
New York City, NY (AP) - Matt Carle came through with a game tying goal and Sergei Bobrovsky was an absolute rock between the pipes after regulation, as the Flyers pull out another dramatic victory, winning in a shootout against the Rangers.
The month of November has certainly been a memorable one for Philadelphia and its faithful fans. Exciting really doesn't even begin to describe it. And Saturday night's victory against the rival Rangers was just the latest chapter in an incredible story.
"The one thing we've really learned about ourselves this month, is that we don't know when to quit," said head coach Peter Laviolette. "We feel like we're never out of it. Some of that is because of our offense, more of it is because of outstanding goaltending."
| VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Carle's goal with just 30.5 seconds left in regulation gave the Flyers new life. |
It wasn't just the fact that the orange and black went a ridiculous 10-1-1 for the month against a number of quality teams. It was the way that they won many of those games that has fans picking their jaws off the floor. The Flyers played in 8 games that went beyond regulation. Of all those contests ending in either overtime or a shootout, they won seven of those.
Tonight's game against the Rangers was no different. It featured another comeback, clutch goaltending, and a refusal to lose.
New York had several good scoring chances early, including an opportunity right in front of the net because of a horrible turnover about halfway into the first period. But, Sergei Bobrovsky, starting in net to give Ilya Bryzgalov a break, came up with a big stop.
With 5:35 left before the first intermission, the Flyers went on the powerplay for the first time in the game. Danny Briere had a great chance early in the one-man advantage, but Talbot came up big in the net for the Rangers. However, Philadelphia would ultimately draw first blood on that same powerplay.
Staal tried to clear the puck from behind the net on the left side, but Maxime Talbot made a great play to get a stick on it. The puck bounced right in front to Jakub Voracek, who was able to bury the gift home on the left side for the 1-0 lead with 4:00 left in the period.
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| Voracek made sure he didn't miss on the gift in front for a powerplay goal. |
"Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good," said Voracek. "Although, Max made a great play on the forecheck to get it started. A little bit of hustle can go a long way."
Meantime, Philadelphia's defense was outstanding in the first frame, holding the Rangers to just 3 shots. The second period was relatively uneventful. However, Philly did get a couple of good opportunities to add to its lead. Just about a minute into the period, Briere shot the puck towards the net, and Claude Giroux was able to re-direct it, but Talbot was able to kick it wide.
At the 8:25 mark, the Flyers again threatened thanks to another bad turnover by New York. Carle was able to intercept the pass in the offensive zone and fire towards the net. Voracek re-directed it on net, and the rebound kicked out to a wide open James van Riemsdyk. But, he was unable to stuff it home, and the Flyers had to settle for a 1-0 lead going into the second intermission.
New York was finally able to break through early in the third period. Gaborik took a slap shot from the right circle. Bobrovsky was able to get his pads on it, but it trickled through and slipped into the net. It was just part of some of the sloppy play by Philadelphia in the final period of regulation. A number of turnovers in the neutral ice and the offensive zone killed several rushes and scoring opportunities by the Flyers.
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| Philadelphia established its physical play early. Here, Del Zotto is put into the bench after a strong hit. |
"We just got in a bit of a rut," explained Philly captain Chris Pronger. "I think we were pressing a bit, and that got us into some trouble, trying to do too much. Sometimes, you just have to simplify the game and make the easy pass or the easy move."
Philadelphia gave away a penalty with just under 5:00 left in regulation, giving the Rangers an excellent opportunity to take the lead. And, take the lead they did. Wolski carried the puck into the zone on the right side and pulled it back to the point for a shot on net. Bobrovsky made the initial stop, but Christensen somehow managed to get the rebound between two Flyers defenders and pounded it home with 3:20 left.
Just when it seemed Philadelphia was heading for a tough loss, Matt Carle came up huge for the Flyers. With the clock winding down towards the 30 second mark left in regulation, the Philly defenseman sent a blistering slap shot on net that bounced off the right post and into the net to tie the game up.
| VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Bobrovsky kept the Flyers close most of the game. These saves in overtime preserved Philly's chance at a win. |
"I was just trying to get something on net, and hope for a good kick back or rebound for our guys to stuff home. But, I'll certainly take the goal!" said Carle.
That set up an overtime in which it was Bobrovsky's turn to come up huge in the clutch. New York got several good chances, especially when Philly took a bad penalty to go a man down. The Rangers got off a series of shots that Bobrovsky was able to keep out of the net and preserve the tie.
That meant the two teams would go to a shootout. Claude Giroux was able to slip the first shot past Talbot on the near side to put the Flyers up by one. Then, once again, Bobrovsky stepped up - shutting the Rangers out on all three shots, giving Philly yet another dramatic victory. Philadelphia finished the month of November a perfect 3-0 in shootouts. They are 5-0 overall in those situations.
"We're just going to keep on battling you, there's nothing more to it," said Laviolette.
December will provide another big test for this young squad. The Flyers will be on the road for 10 of their 13 games in the upcoming month. Overall, the orange and black are 6-4-1 away from the Wells Fargo Center.
| PHILADELPHIA FLYERS at NEW YORK RANGERS - Nov 26, 2011 |
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