It was less than seven days ago when the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers began their season series in the Midwest. Though neither team has made many positive waves in the broader league landscape, the teams played a rather entertaining game, with the Flyers overcoming 3-1 and 5-3 deficits en route to a 6-5 shootout victory on the road.
Sure enough, another two-goal Blues lead failed to stand the test of time, with the Flyers rallying back to even the game after a pair of Justin Faulk tallies put them in a hole. But Philadelphia stayed with the game, knotting it up in the back half of the third and securing the second point on Travis Sanheim’s overtime breakaway tally secured a 3-2 victory.
Game Recap
Just like when the teams met last Friday, it didn’t take long for the Blues to get on the board. Faulk, who scored St. Louis’ third goal of that game, blasted a slapshot through traffic past Dan Vladař eight minutes in.
Not content with that, the seventh-year Blue lit the lamp again before the period was up, this time hammering a one-timer from the slot on the power-play. The outburst gives Faulk six goals on the season, tied for second among defensemen in the league with Cale Makar and Zach Werenski, all just one behind Calder Trophy favorite Matthew Schaefer.
The Flyers generated lots of offense in the first period, handily outchancing the Blues 17-5 at 5-on-5 in the opening frame with nothing to show for it. They sagged a bit in the middle of the second period, but a slick finish from close range by Rodrigo Abols provided a much-needed breakthrough 2:03 before the second intermission. Not only was it Abols’ first goal of the season, but the first tally by a Flyer playing on the fourth line all season.
It looked like Philadelphia would tie the game on a third-period power play when Bobby Brink set up Trevor Zegras for a seeming backdoor tap-in. Joel Hofer had other ideas, robbing one of the heroes of the team’s first clash with an incredible post-to-post save. But Tyson Foerster wouldn’t make the same mistake on a one-timer of his own a few moments later, drilling an Emil Andrae setup to the back of the net with 8:11 left in the third.
Vladař was called upon to make a huge save of his own in overtime and flashed across the crease to stymie Brayden Schenn. The Flyers would also get a premier chance in the extra session, but theirs had a different ending. The seas parted for Sanheim all the way at his own blue line, and Philadelphia’s top defenseman took full advantage of the opportunity, shelfing the puck to put an end to the affair.
The Flyers’ next game will be just their third against a Metropolitan Division opponent and first since Oct. 28, as they host the New Jersey Devils for the first of two consecutive Saturday meetings between the clubs. The Blues will continue their season-long five-game road trip Saturday afternoon against the New York Islanders.
