Flyers enter break with a win

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Going into the All-Star break, the Flyers needed a big win to remain atop the NHL standings.   They got it with a 5-2 victory against the suffering Montreal Canadiens with strong goaltending and a surge on the power play. It was a matchup of the league’s point leader and a wounded Canadiens team with injuries to several key players.   But the visitors from up north got off to a quick start from the opening faceoff and looked poised to control the game until a wave of penalties put them on back to back 5-on-3s. The penalties would cost the Canadiens two goals and the momentum in the game.   From late in the first throughout the game, the Flyers skated and passed around bleu, blanc, and rouge pilons, easily controlling the pace.
The Canadiens would manage a few pushes of offense, but Flyers rookie netminder, in his fourth start in the last six games, was up to the task.   In the end, he stopped 29-of-31 shots on goal, and has recently been looking like the goaltender who had a 12 game winning streak earlier in the season. The Flyers young netminder, after struggling somewhat earlier this season, has gone 6-0 in his last six starts, and only allowed 11 goals during that time. “I don’t have an explanation for the letdown [in play],” Bobrovsky said, via an interpreter. “I came out and played every game the same way.
“Confidence is the most important thing to him [Bobrovsky], so he can, you know, calm down, play to the best of his abilities, and keep winning.”
The undrafted rookie now has 21 wins on the season with a goals against average of 2.42, and a save percentage of .920.
On top of strong goaltending, the key to the win was the power play, which went 3-for-5 on the night.   The last time the Flyers scored three goals on the power play in one night was October 26, in a 6-3 win over the Sabres.   That’s nearly three months and 41 games ago.
When asked about it, Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said, “The power play was good, and we’ve been working on it.   It gets frustrating at times.
“I think the power play is one of those temperamental parts of the game.   It’s really hot sometimes and at other times it’s not.   But I feel like we get great instruction from the coaches and Joe Mullen.   I feel like we’ve got the right players on the ice.   It’s just a matter of time before we start scoring goals again.”
The team, which leads the league in goals for (174), has had to rely on their 5-on-5 play.   They currently lead the league in goals for and against differential with 1.45 goals for per one goal allowed.
When not scoring on the power play, the Flyers have a record of 11-10-4.   When the man advantage is scoring, they have a record of 21-3-1, including an 8-0 record when scoring more than once in a game.
All-Star Danny Briere said, “Five-on-threes, you know they usually dictate the game.   You can’t miss on those opportunities.
  “When you have those chances, 5-on-3, you can’t miss.   Usually they come back to hurt you if you don’t score.”
The victory marked the Flyers 1000^th home win, making them the first expansion team to reach that mark.   It was also the last game before the All-Star break, which will see Briere and Claude Giroux participating on the ice, while Laviolette will be an assistant coach for one of the teams.   With the new format, the teammates could find themselves on opposing teams.
The Flyers are back in action, February 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.   They’ve met the Lightning two times this season and lost both games by one goal.
Contact Chuck.Tay@prohockeynews.com
Photographer Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com