Recap: Flyers Can’t Be Stopped, 9 in a Row

December 11th, 2016

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Well, the motto during this current Flyers streak, their longest winning streak since 1995, has been win at any cost. Literally, every single win during this stretch has been done in a different way, and that’s what seperates the good teams from the bad. Great teams find ways to win every single night, no matter how it gets done, they come away with the ‘W’. Tonight was no different, even if it took past regulation to make it happen.

Anthony Stolarz [photo: Amy Irvin]

Anthony Stolarz [photo: Amy Irvin]

The Flyers gave Steve Mason, winner of seven straight games himself, the night off, and his current backup, rookie Anthony Stolarz did not disappoint. All he did in his second career start was pitch a 1-0 shutout, making 28 saves on the night. The Flyers struggled throughout the months of October and November, but much of that was a result of sub-par goaltending. The reason behind this current streak is the guys between the pipes every night have finally come around, giving this team a chance to win every single game and no longer needing to rely on the back of the team’s potent offense to carry the load.

First Period

The first period wasn’t much to get excited about. The Flyers went 0-2 on the power play — the first ranked PP in the NHL. They had solid puck movement and generated some chances but couldn’t cash anything in. Rookie netminder Anthony Stolarz looked comfortable and solid in net, making only his second career start. However, the Red Wings carried much of the play in the first outshooting the Flyers by a 15-8 margin and 9-2 in the scoring chance department.

Second Period

The second period followed the pattern of the first, as not much was going on for either team. The Red Wings continued to lead in the territorial advantage but couldn’t capitalize on any of the chances.

Stolarz continued to look solid for the Flyers in net and Roman Lyubimov was having his best game as a Flyer so far in his first season. Also, Ivan Provorov continued his impressive rookie season, making great defensive reads and being aggressive on the puck carrier in his own zone throughout the period. Perhaps the best chance of the entire game came below on a Travis Konecny rush that just missed picking the corner.

Third Period

Play began to open up a bit more in the third period as the two teams exchanged chances and power plays. The Flyers penatly kill was impressive all night, finishing five-for-five on the day and killed all nine power plays against for the weekend.

What also continued in the third period was the outstanding play of Flyers rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov who just continues to excel in all aspects of the game. He had multiple plays in the defensive zone that canceled rushes and got the puck out of the Flyers’ zone. However, this game would need overtime to determine it’s winner.

Overtime

The Flyers continued their overtime dominance in this nine-game winning streak as they controlled the flow of play the entire duration. Travis Konecny had a wonderful opportunity that Pierre-Edouard Bellemare couldn’t cash in on.

However, Ivan Provorov and Brayden Schenn would not be denied has Provorov and Schenn exchanged on a give-and-go drop pass that would lead to Schenn ultimately deking out Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard, who was fantastic in his own right all evening long.

Scoring Summary

FIRST PERIOD

No Scoring

SECOND PERIOD

No Scoring

THIRD PERIOD

No Scoring

OVERTIME

PHI-Brayden Schenn (8) assisted by Ivan Provorov (11) & Wayne Simmonds (13)

THW Three Stars

First: Anthony Stolarz (28 save shutout)

Second: Ivan Provorov (1 assist, 24:56 TOI)

Third: Brayden Schenn (1 goal, 4 SOG)

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Next Game

Philadelphia Flyers at Colorado Avalanche

Pepsi Center – 10:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Broadcast Channels: CSN Philadelphia; 97.5 The Fanatic
Season Series: First Matchup

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