5 Takeaways: Flyers Blank Detroit; Point Streak at 5

Carter Hart made 29 saves and collected his second shutout of the season Saturday afternoon as the Philadelphia Flyers kept rolling.

They blanked Detroit at the Wells Fargo Center, 3-0, and increased their point streak to a season-best five games.

Kieffer Bellows, Scott Laughton (two points), and Tyson Foerster (empty net) scored goals for the Flyers, who swept the three-game season series from the Red Wings.

This wasn’t a case of lights out goaltending as the Flyers kept most of the shots from the perimeter. Still, Hart made a nice diving save late to preserve the shutout, the fifth of his career.

Give the Flyers’ penalty kill props. The Red Wings were 0-7 on the power play. The Flyers’ penalty kill was part of the reason they had 20 blocked shots, including three by Egor Zamula.

“Our penalty kill was great. Hartsy was our best penalty killer. He made a couple of huge saves at the end. When it got to 5-on-5. Good team effort…We continue to grow as a team,” said Laughton.

1. Most of the Flyers played strong games.

This was one of those games where the Flyers played their game for the most part.

They took too many penalties, but their defense was good and they got just enough offensive chances to be dangerous.

One thing of note. Wade Allison’s ice time dropped. He had  12:33 of ice time and had a rather low-event game (zero shots, three hits).

2. Hart was locked in.

Sometimes your best penalty killer has to be your goalie, and even though Hart didn’t face a lot of high-danger shots, he made the saves when called upon. Early in the third period he made a big save on Detroit wunderkind, Moritz Seider.

“The way Carter carries himself, win or lose, good or bad after games. You can sense that the way he carries himself. Not the technical part but how he carries himself with his teammates. He hasn’t skipped a beat,” said Flyers coach, John Tortorella. “He’s been really good that way.”

3. Scott Laughton decisively scored on a 2-on-1.

While the teams were playing four-on-four, Rasmus Ristolainen got the puck to Laughton and created the two-on-one chance. Laughton buried it at 19:24 of the second period. That was a backbreaking goal, and Laughton has been getting these types of scores all season long.

He has a career-high 18 goals, and he eclipsed the 40-point mark for the first time. He has 41 points.

Scott Laughton (@Laughts21) now has a seven-game goal-scoring streak against DET dating back to Nov. 2019! 👏#NHLStats: https://t.co/UWHlAWR9Ff pic.twitter.com/6Ou0cQINjC

— NHL (@NHL) March 25, 2023

4. Owen Tippett helped set up the first goal.

Tippett took a shot that got through, and Bellows deposited it for a goal at 10:10 of the second period. That gave the Philadelphia Flyers the 1-0 lead. Laughton got a helper on the play. The Red Wings play got a little scrambly, and the Flyers took advantage of it.

Bellows in the back of the net. #DETvsPHI | @BellowsKieffer pic.twitter.com/T5uqr0PTQy

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 25, 2023

5. Flyers penalty kill was working hard early on.

This game started with a Flyers bench minor at 2:02 of the opening period. The Flyers killed it off. Then Tony DeAngelo got a double-minor for high sticking at 5:47 of the first period, and they killed that off, too. The Flyers killed off a third penalty that started 42 seconds into the second period.

Breakaways

Foerster (seven points in eight games) and Zamula were told after the game they were heading back to Lehigh Valley to help with its playoff run. Foerster, 21, increased his point streak to five games (three goals, four assists). … The Flyers have won three straight for the first time since Jan. 9-14. … Joel Farabee had an assist and five hits; he had scored in each of his previous four games. … Flyers radio play-by-play commentator Tim Saunders is celebrating 25 years on the air. Interim GM Danny Briere presented him with a Tiffany Crystal before the game. … The Flyers won 48.2% of the faceofs. … The Flyers will play Montreal on Tuesday night, ending their season-high seven-game homestand. Philly is 4-1-1 thus far. …The Flyers Charities Carnival takes place Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center.

Carchidi: Retiring Coatesy Part of Iconic Philly Broadcast Duo

Prior to today’s game vs. Detroit, ⁦@NHLFlyers⁩ interim GM Danny Briere presented Flyers radio play-by-play, Tim Saunders, with a Tiffany Crystal for 25 years of service to the Flyers broadcast.
Also pictured, Saunders with partner in the booth, the retiring Steve Coates. pic.twitter.com/tftq6rpkBk

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) March 25, 2023