VOORHEES, N.J. – One of the main reasons the Flyers have skated themselves back into contender’s status has been their ability to push games past regulation time – and win the majority of them.
As of Wednesday, the Flyers led the National Hockey League in games that either were decided by a five-minute overtime session or a shootout with a total of nine.
The record in those games? Also a league-leading 6-3.
Of course, it helps to have a super-rookie such as Matvei Michkov, who has already won three games with the deciding goals in OT, plus a shootout goal in another Flyers victory.
But one stat which you might have to look a bit harder for is the number of times the Flyers have come back from a deficit to force a game past the normal 60 minutes. That would be four times in 14 chances (4-9-1) when trailing after two periods.
In other words, there’s not a lot of give-up in this squad.
Nor is there fear when three-on-three play begins after the final whistle of regulation time. The Flyers, as Michkov recently said, have to be “cold-blooded” when all the chips are on the line.
It could be another tight game at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night when the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers hit the Wells Fargo Center.
There’s a good possibility the two teams could either be tied or one of them could be leading by a goal going into the third period. The Flyers wouldn’t mind that scenario at all. They practice three-on-three and it shows in their play.
“It depends on who you’re up against and how dangerous they could be,” Owen Tippett said about pre-game strategy plans after Wednesday’s practice. “It could be a little bounce or a missed shot. It’s tough to practice but it’s just being more man-on-man.”
The record book shows when the Flyers do well in past years with a positive record in overtimes and shootouts, a good overall record usually follows.
So far the Flyers have done a top job of defending during the overtime scenario as well.
The three guys out there have to keep an eye on each individual opposing skater.
When there’s a breakdown, as there was when Michkov lost his defender in the Saturday night game at St. Louis, it usually ends up in a breakaway and a puck in the other team’s net.
“Some guys you can have a tighter gap, some guys you kind of have to respect and give a little more space to,” Tippett said. “I think with so many overtime games lately, you want to practice and be prepared.”
The fact the Flyers aren’t intimidated by a deficit in the third period plays into this as well.
“The game in Nashville (the night before Thanksgiving) I thought was a pretty good test for us,” Joel Farabee said. “It was a good look for our team. I felt like we maybe got outplayed most of the game but we just kept fighting. We found a way. We talk about it as a team every night – it’s not going to be perfect every night. You’re not going to have your best stuff, it’s just finding a way to get wins, get points.”
Scott Laughton gives the impression that playing in these crunch-time situations helps build team character.
“We’ve been down in games and won, I think that’s a testament to our group,” Laughton said. “We’ve found ways to win even if we haven’t been at our best.
“I think that’s huge in this league. If we continue to do that, we’ll win more games. We’ve managed to pick up points in games that maybe we shouldn’t of. We have to continue that into the holidays.”
As of Wednesday, the Flyers led the National Hockey League in games that either were decided by a five-minute overtime session or a shootout with a total of nine.
The record in those games? Also a league-leading 6-3.
Of course, it helps to have a super-rookie such as Matvei Michkov, who has already won three games with the deciding goals in OT, plus a shootout goal in another Flyers victory.
But one stat which you might have to look a bit harder for is the number of times the Flyers have come back from a deficit to force a game past the normal 60 minutes. That would be four times in 14 chances (4-9-1) when trailing after two periods.
In other words, there’s not a lot of give-up in this squad.
Nor is there fear when three-on-three play begins after the final whistle of regulation time. The Flyers, as Michkov recently said, have to be “cold-blooded” when all the chips are on the line.
It could be another tight game at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night when the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers hit the Wells Fargo Center.
There’s a good possibility the two teams could either be tied or one of them could be leading by a goal going into the third period. The Flyers wouldn’t mind that scenario at all. They practice three-on-three and it shows in their play.
“It depends on who you’re up against and how dangerous they could be,” Owen Tippett said about pre-game strategy plans after Wednesday’s practice. “It could be a little bounce or a missed shot. It’s tough to practice but it’s just being more man-on-man.”
The record book shows when the Flyers do well in past years with a positive record in overtimes and shootouts, a good overall record usually follows.
So far the Flyers have done a top job of defending during the overtime scenario as well.
The three guys out there have to keep an eye on each individual opposing skater.
When there’s a breakdown, as there was when Michkov lost his defender in the Saturday night game at St. Louis, it usually ends up in a breakaway and a puck in the other team’s net.
“Some guys you can have a tighter gap, some guys you kind of have to respect and give a little more space to,” Tippett said. “I think with so many overtime games lately, you want to practice and be prepared.”
The fact the Flyers aren’t intimidated by a deficit in the third period plays into this as well.
“The game in Nashville (the night before Thanksgiving) I thought was a pretty good test for us,” Joel Farabee said. “It was a good look for our team. I felt like we maybe got outplayed most of the game but we just kept fighting. We found a way. We talk about it as a team every night – it’s not going to be perfect every night. You’re not going to have your best stuff, it’s just finding a way to get wins, get points.”
Scott Laughton gives the impression that playing in these crunch-time situations helps build team character.
“We’ve been down in games and won, I think that’s a testament to our group,” Laughton said. “We’ve found ways to win even if we haven’t been at our best.
“I think that’s huge in this league. If we continue to do that, we’ll win more games. We’ve managed to pick up points in games that maybe we shouldn’t of. We have to continue that into the holidays.”
