Postgame RAV4: Flyers win sixth straight road game

The Philadelphia Flyers hung tough to beat the LA Kings via shootout, 4-3 (2-0), at Crypto.Com Arena on Thursday night. Philly has built a season best six-game road winning streak. All six games have been decided after regulation.

Philly was outplayed by the Kings in the first period but nearly escaped the frame unscathed. Finally, in the last half minute of the period, Quinton Byfield (14th goal of the season) forged a 1-0 lead for the Kings.

The second period was a seesaw affair. 

The teams traded off goals in the opening minute of the frame. After Travis Konecny (25th) tied the game, Anze Kopitar (11th) restored the lead. However, Noah Cates (14th) made it a 2-2 game a few minutes later before Travis Sanheim (7th) gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead.

In the middle stages of the third period, Artemi Panarin (PPG, 23rd) re-tied the score at 3-3.  After a scoreless overtime, Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov converted their shootout attempts to win the game.

Samuel Ersson stopped 22 of 25 shots in regulation and overtime before going 2-for-2 in the shootout. LA goalie Darcy Kuemper made 17 saves on 20 shots but was 0-for-2 in the shootout.

Injuries to Sean Couturier and Luke Glendening during Wednesday's game in Anaheim left the Flyers one forward short of a 12-man lineup up front. Consequently, the Flyers dressed seven defensemen. 

Additionally, veteran winger Garrett Wilson made his Flyers debut. Denver Barkey was scratched due to injury.

The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play. They were 3-for-4 on the penalty kill. 

FIRST PERIOD SYNOPSIS

Owen Tippett got tangled with Brandt Clarke as they battled for a turned-over puck. Tippett received a high-sticking minor at 1:32. Garnet Hathaway limped off after a blocked shot. Philly failed to clear a puck. Ersson made a glove save on Anze Kopitar. 

Hathaway blocked another shot. Ersson made a save on Artemi Panarin. Scott Laughton denied a clearing attempt but Travis Konecny got the puck away from Trevor Moore and got a needed zone clear. The Flyers killed the rest of the penalty.

Emil Andrae, normally a defenseman, skating a fourth-line shift with the forwards. Andrae then stayed out and took a turn on defense paired with Noah Juulsen.

Philly was bailed out by seven blocked shots and a couple of good saves from Ersson. Through 10:25, LA had two shots on goal while the Flyers were still in search of their first.

Tippett, Christian Dvorak and Carl Grundstrom put routine shots on Kuemper. Shortly thereafter, Konecny recovered on the backcheck after he had a pass picked off by Taylor Ward for a 2-on-1 rush. The puck was fired over the net.

Once again, the Flyers struggled to clear the puck. This time, the Flyers paid the price. Philly lost coverage after Byfield beat Hathaway off the way. Taking a pass from Trevor Moore, Byfield ripped a shot over Ersson's glove at 19:31. The secondary assist went to Alex Laferriere.

Philadelphia blocked 10 shots in the period.

Shots: Flyers 3- Kings 6
Faceoffs: Flyers 5 - Kings 8

SECOND PERIOD SYNOPSIS

The Flyers gained a 3-man entry with Ristolainen joining the play. Taking a drop pass from Ristolainen, Konecny hit the mark at 0:26 for his eighth goal in his last 14 games. Alex Bump drew the second assist. Ristolainen, who kept skating toward the net and took a defender with him, got the primary helper.

At 0:47, Kopitar got a favorable bounce and beat Ersson for a 2-1 LA lead. The assists went to Artemi Panarin and Clarke.

The Flyers pulled even again at 4:12. Michkov created a scoring chance. Cates put the puck home off Kuemper deep in the blue paint. Ristolainen drew his second assist of the period.

Michkov created a turnover in the corner. Cates brought the puck over the middle. Scoring for the first time in 21 games, Sanheim fired home a shot through traffic to put Philly ahead at 6:59. In the process, Sanheim passed Shane Gostisbehere for 5th on the Flyers' all-time scoring list among defensemen. Michkov and Cates drew the assists.

