The Flyers returned to action on a positive note! Winning seventeen of their last twenty five games, the Flyers were hot. Then - a 16-day break from action, along with the news that goalie Ray Emery was lost for the remainder of the season - would they lose their stride?
The answer, apparently not! It didn't look good from the start, but momentum eventually swung in favor of the Flyers. They were out-shot 13-8 in the first period, and were lucky to head into the third period tied at two.
The third period was a huge turnaround, however, with the Flyers scoring five unanswered goals. Special teams killed Tampa Bay in the third. Within five-minutes of the period, Gagne scored two power-play goals. Shortly after, Jeff Carter scored a short-handed goal.
- Flyers' goals scored by: Mike Richards, Dan Carcillo, Simon Gagne (two goals - both power-play), James Van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux, and Jeff Carter (SH)
- Special Teams looked good! The Flyers power-play was 3-for-9, while killing off all 7 short-handed situations.
Michael Leighton: With Emery out, the weight falls on Leighton. He has been superb, but there were many questions left to be answered. Was he overachieving? Was this eventually going to go away? Would he lose momentum following the Olympic break layoff? I had my concerns! I have been waiting for him to become the same guy that was cut by the Hurricanes earlier in the year.
His return couldn't have been any better! He continued to be solid for Philadelphia, coming up with big saves at crucial times. He stopped 36-of-38 shots. If he continues at this level, the Flyers have everything they need in net going into the playoffs.
Simon Gagne: Great to see Gagne with a multiple goal game. He had played solid hockey prior to the Olympic break, but couldn't catch a break. He managed just 2-goals in his last 21-games. He looked good, was handling the puck well, and registered a couple power-play goals. Nice!
Jeff Carter: Carter also struggled offensively for parts of the season, but headed into the Olympic break on a roll, scoring 5-goals in his last 4-games. It was nice to see the break didn't disrupt him! His short-handed breakaway goal was sweet!