For almost any NHL team, trailing the St. Louis Blues in the third period would be a big problem. The Blues, one of hockey’s strongest clubs, are adept at holding on to late-game leads. It’s just one of the many reasons they’re so dangerous.
But somehow, it wasn’t an issue for the Flyers.
The hometown team that’s once again four points out of a playoff spot was at its best Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center, defeating the Blues, 3-1 (see Instant Replay).
And yet, it’s still a mystery to the Flyers themselves why they play so well against top teams like the Blues and so poorly against almost everyone else.
“I cannot tell you [why],” Matt Read said. “It’s unfortunate it’s like that right now. Every game’s important, and when you play top teams, you’ve got to come out with your best game. It shouldn’t change from night to night, but for some reason it does, and we’ve got to get away from that.
“Every two points, every 60 minutes is very important right now. We’ve got to keep playing well and getting better every night to make the playoffs.”
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Against the Blues, the Flyers played like a hungry team deserving of a spot in the postseason. They were neck-and-neck all night, evenly matched in all areas of the game, and put on a show for the dedicated fans who braved the elements to watch them play.
They were disciplined, played smart and aggressive and were, simply put, a team that looked like it deserved to be out on the ice with one of the league’s best.
“It’s a huge win for us,” Carlo Colaiacovo said. “It’s surprising to me how we can play so well against good teams like this, and it takes us a while to get going against teams that are lower than above-average. It’s frustrating, but we knew we needed this one. I thought it was a great effort for a full 60 minutes. We found a way to just stick with it.”
The Flyers gave up the first goal of the night at 12:52 of the first period to Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz, and trailed by one until midway through the third period.
But though they trailed, the Flyers never lagged on the ice. It was as strong an effort as they’ve had all season, reminiscent of other games like they’ve played against the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals — games against tough teams in which the Flyers were at their best and came away with well-deserved victories.
“I thought we played well all game,” coach Craig Berube said. “I don’t think there was any letdown from the get-go. We were down 1-0 for most of the game. We played the right way today. … A lot of character in that room, I’ve always said that.”
They were sharp on the penalty kill as well, keeping the Blues silent on their only chance of the night early in the second period. The Flyers are now 29 for 31 on the kill over their last 12 home games.
And it was in the third period that things began to open up. Though the Flyers only outshot the Blues, 9-8, through those 20 minutes, they finally took some command of the game. Michael Del Zotto tied the game with a rocket from the top of the circle at 9:47, and two minutes later, Wayne Simmonds added his team-leading 26th goal of the season.
In the closing moments of the game, after the Blues had pulled goalie Brian Elliott, Michael Raffl chipped in with an empty-netter that sealed the deal for the Flyers.
“I thought our guys responded well,” Steve Mason, who stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced, said. “Anytime we’ve been faced with a big challenge against one of the top teams in the league, we’ve responded really well, and tonight was another effort that, overall, the guys can be proud of.”
And, it should be noted, a game from which they must take some momentum. The Flyers next face the Boston Bruins on Saturday, in an arena in which they haven’t won a game since 2011.
As much as they needed the win against the Blues, they need the victory against the Bruins even more.
“It’s a four-point swing,” Simmonds said. “If we can grab those two points from them, that’s two points that they can’t get. It’s in our favor. We’ve got to be really prepared for that game, and we’ve got to start right from the drop of the puck and play a full 60.”