It’s tough enough playing the second half of a back-to-back over a thousand miles away from the previous night’s game.
But when the opponent is as talented as the Minnesota Wild, it’s almost mission impossible.
So give the Flyers high marks for hanging in there during Thursday night’s game at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn.
They put up a gritty effort and came away with a 3-2 shootout win. The two points, along with the win over Washington on Wednesday night, move them back to within five points of a playoff spot.
Travis Konecny’s goal was the only marker of the shootout and came on Philly’s final attempt.
It was the Flyers’ sixth win when trailing after two periods (6-22-5).
Owen Tippett’s shorthanded goal at 7:58 of the third period lifted the Flyers to a 2-2 tie. Tippett fired a slap shot from the upper edge of the right circle and beat goaltender Jesper Wallstedt with a rising shot.
Tippett has played some of his best hockey of the year the past two games. Anything different in the way of preparation?
“I think it’s just the confidence overall,” he said in a televised postgame interview. “I’ve been feeling good. Most importantly I love the guys in the room. We all want to work for each other. I think we’re all feeling pretty good after that one.”
The team effort for the two games was praised by Tippett.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “I thought we hung in there, I thought our energy was great. Any time you can push and get an extra point, an extra two, that’s huge right now.”
Noah Cates appreciated the way the Flyers were able to play with energy despite the demanding schedule. The players didn’t hit the sack until about 3 a.m.
“We’ve had some tough back-to-backs,” Cates said. “Pretty long flight and all that. We showed up in the first period and we were ready to go. The defensive effort the last two games was really smart.”
Cates tipped his hat to Tippett.
“His speed, skill is so dangerous,” Cates said. “That was a huge goal and he’s been huge for us all year.”
That quick turnaround and the comeback win were appreciated by coach Rick Tocchet.
“Gutsy effort,” Tocchet said. “You’re not going to get any negatives from me tonight. Guys got in at three in the morning, they’re resilient. Hell of a job.”
While the Flyers were surprisingly dominant in the first period, the Wild used their top two scorers – Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov – to stage a rally in the second.
A Nick Seeler penalty led to the first Minnesota goal. Boldy ripped a shot from the left faceoff dot and beat goalie Dan Vladar at 8:37. It was his 37th goal of the season and 74th point, which is a new career high.
Then as time was running out, Kaprizov found the range for his 38th of the season at 17:50. He circled across the top of the slot and eluded the check of Travis Sanheim. Again, Vladar couldn’t handle a shot that difficult from close range.
Philadelphia defenseman Emil Andrae opened the scoring with 1:25 left in the first period.
Trevor Zegras took advantage of a Minnesota turnover to control the puck along the boards. He spotted Andrae, who had sat out the previous three games, rushing down the middle. Andrae connected for his second goal of the season and third of his career.
“They were changing,” Andrae said during a first intermission interview. “I saw some space and ‘Ziggy’ can make those passes. I was glad to contribute.”
The Flyers looked surprisingly fresh in the opening period considering they had played the previous night against Washington.
“They (the Wild) play with high pace and so do we,” Andrae said. “I think we were moving the puck and got some good opportunities.”
Andrae continues to lead all Flyers defensemen in plus-minus with plus-11.
It was a much better effort by Vladar, who gave up six goals in two periods vs. the Rangers on Monday. He stopped all three of the Wild’s best in the shootout.
>Missed opportunity
Cates, who played in his 300th NHL game, was looking forward to playing against his former teammate, Bobby Brink, who was traded to the Wild last week. But Brink injured a shoulder and was unable to play.
“Hopefully we can see him after the game,” Cates said in a second intermission televised interview.
>Short shots
The Flyers’ power play has once again sunk to 32nd and last in the NHL. They entered Thursday night’s game at 15.8 percent. . .Next up on the Flyers’ schedule is the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. . .Travis Sanheim played in his 199th consecutive game. . .The Wild began the game with a 19-7-7 home record.
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