Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia Flyers
* The Flyers won their first shootout since December 30, 2013 when they picked up one at Vancouver.
* The Flyers improved their record at home to 9-5-3 this year… They have also recorded a goal on the power-play on home ice in eight of their last 10 home games.
* Wayne Simmonds recorded his fifth career shootout goal on his first shootout attempt of the season. He is now 5-for-15 on his career.
* Simmonds also has 11 of his team-leading 16 goals at home this season.
* The Flyers picked up just their fourth win of the season in a game in which they scored fewer than four goals – it was just the second win of the season in seven games that have ended with a 2-1 score, either in regulation or OT/SO.
* Claude Giroux recorded eight shots, which is 23.5 pct of the team’s total of 34.
* The Flyers blocked 27 shots, including six of Bobby Ryan’s shots.
GAME RECAP
PHILADELPHIA — Wayne Simmonds scored in the fifth round of the shootout to help the Philadelphia Flyers defeat the Ottawa Senators 2-1 on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center.
Simmonds also scored in regulation. Steve Mason made 41 saves in regulation and overtime, then stopped four of five Ottawa shooters.
It was the Flyers’ first shootout win since Dec. 30, 2013. They had lost their 10 previous shootouts.
The win also ended the Flyers’ five-game losing streak (0-4-1).
Ottawa’s Mike Hoffman had a goal, and Senators goalie Craig Anderson made 33 saves.
The Flyers (15-18-7) outshot the Senators 3-1 in overtime. Ottawa’s Mika Zibanejad scored in the first round of the shootout, but the Flyers’ Jakub Voracek answered with a goal in the bottom half.
No one else scored until the fifth round. Mason stopped Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson with his left pad. Then at the other end, Simmonds switched the puck from his backhand to his forehand until he found space between Anderson’s pads.
Simmonds had tied the game with a power-play goal at 8:59 of the third period. Nine seconds after Ottawa’s Clarke MacArthur was sent to the penalty box for hooking, Claude Giroux found Simmonds below the goal line next to the left post. Simmonds got the puck, spun and shot before Anderson could secure the post. It was Simmonds’ 16th goal.
Hoffman gave Ottawa (16-15-8) a 1-0 lead at 6:36 of the third period. Jared Cowen took the puck off Voracek in the neutral zone and pushed the puck ahead to Hoffman at the Philadelphia blue line. Hoffman skated around Flyers defenseman Mark Streit as he cut down the right side of the offensive zone, then tucked the puck between Mason’s pads for his 13th goal.
Each team had a chance to break the tie later in the third on a great end-to-end sequence. Streit carried the puck into the Ottawa end and set up Scott Laughton for a great chance from the left side, but Anderson got his stick on it with 8:27 left.
As the play went the other way, Erik Condra carried the puck into the Philadelphia zone and tried to set up Milan Michalek, but the puck bounced off his stick. Jean-Gabriel Pageau poked at the puck in traffic, but Mason got his stick down to keep it from rolling across the goal line with 8:13 remaining. Replay review the puck never went into the net.
The Flyers and Senators each went 0-for-3 on the power play in the first two periods.
Ottawa’s best scoring chance during the first 40 minutes came on a second-period power play when Mark Stone one-timed a pass to set up MacArthur in the slot, but Mason slid over and smothered his shot.
The Flyers had 11 shots in the second period, with Voracek and defensemen Michael Del Zotto combining for six of them. Del Zotto’s best chance came on a hard shot from the point that Anderson deflected with his stick. Voracek had a chance on a wraparound late in the period, holding off Karlsson as he skated around the net, but his shot went through the crease.
The best scoring chance of a scoreless first period came 2:54 into the game when Nicklas Grossmann‘s hard slap shot from the point on the left side was tipped in front by R.J. Umberger, but the puck went off the right post behind Anderson.