The Kings went to their second power play at 13:03 on a Konecny high sticking minor. Just as the minor expired, Drew Doughty marginally tripped Tippett. Now the Flyers went on the power play at 15:03. Philly came up empty.

With play back at 5-on-5, Ersson made a 10-bell save on a second chance opportunity for Adrian Kempe.

In the closing  half-minute of the period, the Flyers took another penalty. Cates hooked his check during a battle in the corner. LA went to the power play at 19:44. Hathaway nearly scored a buzzer-beater on a slap shot after hustling to the puck.

Shots: Flyers 10 (13 overall) - Kings 10 (16 overall)
Faceoffs: Flyers 7 (12 overall) - Kings 13 (25 overall)

THIRD PERIOD SYNOPSIS

The Flyers killed off the remainder of the Cates penalty.

Michkov took a heavy hit on the boards, while in a vulnerable position. His teammates immediately went after Drew Doughty.

The Flyers went to the power play at 3:52 on a Panarin holding penalty. There was another scrum after the whistle. Zegras had an early scoring chance. 

Michkov returned to the ice. On the next shift, Nikita Grebenkin hit the crossbar on a feed from Zegras.

LA went to their fourth power play at 8:49 on a hooking penalty on Michkov trying to track back on a play.  Sanheim broke up a cross-seam pass attempt and cleared the puck the length of the ice. After their re-entry, Panarin fired a shot past Ersson short-side high with traffic in front at 10:28. The lone assist went to Laughton.

Shots: Flyers 5 (18 overall) - Kings 7 (23 overall)
Faceoffs: Flyers 7 (19 overall) - Kings 9 (34 overall)

OVERTIME SYNOPSIS

Ersson dropped into the butterfly and made a game-saving lower blocker stop on Panarin. On the next shift, Byfield  cut across in front of the net but lost the handle on a backhand attempt.

Zegras fired a shot over the net on a rush attempt. Ersson stopped Kempe at the other end.

Michkov turned a puck over to Panarin. A pass intended for Clarke narrowly missed connections.

Shots: Flyers 2 (20 overall) - Kings 2 (25 overall)
Faceoffs: Flyers 0 (19 overall) - Kings 3 (37 overall)

SHOOTOUT SYNOPSIS

1st round: Kempe was stoned on a five-hole attempt. Zegras (6-for-11 coming in) scored with a patient backhand-to-forehand move.

2nd round: Panarin was stopped by Ersson's glove save. Michkov (3-for-11 on the season coming into the game) scored to deliver a desperately needed bonus point to his team.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

Alex Bump – Christian Dvorak – Travis Konecny
Nikita Grebenkin – Trevor Zegras – Owen Tippett
Carl Grundstrom – Noah Cates – Matvei Michkov
Luke Glendening – Garnet Hathaway

Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York – Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler – Noah Juulsen
Emil Andrae (7th defenseman/ 13th forward)

Samuel Ersson
[Dan Vladar]

POSTGAME RAV4 (RAV4 Things Revisited)

1. Key game for Ersson

Samuel Ersson may have wanted back Byfield's late first period goal to the short side, but it was not an easy save on the rising shot. In the latter stages of the second period, Ersson robbed Kempe of what looked like a sure goal. The Pararin goal in the third period was another tally high to the short side.

2. Tippett Tracker

Owen Tippett took an early game penalty. Later, he drew a penalty on Doughty by keeping his feet moving. He had three shots on goal on seven shot attempts.

3. Solid start

Playing the second game of a back-to-back, the banged-up Flyers struggled with timing, pace and puck management in the first period. LA had 22 shot attempts to 10 for Philadelphia. The late period Byfield goal put Philly into comeback mode. 

The best that could be said about the Flyers' first period -- they showed moxie with all the shot blocks and they generally recovered when initially beaten on a play. Thereafter, the Flyers found their legs in the second period.

4. Last look at Kopitar 

Future Hockey Hall of Famer Anze Kopitar played his 30th -- and final -- career game against the Flyers. Kopitar notched his 10th goal against Philly in the process.He scored nine goals over his final nine game against the Flyers.