Yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers made news off the ice when they announced their 20th captain in franchise history. Sean Couturier is the new captain of the team, with Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny as the assistant captains.
Today, the Flyers wanted to make news on the ice. However, their winning streak came to an end at four games as the Toronto Maple Leafs, thanks to Auston Matthews, defeated Philadelphia at Scotiabank Arena.
Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. Philadelphia Flyers: 1st period
Philadelphia struck first, and once again, it was shorthanded. After a penalty by defenseman Sean Walker, the Flyers stole the puck, and Konecny’s shot hit the post, but after Laughton retrieved the puck, he found a wide-open Travis Sanheim, who deked out Leafs’ goaltender Ilya Samsonov and put it into the open net. The goal at 7:42 was Sanheim’s 5th of the year and the team’s 13th SH goal of the year. The goal was the only one in the period, as they outshot Toronto 10-8.
Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. Philadelphia Flyers: 2nd period
Toronto tied the game at 11:06, as during a line change by Philadelphia, it was Matthews taking a pass from Mitchell Marner and beating Flyers goalie Sam Ersson’s glove side for his 43rd goal of the season. The goal was Matthews’ 10th goal in the last 11 games.
Then, following a penalty by Philadelphia’s Owen Tippett, Toronto, which has the 2nd best power play in the NHL, took the lead at 14:20, when you guessed it, Matthews one-timed one from the right circle and beat Ersson’s glove side for his 44th of the year, and giving the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead. Marner and William Nylander got the helpers.
Then, the back-breaker came with 65 seconds left in the period, as after a Flyers turnover, Matthews dragged the puck and ripped it past Ersson’s glove side. The goal, Matthews’45th, a natural hat trick, was his 5th of the season, and that made the score 3-1 after two periods.
Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. Philadelphia Flyers: 3rd period
However, unlike previous years, this Flyers team will not go away. First, with 5:46 left in the game, back came Philadelphia, as Garnet Hathaway ended his 20-game goalless drought by picking up a rebounded shot by Nick Seeler and shooting it through the five-hole to cut the deficit to 3-2. The goal was Hathaway’s 5th of the year.
Then, after a trip by Toronto’s Tyler Bertuzzi, 61 seconds later, it was Konecny getting a rebound from Tippett and lifting the shot over a fallen Samsonov to tie the game, 3-3 at 15:15. The power-play goal, which ended a 1-24 drought, was Konecny’s 26th of the season.
Overtime
However, just 54 seconds in, it was Nylander blasting the puck past Ersson for his 27th of the season and giving the Maple Leafs the overtime win.
The Flyer’s next game will be on Saturday night, but this time, they will be outside for the 2024 Stadium Series. In a nationally televised game, Philadelphia will be playing at Metlife Stadium to face their division rivals, the New Jersey Devils. The face-off is scheduled for 8 pm.
About the author
David has been following all types of sports since he was a kid. While Phillies baseball is his primary focus, David can talk about the Flyers, 76ers, Eagles, Union, and college sports. He does computer work in Pennsylvania and does stats work for another sports company.
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