After a lengthy break, the Philadelphia Flyers continued their strong performance.
Ivan Provorov scored 2:14 into overtime to lift the Flyers to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night. Both teams returned to action after over a week off due to postponements and the holiday break.
Philadelphia improved to 5-0-1 in its last six games, showing a remarkable turnaround after a 10-game losing streak in late November and early December.
“In the third period, we recognized that we were pretty fortunate to be in the position that we were in, and we started to come out and have a better mindset,” interim coach Mike Yeo said.
James van Riemsdyk’s second goal of the night with 5:13 left in regulation tied the game at 2. He scored just 15 seconds after Seattle’s Jeremy Lauzon notched his first goal of the season, which came after a previous goal was disallowed for goaltender interference earlier in the period.
Van Riemsdyk quickly responded, beating Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer for his second goal of the game. He also scored on a power play at 4:44 of the first period and now has five goals in the past six games.
“Anytime you can get one to go, you get that confidence, and you start playing a little more free,” van Riemsdyk said. “I think, generally, that’s why those things come in a bunch.”
Martin Jones made 34 saves and kept the Flyers close as Seattle dominated most of the first two periods. Seattle outshot the Flyers significantly in the first 40 minutes and created numerous scoring chances but couldn’t build a lead.
“We probably played too much on our own end, but I thought we did a decent job defending,” Jones said. “Obviously, we would like to build off how we played in the third.”
Seattle seemed to take the lead with 14:03 remaining in the third when Lauzon’s shot from the point beat Jones. However, Philadelphia challenged the goal for goalie interference, and the goal was disallowed after a video review determined that Seattle’s Jaden Schwartz had impeded Jones in the crease.
Yanni Gourde scored a power-play goal in the first period for Seattle. Grubauer made 19 saves but dropped to 7-12-4.
“Overall, we played a really good game. But down the stretch, I think we just need to tighten things up,” Lauzon said. “We’ve seen that happen too often for our team this year. So I just think moving forward, it’s something that we need to take pride in.”
Both teams played for the first time since Dec. 18 due to COVID-19 protocols causing postponements and the NHL extending the holiday break. Seattle had four games postponed, while the Flyers had two.
GIROUX’S MILESTONE
Claude Giroux placed second on the Flyers’ career scoring list by assisting on van Riemsdyk’s first goal. Giroux passed Bill Barber and now trails only Bobby Clarke. Giroux’s 600th assist brought his career total to 884 points.
“I never really thought about it before. To be able to pass Bill Barber is a great honor. He’s a legend in Philly,” Giroux said.
COVID-19 UPDATES
Seattle was without defenseman Vince Dunn and forwards Mason Appleton and Ryan Donato due to COVID-19 protocols. Defenseman Adam Larsson, who exited protocols earlier on Wednesday, played 22:38.
“Frustrating to lose on a night like this. We had enough chances to win the game,” Larsson said.
Due to protocols, Philadelphia was missing top goaltender Carter Hart, top-line center Sean Couturier, forward Scott Laughton, and center Derick Brassard. Hart played junior hockey 30 miles north of Seattle for the Everett Silvertips of the WHL.
UP NEXT
- Flyers: Philadelphia is at San Jose on Thursday.
- Kraken: Seattle hosts Calgary on Thursday.
