PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers had all of the momentum late in the second period of their game with the New Jersey Devils on Monday night. Not only were they enjoying a 3-0 lead, they were rolling around in New Jersey’s zone shift after shift, something the home crowd recognized and appreciated.
But then, an unforced error. Jamie Drysdale couldn’t connect on a simple neutral zone pass with Owen Tippett, icing the puck. Six seconds after the Devils won a draw, Dougie Hamilton’s shot hit the near-side post, popped up, was whacked out of the air by Travis Sanheim’s stick blade and deflected into the net off goalie Sam Ersson’s backside with 1:13 to go before the intermission.
It was one of those funky, late-period scores that often changes the momentum of a game. But it didn’t in this case. The Flyers maintained what had been an aggressive style coming out of the break, had the better of the scoring chances in the first part of the third period (including multiple odd-man rushes) and ended up hanging a 4-2 defeat on the Devils.
It was the second time they’ve beaten their division rival that’s in a comfortable playoff position in a span of 10 days. They meet again Wednesday at Prudential Center.
“It’s a growing step for us,” said Garnet Hathaway of the reaction to Hamilton’s goal. Hathaway scored on a redirection early in the second period for the game winner. “We ice the puck, (Hamilton’s shot) hits the post, our goalie’s (back) … it’s unlucky. But that’s I think what we’re figuring out, is how to regroup. That was a big step for us against a really good team.”
Said coach John Tortorella: “Guys handled themselves well after giving up one late (in the second period).”
That the Flyers had the momentum at all late in the middle frame was primarily because of Ersson. After giving up five goals on 36 shots at Madison Square Garden last Thursday in a 6-1 loss — a few of which came on perfectly placed deflections that he could hardly be blamed for — the goalie quickly resumed what has been a stunning post-Christmas turnaround, making 31 saves. Along with Hamilton’s pinball machine-like goal, Ersson allowed just a Timo Meier blast with 1:22 to go in regulation and Devils goalie Jake Allen pulled for an extra attacker.
But it was a key stop with 7:51 in the second that rejuvenated the Flyers. Jack Hughes, on a three-on-one rush with Meier and Dawson Mercer after a careless Tippett turnover, fired the puck on Ersson only to see it squarely smack the goalie’s blocker.
That helped spark the Flyers’ territorial dominance for the next several minutes, including seven straight shots on goal. It was the kind of game-changing save the Flyers just weren’t getting on many nights before the Christmas break.
“They give me energy when they get things rolling in the offensive zone,” Ersson said, “and I try to help and come up with some big saves. Try and do my thing and hopefully help the team.”
Samuel Ersson makes a save in the second period as Travis Sanheim holds off Devils center Paul Cotter. (Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)
And helping he is. In his last 10 games, Ersson is 8-2-0 with a 1.96 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
“I thought Ers was unreal tonight,” forward Joel Farabee said. “Made all the stops we needed him to make. Credit to him. At this point in the season it’s really just finding a way to win.”
The Flyers were coming off of two straight regulation losses to the Rangers and Islanders on Friday. Their 3-1 loss on Friday at UBS Arena on Long Island was due primarily to fatigue, Tortorella opined on Monday morning. The Flyers were playing their third game in four nights, including the second of a back-to-back, while the Islanders had the previous two days off before the game.
“I think there are certain times when you get to certain games, they’re trying, but there just wasn’t much there — I felt the Islander game was that,” Tortorella said.
The Flyers’ early and consistent tenacity on Monday lent credence to that evaluation. After Rasmus Ristolainen was called for a double minor for high-sticking Ondrej Palat less than four minutes into the game, the shorthanded Flyers had the better of the scoring chances with the defenseman in the box, as Scott Laughton forced a turnover and was stopped at point-blank range in front of the net and Hathaway was denied on a partial breakaway.
“I felt like everyone was recovered, and it’s more mental this time of year,” Ristolainen said of the two-day break between Friday’s loss and Monday.
After the energizing penalty kill, the Flyers quickly capitalized on their first power play at 11:04 of the first. Morgan Frost won the draw, the puck got to Ristolainen at the point, and the defenseman fed Bobby Brink for a one-timer for the winger’s seventh of the season.
They built on their lead just 28 seconds later when a rebound off of a Laughton shot was slipped in by Farabee, past a sprawling Allen.
Hathaway increased the lead to 3-0 by redirecting a Cam York floater at 2:49 of the second period. It was a lead Tortorella was hoping they’d maintain until the break, particularly as the minutes wore on and New Jersey found its legs.
“Five minutes left, I’m working the bench trying to get it to that third period 3-0, because they’re a dangerous team,” Tortorella said.
It didn’t happen. But it also didn’t matter, as the Flyers improved to 6-2-1 in their last nine games.
“I thought we played pretty well first period, gave a little back in the second, but at the end of the day we found a way to win,” Farabee said.
(Top photo of Anthony Richard celebrating Garnet Hathaway’s goal: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
