Flyers Keep Foot on the Gas, Close 4-1 Win vs. Nashville Out With a Strong Third Period

The Philadelphia Flyers kept the intensity up through the final 40 minutes of Thursday’s game against the Nashville Predators, coming away with the 4-1 win.

Trevor Zegras led the charge for the Flyers with his second three-point night in three games, while Dan Vladar made a show-stopping 32 saves. It was not always the prettiest game, but the Flyers came away with the 4-1 win to continue their winning ways at home.

With the win, the Flyers’ record improved to 6-3-1 on the season.

Here is how they got to the win.

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1st Period

Philadelphia came out with a spark early in the game. Travis Konecny made a good hesitation play, setting up Owen Tippett with a slick pass, giving him a good look early, but Tippett could not connect.

About nine minutes in, Tippett had Michkov unmarked on a rush, but a good backcheck by Nashville disrupted the play. Tippett could not get the pass to Michkov.

The Flyers came out with some fire, but the Predators started to take charge in the second half of the period.

First, it came off a dominating possession in the offensive zone, making Dan Vladar work. The Flyers almost got it out, but Nashville was able to regain possession and led an odd-man rush. Jamie Drysdale made a play on Jonathan Marchessault to keep him from tapping in an easy score, but would eventually get called for hooking on the play.

The Flyers’ penalty-killers did a good job keeping the puck outside. Nashville only really had two chances: a shot from Ryan O’Reilly and a Brady Skjei shot that deflected off Sean Couturier’s stick. The Flyers got a good bounce from the post, and the penalty was killed.

Nashville’s domination continued, including drawing one more penalty with just over two seconds remaining in the period. The Predators outshot the Flyers 10-3 in the first period.

2nd Period

Nashville opened the period on the power play, but much like the last one, the Flyers did a good job keeping them away from the high-danger areas, only allowing a shot on the man-advantage.

After that, the Predators began to flood Vladar with shots.

The Flyers were being heavily outshot in the second period after being outshot by seven in the first period. It was a real test for Vladar, who passed with flying colors. Philly was finally able to capitalize on the momentum their goaltender was building for them. There were a few good chances for the Flyers, including Tippett’s breakaway chance after a blocked pass by Michkov.

However, it was Tevor Zegras who got it done for the home crowd.

Zegras (3) scored from high in the slot, getting assists from Michkov (3) and Tippett (1).

Despite still being heavily outshot, the Flyers turned the momentum in the second period and began to roll.

They followed the Zegras goal with an odd-man rush about a minute later, but could not convert as Sanheim was given a golden opportunity. However, the Flyers would get their second score not long after.

Michkov, behind the net, thought about a Michigan attempt, which caught the eye of the Nashville defense and Juuse Saros. That left Jamie Drysdale (1) open for the easy score, assisted by Michkov (4) and Zegras (8).

Nashville would get one back after a bad clearing attempt from Tippett gave the Predators a second chance. Matthew Wood cashed in on the chance, scoring his first NHL goal and cutting the Flyers’ lead in half.

That deflated the Flyers’ momentum a bit, but they still went into the second break up 2-1.

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3rd Period

In Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers took a 2-1 lead into the third period, but their foot came off the gas, giving the Penguins the chance to get back into the game.

Only leading by a score, they looked to avoid that outcome against Nashville. So, the Flyers kept their foot on the gas.

On a power play attempt just under seven minutes into the third period, the Flyers would tack on to their lead.

Noah Cates (4) won the draw, getting the puck to Cam York (4), who sent it to Zegras (4) for the one-time score, his second tally of the night.

Travis Konecny (3) would score on the empty net with an assist from Christian Dvorak (3), and the Flyers would hang on to the 4-1 win over the Predators.

Couturier Injured

Flyers captain Sean Couturier was officially ruled out for the remainder of the game with an injury – PR did not specify upper or lower body.

It appeared that around the 14:47 mark of the first period, or 5:13 into the game, Couturier blocked a shot from the point and certainly looked a little shaken up afterward.

The team captain finished out the first period, but did not take a shift for the rest of the game.

Again, all that was specified by PR was that it was an injury that held Couturier out. An update will be provided when more information surfaces.

Flyer of the Game

Trevor Zegras played a fantastic game for the Flyers. It goes without saying that he is the Flyer of the game.

The home-point streak is extended to seven games after Zegras’ three-point night. Two goals and an assist on the Jamie Drysdale goal; What a night for Zegras.

He has undoubtedly been one of the Flyers’ best players through the first 10 games of the season, and will look to continue his outstanding season. Through his first 10 games as a Flyer, Zegras has four goals and eight assists for 12 points, with seven of those coming in his last three games.

I do want to make sure that this does not get lost from Thursday: Dan Vladar was a game-changer once again. 32 saves ties his season high with the Flyers. The two offseason acquisitions continue to come up big for the Flyers.

What’s Next for Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers remain at home when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, with the puck drop at 7:00 p.m. EST at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

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