PHILADELPHIA – With nearly all the Eastern Conference teams winning on a nightly basis, the Flyers have no choice but keep pace if they want to stay in the hunt.
A 2-1 win in overtime over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center extended the Flyers’ point streak to a season-high six (5-0-1) games.
Rasmus Ristolainen scored the game-winner on a rush to the net. The puck crossed the line with just 26 seconds left in the extra session.
All that success and the Flyers still find themselves in sixth place in the Metropolitan and hovering around 10th in the highly competitive conference.
Goaltender Samuel Ersson continued his recent steady play for the victory. Ex-Flyer Alex Lyon took the loss in goal for the Red Wings.
According to Ristolainen, staying out of the penalty box was a key to this win. The Red Wings are ranked second in the NHL on the power play at 28.6 percent. Philadelphia did not take a penalty for this game.
Plus, two of the Flyers’ top penalty killers – Scott Laughton (personal matter) and Ryan Poehling, were not available for this game, so it was a group effort.
“I believe they have a pretty good power play,” Ristolainen said. “They’re pretty high in the ranks. Obviously the best penalty kill is if you don’t take any penalties.”
The sequence leading up to the winning goal was a product of Ristolainen’s willingness to bring his game closer to the net, which he has this season.
“I just tried to take everyone out of the way,” he said. “Just put it in. Do anything. We take the win.”
The Flyers carried a 1-0 lead into the third period but needed only 30 seconds to flush it away. Someone missed a defensive assignment as defenseman Ben Chiarot was allowed to glide all the way down to the hash marks and send a rising shot under the crossbar.
Joel Farabee maintained his strong performances since a recent three-game benching by scoring the game’s first goal in the second period.
Farabee took advantage of a setup from Sean Couturier and backhanded a close-range shot past Lyon at 5:21.
According to general manager Daniel Briere, Farabee is getting back to doing all the little things right in his game.
“I think just watching my previous games before that, it was something I wanted to focus on,” Farabee said. “Danny talked to me about just getting back on the inside. Trying to make plays through the middle and not just standing on the perimeter, things like that.
“I’m not going out there and doing something crazy different. Just the idea that when I don’t have the puck, try to get to the net, try to get to the inside.”
Added coach John Tortorella: “He played better. I think his legs are moving. That line (with Couturier and Matvei Michkov) was probably our best line tonight. In prior games, they brought some offense also.”
Couturier gave a fairly comprehensive analysis of why the Flyers have come away with at least a point for the better part of two weeks.
“Right now, we’re playing together, connected,” he said. “We have pretty much everyone throughout the lineup rolling. And the goaltending’s been really good.”
Tortorella went along with that reasoning. Ersson has now raised his season record to 13-7-2 with a 2.70 goals-against average.
“He made some key saves at key times as the game went on,” Tortorella said. “And ‘Ers’ has steadied himself. He looks so much more confident.”
Neither team could produce a goal in the first period because both Lyon and Ersson were on their game.
>Nice debut for Abols
Flyers’ call-up Rodrigo Abols, the 29-year-old “rookie,” made his NHL debut and said it went fairly went, he had some fun but there were a few shaky moments.
“A lot of excitement I would say, more than nerves,” he said. “Leading up to the game, you try to catch yourself and live in the moment. Once you get on the ice and get that first shift in, the first period in, that’s the safe space for a hockey player.
“In the second we (linemates Garnet Hathaway, Olle Lycksell) struggled a little bit. There were a couple shifts we got hemmed in. In the third, I think our line responded pretty well. Forechecked a little bit and did the things I think they would expect from us. I think we created a little bit of momentum for the team.”
It sounded like Abols got a passing grade from Tortorella.
“I liked him,” the coach said. “I think he understands the game. Big guy. I think as a team we need to get bigger. I think he handled himself really well. I didn’t mind him at all.”
>Short shots
The Flyers hit the road again for a pair of games in the New York City, beginning Thursday night with a game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Then it’s off to a game at the Islanders. One note worthy of mention: Maxim Tsyplakov, who injured the Flyers’ Ryan Poehling in their meeting last Thursday at UBS Arena, will not be playing. He’s finishing up a three-game suspension for his illegal hit on the Flyers’ Ryan Poehling, who remains on the injured list.
