Giroux, Flyers defeat Blackhawks for second straight win

CHICAGO -- Claude Giroux scored his first goal of the season for the Philadelphia Flyers in a 4-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Thursday.

Giroux made it 2-0 59 seconds into the second period when he scored from the slot with a redirection of Travis Sanheim's pass from the left face-off circle.
Oskar Lindblom, Kevin Hayes and James van Riemsdyk scored, and Brian Elliott made 23 saves in his second straight start for the Flyers (4-3-1), who have won two in a row after a four-game losing streak.
WATCH: [All Flyers vs. Blackhawks highlights]
"It's kind of natural to let off the gas," said Elliott, who made 15 saves on 16 shots in the third period. "You're trying to play safe a little bit, that results in getting on your heels a bit. We always try to say, 'Stay on your toes and be responsible.' It's a great line you have to walk.
"We blocked a lot of shots (19). You saw with [Michael Raffl] at the end of the game there, we're up with the big lead, but he's still making that sacrifice. Those are the plays that we need, and I saw that in front of me all night."

Rookie Joel Farabee got his first NHL point with an assist on Hayes' goal.
Brandon Saad scored, and Robin Lehner made 19 saves in his second straight start for the Blackhawks (2-4-2), who have lost three straight and went 2-3-2 on their seven-game homestand.
"We all have to get better," Lehner said. "I have to get better too. On the third goal, the breakaway, it would have been nice to have come up with a big save, and it would be 2-1 and who knows? But you don't get rewarded if you don't do the right things. I think it was an honest, well-deserved result today."
Lindblom gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 13:05 of the first period, scoring off a pass from Travis Konecny on a 2-on-1.
Saad cut the Philadelphia lead to 2-1 one minute into the third period when he scored on a breakaway.
"I think it just starts with turnovers," Saad said. "When we don't manage the puck, teams get momentum going the other way. Gave up way too many chances, odd-man rushes, breakaways tonight."
Hayes beat defenseman Brent Seabrook to the puck in the neutral zone and scored on a breakaway to make it 3-1 at 5:03.
"I think we've been practicing and harping on playing good team defense, not giving up goals, and I think [Flyers coach Alain Vigneault] has tried a system that we've all kind of bought into, and sometimes the pucks go in, sometimes they don't. But if you stick to the structure, you should be rewarded."
Van Riemsdyk blocked Erik Gustafsson's outlet pass and scored on a short breakaway to make it 4-1 at 16:44.
Hayes scored at 6:09 of the first period, but Chicago coach Jeremy Colliton challenged, and the goal was overturned after video review showed Hayes was offside at 6:06.
Farabee scored at 7:06 of the third, but Colliton challenged, and the goal was overturned after video review showed Hayes did not tag up at the blue line before the puck entered the Blackhawks zone at 7:01.

They said it

"I was trying to remember how many shots I [faced] in the second period. I was trying to count. It didn't take me long. Those games are tough. I mean, I think I sweated more than any other game just because you're trying to stay focused, trying to keep your mind right, moving in between whistles until you're ready for the next opportunity. You know, our guys did a great job." -- Flyers goalie Brian Elliott, who faced eight shots in the first and second periods, one in the second
"There's a lot of talk about combinations, line combinations. It's not the combos. The lines that have success, they're playing a very direct, hardworking, team-oriented game, and they're willing to do the dirty work. They're willing to get their nose dirty and pressure on the forecheck, back-pressure on the way back, no shortcuts in the D zone. Those are the lines that have had success. The lines that aren't having success, they're not having success because they're not doing those things. It's not the combos." -- Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton

Need to know

Raffl left the game with 32 seconds remaining after blocking a Slater Koekkoek shot. Vigneault said X-ray results were pending, but he doesn't believe it's a serious injury. ... Konecny has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in eight games this season, including at least one in seven of eight. ... Kirby Dach, the No. 3 pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, got his first NHL assist on Saad's goal after scoring his first NHL goal Tuesday in a 2-1 shootout loss against the Vegas Golden Knights.

What's next

Flyers: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, FS-O, NHL.TV)
Blackhawks: At the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; FS-CR, NBCSCH, NHL.TV)