Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The east coast saw a huge snowstorm. South Philadelphia, for instance, saw both snow and a Hurricane.
Come again?
As I have said before, shootouts stink. The Philadelphia Flyers realize that, so they did everything in their power to make sure they didn’t have to participate in another one.
They succeeded.
Saturday’s game was a matinee one. It was a one o’clock puck drop which can only mean one thing.
Slow starts.
The tradition held true, as the Carolina Hurricanes lit the lamp just 17 seconds into the contest on a tally from Jiri Tlusty. The Wells Fargo Center echoed a collective groan. I’m sure many had thoughts that it would be a very long and painful afternoon of hockey. However, later on in the first period, the Flyers responded. Kimmo Timonen threw a shot in front where Brayden Schenn got a stick on the puck, redirecting it right past goaltender Cam Ward. It was a Schenn-Sational goal, if I may add. Please, please, hold the applause. I’ll be here all week.
Unlike the first period, the second chapter saw the Flyers strike first. Carolina attempted to clear the puck when it hit off the back of Mike Knuble‘s skate. Matt Read jumped on the loose puck and sniped it top shelf to take a 2-1 lead, followed by his uppercut celebration. Read is the Flyers leading point scorer with five goals and four assists. All five of his tallies have been against Southeast opponents.
Jeff Skinner answered back with a goal of his own later on in the period, somehow squeezing it in past Ilya Bryzgalov’s short side. However, Carolina hardly had time to celebrate, as Braydon Schenn threw a puck across the crease that was tipped in by Jakub Voracek just 15 seconds later. The second period ended with Philadelphia leading 3-2.
Carolina completely set the tone in period three. The Flyers looked tired, lost and less aggressive, resulting in a goal from Joe Corvo about eight minutes into the period. The shot was placed in traffic and deflected off defenseman Kurtis Foster.
Tie game.
It would stay tied all the way to overtime, where a familiar site praised the Flyer faithful. Danny Briere netted the game-winning goal, solidifying a successful four-game homestand in which the Flyers recorded seven out of eight possible points.
Fist pump for the win.
The victory came at a good time, as the Flyers prepare to hit the road for a six-game trip.
