Couturier efficient in return, Flyers seize huge win over Bruins

Couturier efficient in return, Flyers seize huge win over Bruins initially appeared on NBC Sports activities Philadelphia

With Sean Couturier again within the lineup, the Flyers picked up an exhilarating 3-2 win Saturday afternoon over the Bruins on the Wells Fargo Middle.

Travis Konecny scored his twenty ninth and thirtieth objectives of the season. Tyson Foerster buried the game-winner with 1:31 minutes left.

Konecny broke the ice late within the second interval with an influence play aim. In the course of the third interval, he put the Flyers again in entrance, 2-1, earlier than Danton Heinen obtained it again 56 seconds later.

All of it arrange for Foerster’s heroics. The rookie winger had an help, as properly.

“We by no means hand over,” Foerster stated. “We at all times stick collectively.”

The Flyers (36-26-9) have earned not less than a degree in three straight video games (2-0-1).

John Tortorella’s membership is 2-2-1 on this grueling seven-game stretch in opposition to contenders. It has the Panthers and Rangers remaining.

The Flyers now have 12 wins over top-10 golf equipment. They went 1-2-0 in opposition to the Bruins (41-16-15) of their three-game regular-season sequence. After permitting 12 objectives over the primary two conferences, the Flyers restricted Boston this time.

“Excessive marks,” Tortorella stated. “That’s a extremely good hockey group clearly. I assumed we stood proper in there and performed a extremely good third interval.”

Because the 2021-22 season, the Flyers have gone 2-7-0 in opposition to the Bruins.

• Couturier returned to the lineup after a two-game benching.

“It’s behind me now,” he stated of the consecutive wholesome scratches. “I don’t need to actually speak about it. I simply need to assist the group in any method I can. All of it labored out properly, we obtained three out of 4 factors and now 5 out of six. I assumed as a group all of us responded actual properly.”

The Flyers’ captain performed properly on the fourth line with Noah Cates and Olle Lycksell. It might have been the Flyers’ only line.

The trio had sustained time within the offensive zone, created some appears to be like and drew the penalty to arrange Konecny’s man benefit marker.

“I assumed they checked properly. I assumed the road performed rather well,” Tortorella stated. “I believe Lycksell is a man that the an increasing number of I see him, it’s one thing that we’re inquisitive about so far as what he could be. He’s had some scoring probabilities, too, however the different aspect of the puck, I believe he has performed fairly properly.

“All three of these guys, I’d begin them within the offensive zone more often than not, that they had some shifts in opposition to their prime strains and I believe they did a fairly good job.”

Nicolas Deslauriers, Cam Atkinson, Denis Gurianov and Marc Staal had been wholesome scratches.

• With 11 video games to go, the Flyers are in third place of the Metropolitan Division, a spot they’ve held because the finish of January. They entered Saturday with a 75.4 % probability to make the playoffs, per Hockey-Reference.com’s possibilities report.

After Saturday’s win, they’re 4 factors forward of the Capitals and 6 up on the Islanders. Washington has performed two fewer video games than the Flyers and New York one fewer. The Flyers have yet one more matchup with every group.

• Samuel Ersson recorded 18 saves on 20 photographs. He has stopped 75 of 83 photographs within the Flyers’ three-game level streak.

“I believe all yr we’ve got been enjoying good in opposition to prime groups,” the 24-year-old rookie stated. “Clearly it’s important to respect them, however we all know what we are able to do, we’re a great group, as properly. We have now to imagine that and exit and show it each night time.”

Boston tied the sport just a little over halfway by means of the third interval with a aim from Justin Brazeau. It got here on the Flyers’ third defensive pair of Egor Zamula and Erik Johnson. Brazeau completed with a great transfer on Ersson.

Konecny was nearly the hero however Heinen surprised the Flyers to make it 2-2. Morgan Geekie one way or the other snuck a cross-ice go by means of the Flyers’ protection.

The Flyers had been capable of maintain David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand scoreless.

Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark stopped 26 of the Flyers’ 29 photographs. He was stable by means of two intervals however Boston wanted him to be higher late.

One minute and 16 seconds after Konecny scored within the center body, Johnson laid out and made a superb defensive play to ignite a Scott Laughton breakaway. However Ullmark made an flashy glove save to maintain the Bruins inside one at second intermission.

“I don’t suppose you guys understand how huge of a play that was,” Konecny stated of Johnson’s effort. “As a result of there was a breakdown and you already know harmful their group could be. It was big.”

Johnson, who the Flyers acquired on the commerce deadline, additionally had a excessive reward for Konecny.

“From what I knew earlier than, an excellent competitor, actually good at getting beneath a group’s pores and skin,” the veteran defenseman stated. “There’s a effective line, proper? You don’t need to go over that line and harm your group, however you need to play on the sting and be that thorn within the different group’s aspect. For T.Okay., he has obtained that ability and that abrasiveness. It has actually helped our group.”

• The Flyers are proper again at it Sunday after they host Florida (6 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).

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