Game Recap: Flyers 6, Wild 2

PHILADELPHIA -- The Minnesota Wild (3-3-1) fell to the Philadelphia Flyers (4-2-1) with a final score of 6-2 at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.

Things got off to a hot start when current Wild forward Pat Maroon and former Wild forward Nicolas Deslauriers dropped the gloves on the opening faceoff. Five minutes each for fighting.

"We've fought before. We were just trying to get our teams going, both of us," said Maroon on the fight. 

F Travis Konecny struck first for the Flyers at 13:57 with a shot past G Filip Gustavsson's mask that buried in the top right of the net. Konecny was assisted on the play by D Nick Seeler, an Eden Prairie, Minn. native, who spent parts of three seasons with the Wild (2017-20).

Shots on goal at the end of the first period favored Philadelphia 12-4.

Philadelphia moved to a 2-0 lead after a power play goal scored by F Sean Couturier. Minnesota was put on the penalty kill after F Vinni Lettieri was called for holding at 7:11 of the second period. 

Minnesota was unsuccessful again on the penalty kill after D Jake Middleton was called for cross-checking at 8:34. Consequently, F Bobby Brink made it a 3-0 game at 9:51 with Philadelphia's second PPG of the contest. A native of Minnetonka, Brink recorded his first NHL goal against his hometown team. 

The Flyers out-shot the Wild in the second frame 13-9.

D Dakota Mermis ended G Carter Hart's shutout bid when he netted the first Wild goal of the night at 3:05, cutting the lead slightly 3-1. With an assist on the goal, D Jon Merrill reached the 100 career point milestone (18-82=100).

F Marcus Foligno scored his second goal of the season to make it a 3-2 game only 1:25 after the Mermis goal. He was assisted on the play by F Marcus Johansson and F Marco Rossi.

The luck didn't last long for the Wild as F Owen Tippett capitalized on a breakaway at 6:33 of the third to make it a 4-2 game.

In the same game he scored his first NHL goal, Brink scored his second at 11:02, 5-2 Flyers.

The Philadelphia forecheck remained unrelenting. D Travis Sanheim scored at 14:46 to further the lead 6-2.

What else?

• Minnesota was out-shot 28-35
• Minnesota's PP was 0/2
• Philadelphia's PP was 2/3
• Gustavsson made 29/35 saves

What'd they say?

"It's not the coaches, it's us. It's the players in here and we gotta be better." -Maroon on simplifying the game and getting back on the right track.

"You can't be trying to come back from 3-0 against a team that's worked really hard. We just didn't have it." -Foligno on playing thorough every shift.

"It's just little things... Supporting each other. Working, communicating and going from there." -D Brock Faber on how the team can regroup and bounce back.

What's next?

Minnesota will head to D.C. to play the Capitals tomorrow night for the second game of the back-to-back. The Wild will then face the Devils in New Jersey on Sunday night for the third game in four days.