Flyers rally in 3rd period, pick up shootout win over Capitals
Flyers rally in 3rd period, pick up shootout win over Capitals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Coming home from a productive three-game road trip, the Flyers rallied for a 4-3 shootout win Thursday night over the Capitals.
Sean Couturier and Bobby Brink scored in the skills competition.
After collecting five of a possible six points on the trip, the Flyers improved to 3-0 in the shootout.
The Flyers (16-10-3) have picked up at least a point in eight of their last nine games (6-1-2). Six of their last nine games have gone past regulation.
Since losing to the previously-winless Sharks, John Tortorella's club has gone 11-3-2.
Brink, Joel Farabee and Owen Tippett scored for the Flyers in regulation Thursday night.
With just under three minutes left in the game, Tippett whipped a shot from distance for the 3-3 equalizer.
Earlier in the third period, Farabee drew the Flyers even at 2-2. All 11 of Farabee's goals have come at even strength, tying him with Travis Konecny for the team lead.
"Big goal at that time. He has been plugging away," Tortorella said. "He loses ice time when I don't have him on the power play, I'm not using him killing penalties, I tried to get him on the ice more 5-on-5 tonight. I'm sure he wants to be on one of those special teams, but he has shut his mouth and just played."
Morgan Frost registered two assists.
Brink gave the Flyers a 1-0 advantage in the middle stanza, but Connor McMichael countered for Washington just 46 seconds later.
Thursday night marked the Flyers' first of three matchups with the Capitals (14-8-4).
• The Flyers were without Carter Hart, who missed the game because of an illness.
As a result, Samuel Ersson saw his second straight start and recorded 27 saves. T.J. Oshie scored in the shootout but Ersson finished the job.
The 24-year-old turned away Alex Ovechkin in overtime.
Dylan Strome got Ersson in the third period to snap a 2-2 tie with 10:55 minutes remaining. Ersson was positioning himself for a shot from Aliaksei Protas. However, Protas broke his stick on the shot, which sent the puck right to Strome at the doorstep.
Ersson made an excellent split save on former Flyer Nicolas Aube-Kubel to keep the game 1-1 with 8:06 minutes left in the second period.
But Washington's power play struck about three and a half minutes later as Tom Wilson gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead at second intermission.
Felix Sandstrom was called up from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley under emergency conditions to back up Ersson.
Louie Belpedio was loaned to the Phantoms. The 27-year-old defenseman cleared waivers nine days ago but remained with the big club for its three-game road trip.
Washington netminder Charlie Lindgren stopped 29 of the Flyers' 32 shots.
• The Flyers' power play went 0 for 5.
McMichael was called for a highly questionable hooking penalty, which gifted the Flyers a 5-on-3 for 45 seconds at the end of the second period and the start of the third.
But the Flyers came up empty. They're 10 for 92 on the power play this season. Their penalty kill has just three fewer goals with seven.
• The Flyers held Ovechkin scoreless.
The future Hall of Famer sits second on the NHL's all-time goals list with 827, behind only Wayne Gretzky, who has 894.
"I think he's the best goal scorer ever," Garnet Hathaway, Ovechkin's former teammate, said before the game. "It's containing more than anything. He's going to get shots through, so you can try to block as many as you can, but you've got to rely on your goalie a lot."
The Capitals are not the same offensive juggernaut from years past. They came in with the NHL's third-fewest goals per game (2.48) and the last-ranked power play (8.2 percent).
But they are a tight-checking team and don't mind close games.
• Marc Staal drew into the lineup for Egor Zamula and picked up his first point as a Flyer when he assisted Brink's goal.
• The Flyers are scheduled to practice Friday at noon ET in Voorhees, New Jersey before hosting the Red Wings on Saturday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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