PHILADELPHIA – Odd as it might sound, the Flyers seem to enjoy the challenge of playing against some of the NHL’s best.
Thursday night was another example of not backing down from any challenge.
Just four days after giving the Colorado Avalanche all they could handle, the Flyers took on Pacific Division powerhouse Vegas on Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
For the most part, the Flyers kept the high-powered Golden Knights in check. But they lost it on a Travis Konecny turnover in OT, a 3-2 defeat.
The winning goal came off the stick of Mark Stone at 2:47.
At least the Flyers are playing Stanley Cup-contending teams such as Carolina, Colorado and Vegas down to the wire.
“I feel like we’re a confident group,” Travis Sanheim said after the game. “We’re right there, we can compete with anyone. Just got to continue every day with that mindset. On to the next one.”
Coach Rick Tocchet knows his team can build some confidence from games like this one. The Flyers came back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits against a team which will no doubt be a legit threat for a championship come spring time.
“We’re hangin’ in,” Tocchet said. “There are plays to be made, we just need some guys who make plays under pressure. We’re tryin’. We just have to keep digging away. Keep playing a pressure game.”
How close was this game? Well, if you go by shots taken, almost dead even. The shot linescore in regulation time was identical: 5-9-5 for 19 all together.
“They’re a very good team, one of the best in the league, for sure,” goaltender Dan Vladar said. “I thought we battled very hard.”
Was this looked upon as a good point? After all, the Knights are one of the top teams in the league.
“I thought there was that hunger and belief that we’ve talked about,” Vladar said. “I felt it (tonight). . .it was a positive. If we keep playing this way, we will have more and more success.”
Captain Sean Couturier also liked what he saw.
“Yeah, we had our chances,” he said. “Couldn’t get the extra one. They capitalized in OT. Good effort against a good team. Too bad we couldn’t get the extra point.”
In an evenly played second period, the Flyers managed to come away with a 2-2 tie.
Each team scored. First, Vegas took its seocnd lead of the game at 12:53 on a power play created by the Flyers having too many men on the ice. Pavel Dorofeyev’s shot was juggled by Vladar and the puck wound up on Mark Stone’s stick for an uncontested short shot at the right post.
But the Flyers rallied for the second time in the game. Christian Dvorak found defenseman Noah Juulsen open at the left circle for a one-timer past Akira Schmid at 16:08.
For the 19th time in 29 games the Flyers allowed an opponent to score first.
This time it was more credit to the Vegas offense than any shortcoming by the Flyer defense. Ivan Barbashev cut to the middle, found defenseman Zach Whitecloud skating with speed through the slot and the puck went in at 6:07.
The Flyers continued their slow start by getting only one shot in the first 10 minutes.
Finally, a great pass from Sanheim at the top of the left circle found Trevor Zegras open at the right post for an easy dunk at 16:11.
Vegas is a big, fast team. How can that sort of outfit be contained and then go back on the counterattack?
“It was a good test for us,” Dvorak said. “They’re a really good hockey team. I thought we competed well. It was a pretty even game for the most part. A pretty good effort from us.”
>First goal for Juulsen
Juulsen’s goal was his first as a Flyer and it was meaningful because it helped the Flyers earn a point in the standings.
“I wasn’t looking for it,” Juulsen said of the initial marker. “When it happens, it happens. You contribute when you can. I’m not going to go crazy for it.”
>Power play struggles continue
Another rough night on the power play: 0 for 3, including another blank in the closing minutes of regulation.
Since a two-goal game with the man advantage against Montreal on Nov. 4, the Flyers are just five for 35 on the power play. And that includes a 1 for 7 vs. Pittsburgh on Dec. 1.
“We’re not getting middle shots,” Tocchet explained. “It’s not just one guy, it’s everybody. We have to keep grinding away. We have to fix it somehow.”
>Short shots
The Flyers will have Friday off, then complete their six-game homestand on Saturday against Carolina in the first of a back-to-back home-and-away with the Hurricanes. . .Flyers entered the game with the NHL’s sixth-best home goals-against average at 2.59. Colorado leads at 2.08. . .Couturier played in his 902nd game with the Flyers. He needs only two more to pass Bill Barber (903) for third place on the alltime list. Bob Clarke leads with 1,144 followed by Claude Giroux at 1,000.
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