Former BU skater Farabee excelling
When he needs a winger to get going, Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said the other day, he has a simple solution: put him on Sean Couturier’s line.
Joel Farabee, the blossoming 19-year-old left winger, is the latest to benefit from playing alongside Couturier.
“If you stick anybody with Coots, you are going to find chemistry with him,” Farabee said after playing a key role in a 6-3 win Saturday over visiting Colorado.
The rookie has been on Couturier’s line, which includes Jake Voracek, for parts of the last three games, and has two goals and a pair of assists in that span. Farabee is on a five-game point streak (four goals, two assists), the longest of his young career.
Only four teenagers in Flyers history have had a longer point streak than Farabee: Eric Lindros (seven games in 1992; Peter Zezel (six games in 1984); Mike Ricci (six games in 1990); and Couturier (six games in 2012), according to the NHL.
“I think people forget he’s 19 years old. I couldn’t do what he’s doing when I was 19,” said center Kevin Hayes 27. “It’s impressive.”
Farabee’s point streak started since he returned from Lehigh Valley, where he spent one day with the AHL’s Phantoms to give the Flyers enough cap space to recall goalie Alex Lyon to replace the injured Carter Hart.
Farabee, who was quickly recalled after Chris Stewart cleared waivers and was sent to the Phantoms, has looked revived since returning to the Flyers.
“You kind of need a little bit of a kick in the ass sometimes,” Hayes said. “He deserves to be here every single night. He works hard and puts the effort in every day and it’s shown.”
Hayes said it’s an “ego shot” when you aren’t in the lineup. He remembers it happening to him during his second season with the New York Rangers when Vigneault was his coach.
“You want to play every night,” he said. “You want to go to battle with your teammates, and when you don’t, I don’t want to say it’s embarrassing, but it’s a shot to your ego. I think he’s responded fantastically.”
Flyers 3, Red Wings 0 — Brian Elliott made 16 saves for his 40th career shutout in the Philadelphia Flyers’ win over the sinking Detroit Red Wings.
It was the Red Wings’ ninth consecutive loss (0-8-1), and the second straight time they’ve been shut out. This is their third losing streak of at least eight games in 2019-20.
Scott Laughton, Kevin Hayes and defenseman Matt Niskanen scored for Philadelphia, which has won four of five (4-0-1). It was Elliott’s second shutout of the season.
The goals by Hayes and Niskanen were short-handed.
Jonathan Bernier stopped 28 shots for Detroit, which was blanked for the sixth time this season. It was the second time the Red Wings have been shut out in consecutive games.
Stars 5, Rangers 3 — Joe Pavelski scored power-play goals 16 seconds apart, Stephen Johns and Blake Comeau helped chase Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and the Dallas Stars beat New York.
Johns and Comeau scored 4:04 apart in the second period and Corey Perry also scored for Dallas, which improved to 30-18-4 with its second straight win. Anton Khudobin stopped 33 of 36 shots.
Pavel Buchnevich and Brett Howden scored first period power-play goals for the Rangers.
Panthers 5, Maple Leafs 3 — Mark Pysyk scored three times in his first career hat trick, and the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mike Hoffman had a goal and an assist for Florida, which trailed 3-1 early in the third period. Mike Matheson had three assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves in the Panthers’ seventh win in eight games.
Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares scored for Toronto, which had won three in a row. Mitch Marner had two assists.