Red Wings double up Flyers, 4-2 PHN's Best Shots of the Game

PHILADELPHIA – The Detroit Red Wings came to town tied with the Flyers with 88 standings points and left with a two-point cushion in the wild card race with a 4-2 win on Thursday night.

Patrick Kane  had a goal and three points in the win.

Both teams remain on the outside looking in, as the Ottawa Senators, also with 88 points, sit in the second wild card spot.

John Gibson made 32 saves in the win.

“I think right from the start we played hard, matched their physicality and their intensity,” Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat said. “I thought we played pretty well for the whole game. Obviously, third period, they came on us a little bit and it took us a little bit to settle in to that speed. Overall, right after their goal we score another one and get a big two points.”

Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny were the Flyers’ strikers.

“I thought we played a pretty good game,” Konecny said. “We’ll just get on to the next game tomorrow. … We’ve got a big game tomorrow, so just keep pushing.”

DeBrincat scored off the power play to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead late  in the first period.

“You win the special teams battle on any given night, you have a much better chance,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “We were down by two in Detroit last week and tonight to win it, maybe it was the difference.”

Foerster tied the game up, 1-1, with 31 seconds gone in the middle frame.

“It’s frustrating again we lost tonight, but it’s still encouraging that you go to the rink tomorrow, you have ‘Foery’ around the locker room,” Konecny said. “It’s still a big lift, big boost. He’s just a pure goal-scorer.”

Detroit reclaimed the lead with 91 seconds left in the second on a strike from Lucas Raymond .

Kane scored midway through the third for a 3-1 advantage to the Red Wings.

“I thought (Flyers defenseman Travis) Sanheim was coming at me at first, and then he kind of backed off so had some space to go in and shoot,” Kane said.

Konecny was credited with a goal to make it 3-2.

DeBrincat hit for a double 15 seconds later for a 4-2 final count.

Samuel Ersson made 15 saves in the loss.

“We’re missing the net way too much,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. “It’s become a problem this year. I love the effort tonight. (The Red Wings) had a couple big moments, they scored and we didn’t, and that’s really what it came down to. We had our chances. We just didn’t put them in.”