Rejoice Philadelphia. The six-game losing streak is over as the Philadelphia Flyers (23-17-8) prevailed in a nail-biter 2-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights (24-12-12) at T-Mobile Arena on Monday night. The recent 0-5-1 stretch while being outscored 31-12 can be swept under the rug as the Flyers are back in the win column.
The level of discipline displayed by the Flyers was nonexistent as Philadelphia nearly gifted Vegas the win as they were sent to the penalty box on seven occasions. The Flyers’ saving grace was their penalty kill that came up clutch late in the contest to prevent Vegas from scoring on six man advantages with Sam Ersson being the most important penalty killer.
Ersson fared well in relief for Aleksei Kolosov against the Rangers on Saturday by making 22 of 25 saves and then followed it up by producing his best game of the year. Ersson stopped 24 of 25 shots against the Golden Knights to secure his second win since December 7. He had a previous .840 SV% during that stretch with some fans wanting him out of a job in Philadelphia. Ersson answered the call with Dan Vladař out and his grand performance in Sin City snapped Vegas’ seven-game win streak too.
“I’ve said it before sometimes less is more. In the tough times you just gotta trust your game even more and trust the system and the game I’ve built up over the years. Just not overthinking it, just trusting it even more, and just going out and playing,” said Ersson.
Travis Konecny scored both of the Flyers’ goals in identical fashion via the breakaway. Konecny recorded his 30th career multi-goal game.
Vegas brought the early pressure registering the first five shots of the contest which Ersson turned aside. Golden Knights forward Tomáš Hertl spoiled Vegas’ offensive time on attack coughing the puck up at the top of the blue line which sprung Konecny the other way. Konecny netted the initial goal on the breakaway which marked the 15th matchup that the Flyers led 1-0.
Philadelphia handed Vegas the chance to tie or potentially bypass the Flyers in scoring following two minor penalties. The Flyers’ penalty kill entered allowing eight goals on their 17 previous attempts while the Golden Knights’ power play sat fourth best in the NHL. The clear advantage was in favor of Vegas, but the Orange and Black kept the Golden Knights off the scoreboard twice. Ersson played a vital part standing tall at the task at hand to send the Flyers to the first intermission up 1-0.
“We had a good meeting this morning and kind of went over some details. We needed a refresh,” Konecny said on the penalty kill. “It’s been pretty good. I think I had a little mishap there when Hertl got a chance and Erss bailed me out. He’s playing good and the PK is rolling so we just got to keep it going.”
The Flyers hunkered down to keep the Golden Knights scoreless when the middle stanza got underway. Philadelphia killed their third power play and prevented Vegas from recording a shot on goal for 13:54. Nick Seeler had a strong game on defense with one block and broke up a dangerous 2-on-1 rush near the halfway mark too.
“It’s huge… That’s a pressure situation. He didn’t slide, he didn’t get out of position, and he hung in there for us. That was a great play by him,” Rick Tocchet said.
Then the breaks came off. The Golden Knights generated scoring chances and eventually found themselves on their fourth man advantage once Noah Cates tripped Ben Hutton. Vegas was bound to score. Mark Stone connected with Jack Eichel who laced a pass down low that Hertl redirected through his legs and behind Ersson. The Golden Knights evened the score with 32 seconds left in the second period.
The lack of self-control displayed by the Flyers was a key component for why they arrived in Vegas on a six-game losing streak. Travis Sanheim did no wonders as he cross-checked Eichel for Philadelphia’s fifth minor penalty. Oddly enough, it would be the Flyers breaking the tie while shorthanded. Eichel fed a no-look pass into open ice which Konecny charged towards. Konecny gained momentum and déjà vu developed as he was alone with Adin Hill once more and cashed in again on the breakaway.
It was Konecny’s 17th tally on the season and 11th point in 11 games since the holiday break.
“He’s a great guy to coach for me. You have your battles and he knows when he screws up and he puts it on himself, but he battles out of it… He’s trying to calm the guys down. I know we’re a young team. The last month I’d give him a lot of credit. I just think he’s really trying to do the right things and establish himself as a leader,” Tocchet said.
Another important power play kill for the Flyers came with under five minutes to go which Philadelphia executed. The Golden Knights’ last resort was pulling Hill for the 6-on-4. Yes, a 6-on-4 because Owen Tippett flipped the puck over the glass for Philadelphia’s seventh penalty. Like they were all night, Ersson and the penalty killers were there to slam the door shut as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Cam York led the Flyers with four blocks.
Philadelphia and Vegas split the season series following a 3-2 overtime win in December by the Golden Knights, but the Flyers secured three of the possible four points to edge out the Pacific Division leaders.
In other news, Bobby Brink returned to the lineup after missing six games with an upper-body injury. Brink brought a jolt of energy and was noticeable skating in his first outing back. Lane Pederson made his Flyers debut and had 8:38 of ice time across 12 shifts.
The Flyers now head to Utah for just their second time to take on the Mammoth (25-20-4). The opening faceoff is scheduled for 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday night at Delta Center.
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