PHILADELPHIA – Early in the season, the Flyers were good at bouncing back from losses. In fact, they only suffered two consecutive defeats in regulation time once until January.
Then things fell apart quickly with five straight setbacks that same month.
But now, with the Flyers’ playoff hopes hanging by a thread, they have rallied from tough losses to Utah and the Rangers this past week with wins over Pittsburgh and, on Wednesday night, over Washington.
After falling behind by a 1-0 score in the first period, the Flyers gathered themselves to take a 2-1 lead in the second and then held on for a 4-1 win at Xfinity Mobile Arena, moving them past the Caps in the Metropolitan Division standings.
Trevor Zegras put the Flyers ahead at 12:13 of the second period and Jamie Drysdale added an insurance goal at 7:17 of the third as the Flyers moved back to within seven points of a playoff spot.
Drysdale’s goal was his seventh of the season, tying a career high.
Goaltender Sam Ersson, starting the front end of a back-to-back for only the third time this season, turned in a top-notch performance.
A number of players played key roles in this victory, perhaps topping the list was Owen Tippett, who set up the Zegras goal and later iced the decision in the closing minutes.
“The last two times we’ve bounced back and tonight I thought we responded well,” Tippett said. “They tried to play physical but we didn’t back down.”
Tippett was zooming up and down the ice like it was the first game of the season in October.
“You know it’s one of those things where you can get used to it early and get the confidence,” he said.
Tippett’s teammates gave positive reviews.
“The guy’s amazing, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Zegras said.
Added Drysdale: “The guy’s a stud, he’s an absolute horse. The way he’s playing this year as a whole. Every time he touches the puck he’s a threat. I wouldn’t want to be a defenseman on an opposing team going against that guy with a head of steam. Tonight he had a great game.”
Coach Rick Tocchet indicated Tippett is a player he can count on.
“It’s huge, that kind of speed,” Tocchet said. “He gets a step on somebody. . .obviously he was fast tonight.”
The Flyers entered the game sporting a record of 6-15-5 when trailing after one period, so when they came out of the opening 20 minutes behind by a 1-0 score, a winning outcome seemed dubious at best.
A Capitals’ power-play goal was the culprit. With Zegras in the box, Ryan Leonard’s shot from the top of the left circle eluded goalie Ersson short side at 9:51.
Not to beat a dead horse but that was the 44th time the Flyers have allowed an opponent to score first this season.
Early in the second, Travis Konecny tied the score when his shot from the right dot eluded goalie Logan Thompson at 4:23. Travis Sanheim set up the play with a pass from the left circle. Rookie Alex Bump picked up his first NHL assist on the play.
Then Zegras and Tippett went to work. Both somehow found a way to break behind the Washington defense. That set up a tic-tac-toe pass play, with Zegras finishing the job at 12:13.
With 1:03 to play in the game, Tippett added an empty-net goal.
As for bouncing back after the losses to Utah and the Rangers, Tocchet sounded pleased by his team’s efforts.
“I thought a lot of guys showed up tonight,” Tocchet said. “Getting into scrums (especially after a questionable hit on Konecny). Fighting back. It was one of those types of games. Basically everyone was involved. Especially in a division game.”
>Bump takes center stage
In addition to getting his first assist, Bump also continued his positive penchant for driving to the middle. It either sets up an optimum shooting angle or opens the door for passing to a teammate who might not be closely covered.
“What ‘Bumper’ does so well, he doesn’t defer to the defenseman,” Tocchet said after Wednesday morning’s skate. “When he comes out of the corner, he attacks the middle and then he watches what the strong side winger does.
“I told him (Bump) to shoot every time. His shot is an elite shot. We don’t want him to defer. I’d rather him take the puck to the middle, even if he gets the shot blocked or if he fumbles it sometime. But I’d rather he take that approach. I’ve seen that shot mentality and we welcome that.”
>Short shots
It’s off to Minnesota to play the Wild on Thursday night. The Wild were off on Wednesday so they will have the rest advantage. . .Alex Ovechkin’s 52 career goals vs. the Flyers are exceeded only by the 57 he has recorded against the Winnipeg-Atlanta franchise. . .Flyers lead the NHL in road shootout wins with five.
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