I’ve never really been a big fan of the term “must-win game”, but with that said, let’s make something clear about tonight’s game: the Flyers were facing a Colorado Avalanche team that has already been struggling in a lot of ways this season, and more importantly was missing arguably its two best players tonight. With how much tougher the schedule will get in the season’s final two weeks, this is certainly a game you figured the Flyers would really, really like to have banked as they come into the home stretch.
And down late, the Flyers sure did play this game like it was one that they knew they were probably going to need. And somehow, some way, they were actually rewarded for it.
Two late goals from Radko Gudas and Claude Giroux just 19 seconds apart swung a game that looked like it was going to be a crushing loss and turned it into a huge 4-2 win on the road, giving the Flyers their first win in Colorado since 2002 and more importantly getting them two more points to keep pace in the Wild Card race.
The game’s first twenty minutes were a bit unsettling, as the Flyers spent most of the first period on the defensive. A Flyers power play about six minutes into the period went for naught, and from there the Flyers started to find themselves trapped under an avalanche of attempts and chances (it’s late, I’m allowed to make puns) from the home team. It looked like it was going to be another busy night for Steve Mason, who faced and stopped 15 shots in the first period after facing a career-high of 53 shots two nights earlier against Columbus.
Still, neither side cracked in the first period, and the Flyers headed into the locker room surely hoping that they’d turn the tide of their iffy first period.
That unfortunately didn’t happen, and it took just about three more minutes of steady Colorado pressure before they’d strike first. A Mikkel Boedker shot attempt missed an open net but bounced out to the other side of the cage, and a shot from Mikhail Grigorenko bounced off of Nick Holden’s skate in front and past Steve Mason, rewarding the Avs for their excellent start with the first goal.
Fortunately, that goal seemed to have woke up the Flyers, who almost instantly after the scoring opened up started bringing consistent pressure to the other side of the ice and getting solid looks on their own. A number of good chances and shifts came and went with no impact on the scoreboard, but it felt like only a matter of time for much of the frame.
Sure enough, a Shayne Gostisbehere shot from the blue line was deflected in by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare about ten minutes after Colorado’s goal, and this time it was the Flyers who saw several minutes of steady pressure pay off where it counts.
#PHIvsCOL pic.twitter.com/a3WcwVRTde
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 25, 2016
The orange and black would continue to keep testing Semyon Varlamov and the Avs’ defense for much of the second frame, but they’d go into the intermission tied up once again — this time, of course, at 1-1.
Much of the same — good pressure and a number of chances that just missed the net or were stopped by Varlamov — was seen from the Flyers for the early part of the third period. But after outshooting the home team 8-2 in the first six minutes of the period, it was Colorado who would break the tie. Andreas Martinsen made a great play to get in the zone and down around the goal line, and from there he’d put a perfect spot on John Mitchell’s stick right in front of Mason to give the Avs a 2-1 lead.
That pressure kept on coming, but as the minutes after that Colorado goal ticked down, this sure felt like it was going to be a thoroughly unsatisfying road loss in a game where, as mentioned, a pair of points would really have been nice to get.
And then, with just under six minutes left, came 19 seconds of hockey that we may look back upon very fondly if and when this team is still playing hockey in late April.
First, Radko Gudas‘ Midas Touch run of shooting luck continued, as a shot from inches inside the blue line managed to fool Varlamov (thanks at least in part to some traffic in front) and make it into the net to tie the game up at 2.
You can’t keep a Gud man down. #PHIvsCOL pic.twitter.com/nBgCePJwTX
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 25, 2016
Then, on the very next shift, a Wayne Simmonds shot on a scramble in front was saved by Varlamov. But it was the captain who took the rebound from out front, patiently waited for an opening as he slid out to Varlamov’s left, and finally fired it past him to give the Flyers a lead.
Good things come to those who wait #PHIvsCOL pic.twitter.com/bab0H6tev0
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 25, 2016
The Flyers were forced to actually spend some time defending during the five or so minutes of the game after Giroux’s goal, and it appeared at one point that Steve Mason came up gimpy after a save and may have been playing with an injury during the game’s final few shifts. (We’ll hold our breath on that front and hope for good news on Friday.) But Colorado couldn’t convert, Ryan White was given an automatic goal while being taken down on his way towards an empty net, and a must-win game that the Flyers really needed to win ended up being one they’d win after all.
Questions to Answer:
- Top power play unit goal tonight. I’m feelin’ it. Can they make it happen? Lol, no, idiot.
- Steve Mason hauled the Flyers to a point the last time out. What’s he do tonight? Well, he kept the Flyers afloat in that bad first period, and did what he had to after that. He certainly appeared to have tweaked something late in the game, though, so we’ll have to see what happens there. Gotta think Anthony Stolarz plays on Saturday in Phoenix.
- The Giroux line was the team’s only good line on Tuesday. Who else steps up today? High-event game, so pretty much everyone got their chances. I thought the slightly modified third line of Read-Cousins-Gagner looked good. Number of solid shifts for them and they were pretty responsible defensively. That said, it was that same top line that came up huge again in the end.
- The Avs … I mean, good lord. Look at that lineup. This is a team that already bleeds shots as much as any team in hockey and they’re missing their two best forwards. The Flyers have to be able to generate fairly consistent pressure against them. Right? Well, it sure did friggin’ take a while. Colorado dominated the first period and it seemed inevitable that they’d score first, which they did. But the Flyers mostly controlled the rest of the game, as they should have been doing all along, and it was nice to see them rewarded for it.
- If the Flyers have a lead late, can they hold it? SURE DID. Seemed like the forwards were a bit more aggressive in the empty-net situation tonight than they were on Tuesday in Columbus. Wonder if that was on purpose.
Comment of the Night:
Just got home. How the hell are we losing to this team?
— EaglesFanatic80, roughly one minute before the Flyers tied the game and then took the lead. You the real MVP tonight, homie.
Detroit won, but Boston lost. So all in all a positive night for the Flyers. And how. Arizona on Saturday night. Don’t make it this suspenseful next time, please. Go Flyers.
