There are nights where a team just does not have it, and then there are the Flyers who constantly just do not have it night in and night out. Tonight the Flyers get shutout by Jordan Binnington in his first career NHL start. The offensive effort was abysmal, lack of chances and opportunities while St. Louis controlled pace in the Flyers zone for most of the game. When you are on a losing streak and struggling to score, you get into a habit where you are afraid to shoot the puck. The Flyers were afraid to shoot the puck, they played like they did not want anything to do with the puck. While this was happening, Carter Hart was keeping the Flyers within the game. He played spectacular tonight, and Hart deserves way better than the product in front of him.
Summary
1st Period: Shots on Goal STL: 13 PHI: 11
- It was a back and forth battle throughout the start, there were some good chances for both teams. A 3-on-1 chance for the Flyers as Patrick makes a nice pass to Voracek which results in a nice save by Binnington. In the Flyers end, Schwartz grabs a rebound from Carter Hart, who makes an outstanding save on what could have been a sure goal. St. Louis starts to put pressure on the Flyers defense who struggle to get the puck out. The period ends with the teams tied at 0 a piece.
2nd Period: Shots on Goal STL: 14 PHI: 6
- Around 41 seconds into the period, a blast from Schwartz puts the rebound right on Schenn’s stick who buries it into the net. It was Schenn’s first goal against his former team. The Flyers struggled to get anything going for them. They could not luster any kind of momentum as they did not sustain any pressure in the Blues zone. Fans were complaining to shoot the puck and they rarely got that wish. The period ends as fans boo the Flyers off the ice once again this season.
3rd Period: Shots on Goal STL: 10 PHI: 8
- This time the Flyers could not rely on coming back in the third period as their effort just diminishes. Pucks were entering the St. Louis zone and coming right out. The Flyers looked like they gave up, but there was a bit of hope from a penalty on St. Louis. That hope was crushed 30 seconds into the power play as Couturier is called off for hooking. While it is 4-on-4, Tarasenko is able to walk right into the Flyers zone and snipe it past Carter Hart to make it 2-0. Around the 3 minute mark, Scott Gordon decides to pull Hart for an extra attacker. The Flyers cannot do anything with the extra man as they continue to dump the puck into the St. Louis zone. The continuous dumping of the puck results in Perron sealing the game off with an empty net goal.
Total Shots: STL: 37 PHI: 25
Goalie Performance:
- Carter Hart: 34 saves on 36 shots
- Jordan Binnington: 25 saves on 25 shots
Goals: STL:
- Schenn from Schwartz and Gunnarsson
- Tarasenko from O’Reilly and Pietrangelo
- Perron from Sanford and O’Reilly.
3 Stars:
- 1st Star: Brayden Schenn
- 2nd Star: Jordan Binnington
- 3rd Star: Jaden Schwartz
By: Amedeo Grassia (@bud0522)
Sources:
NHL.com
Broadstreetbuzz.com
brotherlypuck.com 