Hayes Helps Flyers Beat Blackhawks 4-1

CHICAGO — Kevin Hayes scored after he lost a goal because of an offsides challenge, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Thursday night.

Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk and Oskar Lindblom also scored for Philadelphia, which beat Chicago 4-3 in Prague in the season opener on Oct. 4. Brian Elliott made 23 saves in his second straight start.

It looked as if Hayes got the first goal of the game 6:09 into the first, but the Blackhawks challenged the play and it was waived off because Hayes was offsides. The Flyers lost another goal in the third because of another offsides challenge.

But there was no disputing Hayes’ breakaway 5:03 into the final period. He skated away from Chicago defenceman Brent Seabrook and beat Robin Lehner for his third of the season and a 3-1 lead.

The Blackhawks closed out a disappointing 2-3-2 homestand with their third consecutive loss. They had just one shot on goal in the second, and the crowd of 21,315 booed during the final seconds of the period.

Brandon Saad scored for Chicago a minute into the third, and Lehner finished with 19 stops in his second straight start.

Chicago Blackhawks Brandon Saad Winnipeg Jets Mathieu Perreault
Chicago Blackhawks left wing Brandon Saad moves the puck past Winnipeg Jets center Mathieu Perreault (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

The Flyers grabbed a 2-0 lead when they scored on their last shot of the first period and their first shot of the second.

First, Lindblom finished a 2-on-1 with Travis Konecny 13:05 into the first. It was Lindblom’s team-high fifth goal.

Giroux got his first of the season 59 seconds into the second. With fellow captain Jonathan Toews on his back, Giroux redirected Travis Sanheim’s pass into the net.

Van Riemsdyk helped put it away when he got his first of the season 16:44 into the third.

Notes

Flyers F Michael Raffl was helped off in the final minute after taking a shot off his right leg. … Philadelphia improved to 1-2-1 on the road. … Konecny has four points in two games against Chicago this season.

Up Next

Flyers: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

Blackhawks: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

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Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

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Jay Cohen, The Associated Press