Every Monday, GNGHockey will recap the past week for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Here is everything that happened for the week of Dec. 4…
Philadelphia Flyers (11-11-7, 29 points, 8th in Metropolitan)
Monday, Dec. 4th – at Calgary Flames (5-2 win)
Finally, during the first of a three-game road trip, the Flyers’ losing streak ended with a victory over the Calgary Flames.
Troy Brouwer opened the scoring for the Flames at the very end of the first period, but it was the Flyers who controlled the game from there. With four unanswered goals coming from Valtteri Filppula, Scott Laughton, Michael Raffl, and Wayne Simmonds, the Flyers took a 4-1 lead not even halfway through the second period. Goals two through four for the Flyers came within a 1:11 interval in the second. Sean Monahan would score late in the second to give the Flames a fighting chance, but Laughton’s second goal of the evening in the third period stopped any effort the Flames would be able to mount.
Brian Elliott, in his first match-up in Calgary as a member of the Flyers, stopped 43 of 45 shots, backstopping the Flyers to victory. Jake Voracek led the team with three points, all from assists.
Wednesday, Dec. 6th, 2017 – at Edmonton Oilers (4-2 Win)
The Flyers’ second game of the western Canada trip was against the floundering Oilers, and it followed a script similar to the previous game against Calgary.
The Oilers got on the board first, as Leon Draisaitl scored just under four minutes into the game. The Flyers would then go on to score three unanswered goals, with goals coming from Jordan Weal and Dale Weise in the first period, and Michael Raffl in the third period. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would score midway through the third period to give the Oilers a shot, but Wayne Simmonds’ late third period goal sealed the deal for the Flyers’ second straight win.
It was a game where secondary scoring became huge for the Flyers, as Weal and Weise both scored their third goals of the season and Raffl scored his fourth. Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds led the team with two points each. Brian Elliott saved 24 of 26 shots.
Thursday, Dec. 7th, 2017 – at Vancouver Canucks (4-1 win)
In a game that resulted in their third-straight win, the Flyers didn’t allow the Canucks to get on the board first, like they allowed against the Flames and Oilers. Instead, they dominated the entire game.
Shayne Gostisbhere, Michael Raffl, and Claude Giroux scored the Flyers’ first three goals to make it 3-0 midway through the second period. Raffl’s goal was his fifth of the year and his third in as many games. Brock Boeser would score late in the second period to make it 3-1, but Wayne Simmonds scored late in the third for his third goal in as many games to make it 4-1 Flyers, and that’s how the score ended.
For the second time this week, Jake Voracek led the team in points with three, all on assists. Brian Elliott was big again, as he saved 36 of 37 shots.
Notes
On Wednesday, the Flyers announced that Brandon Manning will be out for three-to-four weeks following a hand injury. In response, the team called up T.J. Brennan from the Phantoms, whom they demoted on Friday. The Flyers also called up Alex Lyon due to Michael Neuvirth going on injured reserve. Neuvirth is expected to miss a week or so.
Upcoming games
Philadelphia Flyers – Tuesday, 12/12 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs; Thursday, 12/14 vs. Buffalo Sabres; Saturday, 12/16 vs. Dallas Stars
Originally published on GNGHockey.com