Flyers top Vegas to end skid
Blue Jackets need OT to top Leafs
PHILADELPHIA — Kevin Hayes, Michael Raffl, Matt Niskanen and Oskar Lindblom all scored in the second period to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 6-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.
The Flyers snapped a fourgame losing streak in front of a tepid crowd that has grown accustomed to a franchise off to another slow start. Of late, the Flyers lost seven of eight to open 2013, went 0-2-2 to start 2014, and went 4-7 last season that led to a housecleaning in the front office and on the bench. It was more of the same this season, with the Flyers standing at 2-3-1 after a rugged trip where they played four of the first five games in four time zones.
There was no need for concern against Vegas.
Travis Konecny scored a power-play goal just 4:15 into the game for the Flyers, and they took off from there, an appetizer for what would be the Flyers first four-goal period since March 15, 2019 against Toronto. Raffl added his second of the night late in the third.
Brian Elliott had 33 saves for the Flyers, 25 straight through the first two periods when they played more like an Eastern Conference contender than the one that entered buried near the bottom of the standings.
The Flyers had scored only 15 goals through the first six games but caught a break when Marc-Andre Fleury was given a night off with Vegas on the front end of a back-to-back. He started nine games this season — and one game with Oscar Dansk in net showed why Fleury rarely gets a game off.
Carter Hart also got the
night off for the Flyers, leaving a hopeful matchup of one of the best goalies in the league vs. one of the expected future stars off the board. The kids in the $25 standing-room-only section in Hart jerseys had to cheer on an offensive outburst instead from their obstructed sightlines.
STARS 2, SENATORS 1: In Dallas, Joe Pavelski scored a power-play goal midway through the second period, and Dallas beat Ottawa for their second straight win.
Radek Faksa also scored for Dallas, and Anton Khudobin made 19 saves for his first win in four games this season. The Stars won for the first time in four home games.
Vladislav Namestnikov scored his team-high fourth of the season with 1:12 left to spoil Khudobin’s bid for his ninth career shutout. Anders
Nilsson stopped 41 shots for the Senators, who have lost four straight (0-3-1).
Faksa scored in a first period in which Dallas outshot Ottawa 17-9.
BLUES 3, AVALANCHE 1: In St. Louis, Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists to help St. Louis beat Colorado, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Brayden Schenn and David Perron also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who came in with their longest skid since March 30-April 4, 2018. Jordan Binnington finished with 17 saves.
Nathan MacKinnon scored for Colorado, which was the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss and fell to 7-11. Philipp Grubauer stopped 22 shots.
The Blues swept the fourgame season series last season
and their latest win moved them to 8-1-0 in the last nine home games against Colorado. The Blues are 15-3-0 over the Avalanche at home since April 5, 2011. BLUE JACKETS 4, MAPLE
LEAFS 3 (OT): In Toronto, Gustav Nyquist scored on a penalty shot in overtime to give Columbus a victory over Toronto.
Riley Nash, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alexander Wennberg scored in regulation for Columbus, and Nick Foligno had two assists. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 28 shots.
Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist, and William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen also scored for Toronto. Andreas Johnsson and Jake Muzzin each had two assists, and Frederik Andersen finished with 34 saves.
Andersen stopped Dubois on a breakaway seconds into OT.