Flyers come from behind twice to knock off Florida, 4-3

Noah Cates

 

PHILADELPHIA – It’s about 3,000 miles from Anaheim to South Florida and when it comes to NHL hockey, so is the talent level.
To their credit, the Flyers didn’t let that faze them a bit on Monday night.
Powered by Noah Cates’ two goals, including the game-winner on a break-in with 5:51 to play, the Flyers came behind twice to knock off the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, 4-3.
After putting a 6-0 hurting on the California crew on Saturday night, they took on powerhouse Florida two nights later.
The Flyers didn’t get off to a great start but their finish was superb. Keep in mind: The Panthers were ahead at the second intermission and they came into the game 16-0-0 when leading after two periods.
Flyer goaltender Samuel Ersson picked up the win while the Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky was the loser.
The Flyers took over the NHL lead in third period comebacks with eight.
Trailing by a 2-1 score early in the third period, the Flyers picked up a power play and promptly tied it on the first goal by Cates. He cornered the rebound of a Travis Sanheim shot and sent the puck into the net past Bobrovsky at 2:01.
But Sam Reinhart scored his second goal of the game on a power play at 3:35 to restore Florida’s lead.
Yet the Flyers weren’t done. Morgan Frost scored on the power play at 5:59 and the score was tied again at 3-3.
Then came Cates’ deciding goal.
Coach John Tortorella is willing to take small steps to get the Flyers back on track again.
“We’re trying to win two in a row,” he said after the game. “Haven’t done it in quite a while (Dec. 10-12, Columbus and Detroit). I don’t know what speed we were playing at in the first period. Give them credit, they found a way to get involved.
“This time of year, after a good win we had the other night, playing a top team in the league and coming back against them, it gives you a little bit of juice and you push forward here.”
It’s the first time the Flyers have scored two power-play goals in back-to-back games this season.
As for the game’s No. 1 star, Cates, this is the continuation of a hot streak for the multi-talented player. Tortorella made it clear he’s earned all the praise he’s getting for his efforts.
“Look at his second goal, look what he does,” the coach said. “A year ago, he’s going to his backhand and throwing it into his (Bobrovsky’s) pads. That’s the level of confidence the kid is playing with. I just hope it keeps on going. That line (with Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink) continues to play well. I’m relying on Cates to do a lot of things.”
Cates always believed he could get his game back in order. It was just a matter of belief. And now he has the trust of the coaching staff.
“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “I think situational hockey and situational awareness I’ve done my entire career. Strength of mind. Not being the best skater, I kind of use my brain. Just trying to do my best there.”
After falling behind by a 2-0 score at the conclusion of one period, the Flyers rallied with a much better second.
They outshot the Panthers, 13-6, and scored the only goal. That came at 7:51 when Garnet Hathaway cruised down the right wing, looked to pass to Ryan Poehling open in front, but the puck hit a defender’s stick and slid past Bobrovsky.
However, the Panthers managed to get to the second intermission with a one-goal edge.
Slow starts have been a problem all season for the Flyers and this game was no exception.
The last thing the Flyers needed was to fall behind early against a team as talented as this but that’s what happened.
And in annoying fashion, too, as Florida kicked off the scoring with a shorthanded goal. Reinhart stole a puck at center ice, broke into the Flyers’ zone and calmly placed a shot past Ersson at 7:59.
It didn’t take long for the Panthers to double that margin. Uvis Balinskis unloaded a rather mundane shot from the right circle which Ersson let slide through his skates at 9:34.
The Flyers failed to generate any sustained pressure on their old pal Bobrovsky in those first 20 minutes.
Most of the players took note of the fact that no NHL team had come back on the Panthers when they led after two periods this season.
“There’s been a fair amount of times when we’ve come back in the third),” Frost noted. “We’re a resilient group. We never feel like we’re out of the game.”

>A powerful power play

The Flyers’ two-goal power-play night was their second in a row. That’s the first time that’s happened since Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2019.

>The big Hathaway body check

In the opening minute of the second period and the Flyers coming off a flat first period, Hathaway came out and flattened Florida’s Miko Mikkola with a fierce body check. It seemed to give the Flyers, and the building, life.
“For sure,” Cates said. “We were pretty soft in the first. Getting a start like that was definitely a jump for us.”
Added Hathaway: “(Our line) I think we take a lot of pride in trying to create energy, shifting momentum. To be able to come out after the period we had in the first and try and shift it, it was something we all took advantage of.”

>Short shots

The Flyers don’t have much time to rest and get ready to face the Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday night. The Flyers have just one win out of seven games in the second game of back-to-backs. . .Joel Farabee was scratched for a second straight game.

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About Wayne Fish 2701 Articles
Wayne Fish has been covering the Flyers since 1976, a stint which includes 18 Stanley Cup Finals, four Winter Olympics and numerous other international events.