Flyers Takeaways: Foerster, Sandstrom Lift Flyers to Needed Win vs Senators

The Philadelphia Flyers responded in a big way on Saturday night, defeating the Ottawa Senators 4-2 at the Wells Fargo Center.

Joel Farabee kicked things off with his 18th goal of the season, snapping a 14-game goal drought by deflecting a Nick Seeler shot past Ottawa goaltender Mads Sogaard. Farabee, though, was only one of several Flyers who stepped up to the plate in a game with significant postseason ramifications.

Foerster’s searing run continues

Tyson Foerster scored his 15th and 16th goals of the season, with the latter coming on a penalty shot which cemented this Flyers team in NHL history books. The penalty shot goal also stood as the game-winner, and gave Foerster six goals in his last five games.

Effectively, over a third of Foerster’s goal-scoring has been done in the five games he’s played since returning from a lower-body injury.

Another player whose production has almost exclusively come in the last few weeks? That would be Scott Laughton, who added another assist on Foerster’s first of two goals on the evening.

It isn’t just Foerster stepping up, but he’s been a big part of what the Flyers have done and will be doing in the future. He’s 22 years old and a former first-round pick; now the goals are starting to come to compliment the standout defensive play.

Sandstrom gives Flyers what they need

The big cloud hanging over the Flyers‘ heads on Friday night was that they lost to the Washington Capitals 5-2, with Sam Ersson and the rest of the team not playing well at all in the first leg of a back-to-back. The second biggest cloud hanging over their heads was that Ersson needed to rest, and they would be forced to start the unproven Felix Sandstrom against a Senators team that has been half decent as of late.

After Saturday night, it’s safe to say that Sandstrom passed the test.

The Swede stopped 24 of 26 Senators shots, posting a .923 save percentage and guiding the Flyers to a much-needed win. Sandstrom certainly had a few posts help him along the way, but it only counts if it ends up in the back of the net.

Simply put, Sandstrom was steady, made the saves he needed to make (for the most part), and got the Flyers a win in a game they desperately needed to win.

Defense leads the way

One night after a disastrous performance against Washington, Seeler and Sean Walker bounced back and rounded back to their ever-so-steady form against Ottawa. Seeler’s shot paved the way for the Flyers’ first goal, and Walker was all over the ice, both offensively and defensively.

In fact, Walker nearly went end-to-end for a goal in the second period, but ultimately came up empty-handed in the end.

Together, Walker and Seeler comfortably led the Flyers in short-handed ice time, as each eclipsed six minutes. No other Flyers player played more than five minutes on the penalty kill.

Cam York scored an empty-net goal as time expired, giving the Flyers a 4-2 lead and killing off the game with an exclamation point. Oh, and he led the team in blocks, with seven. Even Seeler only managed to finish with five.

Saturday’s game showed an exemplary effort that underscores what a team win should look like for the Flyers. They’ll have a day off to rest before a home showdown with the visiting St. Louis Blues on Monday night.

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