Philly Sports Jabronis
* The Flyers posted their fourth straight win on home ice and have now outscored the opposition by a 15-6 margin during that streak… They also extended their point streak at home, marking the sixth straight game that they have earned a point in the standings, going 3-0-3.
* Michael Del Zotto recorded his first goal as a Flyer… He also recorded two hits and four blocked shots while playing a team-high 23:18… Del Zotto has now recorded over 23 minutes of ice time in four consecutive games.
* Jakub Voracek extended his scoring streak to seven games, with four goals and eight assists for 12 points in the span… He now has six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 13 games, and is tied for the league lead with Sidney Crosby.
* Steve Mason stopped 30+ shots for the second straight game to earn his seconds straight win… He stopped 16 of 17 shots allowed by the team in the second period.
* Carlo Colaiacovo recorded an assist on Pierre-Edouard Bellemare’s goal to earn his first point as a Flyer.
* Florida’s power-play goal was the first the Flyers have allowed on home ice this season. They had been 19-for-19 (including the first two tonight) before that goal.
* The Flyers scored all four of their goals tonight on even-strength and allowed none, which has them now with 26 5-v-5 goals for and 27 against this season… They have outscored the opposition 23-11 at even strength in the last seven games.
GAME RECAP
PHILADELPHIA — Sean Couturier had a goal and an assist to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 victory against the Florida Panthers on Thursday at Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers’ Brayden Schenn had two assists, and Michael Del Zotto, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Jakub Voracek each scored a goal. Goaltender Steve Mason stopped 34 shots.
Nick Bjugstad scored for the Panthers. Goaltender Roberto Luongo allowed four goals on 30 shots. It was the Panthers’ first regulation loss in eight games (4-1-3).
The three-goal game also snapped the Panthers’ streak of eight straight one-goal games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Panthers’ streak of one-goal games was the most since the Ottawa Senators played 11 straight during the 2012-13 season.
Voracek extended his scoring streak to seven games at 12:29 of the second with his sixth goal. Mark Streit‘s pass sentClaude Giroux and Voracek on a 2-on-1, and Voracek finished it to put the Flyers ahead 4-1.
He has four goals and eight assists during his streak.
The goal came 39 seconds after Bjugstad scored his first of the season. With the Panthers on their third power play of the game, Dmitry Kulikov made a nice pass to Jimmy Hayes, who stepped between the Flyers’ penalty-killers and got a low shot on goal. Mason kicked it away but right to Bjugstad, who banged in the rebound at 11:50 of the second.
It was the first power-play goal allowed by the Flyers on home ice this season; they had killed off their first 19 shorthanded situations at Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers led 2-0 after one period, and Bellemare added to the lead at 2:50 of the second. Bellemare and Zac Rinaldocombined to hit Kulikov in the corner in the Florida end, and Kulikov sent the puck behind his net, but Flyers defensemanCarlo Colaiacovo got it at the top of the left circle. Colaiacovo fanned on a centering attempt but the puck went to Bellemare in the high slot, and he beat Luongo for his third goal.
Del Zotto made it 2-0 at 6:38 on his first goal of the season. Couturier beat Aleksander Barkov on a faceoff in the right circle in the Florida end. Brayden Schenn got the loose puck and swung low in the Florida zone. He whipped a pass through the slot to a pinching Del Zotto, who scored his first goal since March 28 from a sharp angle on the left side.
“It’s been something I’ve been working on as far as activating back door,” Del Zotto said. “I’m trying to get in on the rush and get a few looks and have them lose coverage. [Schenn] made a perfect pass and I had an open net and it worked out well.”
The Flyers opened the scoring on Couturier’s fourth goal. Flyers forward Matt Read took the puck from the Panthers’ Jussi Jokinen in the left circle in the Florida end and found Schenn in the high slot. Couturier, set up in front of the net, redirected the shot past Luongo at 3:53.
