.  Scott Hartnell is finally earning his paycheck again.  Lecavalier appears to be that 2nd line presence they’ve been missing Briere’s decline began. And the list goes on.

Here’s a closer look into the Flyers drubbing of Ottawa:

• Surprisingly enough, despite his stellar play, Steve Mason put up his first shutout as a member of the Flyers organization.  It wasn’t a particularly impressive performance, but #35 made all the saves he had to.  It will be interesting to see if he gets the start again in Pittsburgh against the hated Pens.
• Goal scorers: Jake Voracek (2, 3), Vinny Lecavalier (7), Matt Read (4), and Brayden Schenn (PP-4); Assists: Claude Giroux (8, 9), Scott Hartnell (1),  Steve Downie (7), Sean Couturier (4), Wayne Simmonds (5), Brayden Schenn (6), Vinny Lecavalier (3), Erik Gustafsson (3)
•  The Flyers were excellent in all three zones tonight.  Defensively they kept the high-flying Senator forwards along the perimeter and Mason didn’t allow any real second chance opportunities.  Offensively, the orange and black were next to perfect on the forecheck.  They controlled the puck for most of the game and capitalized when the time came.
• Unfortunately, Nicklas Grossmann left midway through the third with an undisclosed injury.  Grossmann has arguably been the teams best defender this season and his loss would be pretty devastating, especially with Wednesday’s key divisional match-up.
• If the Flyers can pull off the win Wednesday night on national television against their most-hated rival it could signal that this organization has truly turned it around.

Tune in Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NBCSports.