Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Giroux scores in OT for much-needed win
Claude Giroux scored a much-needed goal in overtime Sunday night to lift the Flyers to a win over the Islanders in Brooklyn.
NEW YORK » Claude Giroux wasn’t going to ceremoniously trumpet the end of his scoring slump Sunday night, not when there were more important things to talk about.
“You want to help the team win,” Giroux said after doing just that, slamming a Shayne Gostisbehere wraparound pass past Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss with 1 minute, 40 seconds to play in overtime, good for a 3-2 Flyers victory at Barclays Center.
“As a team, everybody wants to bring a little something,” Giroux said. “You just have to do your best out there.”
Lately, Giroux was having trouble doing just that. Playing with different linemates, not playing up to his usual standard. He had last scored a goal Dec. 21 against the Capitals, unaware that his team was in the midst of beginning a dismal stretch that had reached 3-9-3 in its last 15 games coming into play on this Brooklyn day. Over that 15-game stretch, Giroux scored out to a rating of minus-16.
Typical of a No. 1 center, where Giroux goes, the Flyers usually follow.
“It’s been hard for us to get a win, even if we’re playing well,” he added. “Hopefully this gives us a little booster.”
Before the game, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall suggested Giroux could give himself a boost just by going a little easier on himself.
“I think he’s pressing too hard,” Hextall said. “It’s what you like about him; there’s a few guys like that. You like that (competitiveness) about them, but sometimes (they) become (their) own worst enemy because they beat themselves up. G wants to be successful at everything; hopefully something good happens for him and he gets rolling. He’s too good of a player to play like this.”
By reuniting Giroux with Jake Voracek on the top line, coach Dave Hakstol brought Giroux a little closer to where he’s supposed to be. He would register six shots on goal, including the game-winner on a play initiated with Voracek during the 3-on-3 overtime.
“You want to succeed and you want to play the best you can,” Giroux said. “Sometimes you push it a little too much. When you sit back and kind of look at the big picture, I think that’s when you kind of realize you need to relax and just go out there and play.
“Sometimes you don’t need to try so hard. You need to go about your job and make sure you do the right things out there. Make sure you help your teammates and linemates. Just go out there and play hockey. We’re supposed to have fun doing it, right? So sometimes you need to relax and kind of look at how you can get better.”
*** Hextall said he won’t address anything dealing with contracts and pending free agents, but it’s pretty obvious that at age 39 and his club carrying eight defensemen, Mark Streit might be a prime candidate to be a trade deadline commodity.
That would likely only be if the Flyers continue on their recent path toward post-season oblivion. But since he’s skilled at running a power play and still retains a semblance of his speed and skills at this age, Streit could bring the Flyers a pretty high draft pick if sent to a real contending team in need of some blueline punch.
Naturally, Streit didn’t seem to want to talk about that, either.
“At this point I want to play and I want to make it into the playoffs with the Flyers,” Streit said. “That’s what’s on my mind. I love it here. I love playing for the Flyers. But I don’t think much about the future right now. I’m just worried about getting back on track with the team and getting on a winning note here and make it into the playoffs; make a run at it. ... I don’t think about anything else.”
Streit claims he doesn’t think much about extending the present, either. Asked if his agent had any preliminary talks with Hextall about a contract extension, Streit said, “Obviously I’d love to stay here . ... Being part of this organization for four years now, I love the guys and I believe in the group. I’d love to stay here but I think it’s too early.”
Then, Streit added, “I’d like to sign for another four years.”
He promptly followed up with a laugh.
*** Claude Giroux got his first goal since Dec. 21. Steve Mason earned his first win since Dec. 21. It had been a nasty winter so far for the Flyers, kind of leaving them cold and a little bitter.
Maybe that’s why they had been taking so many penalties of late.
“A huge difference,” Hakstol said before the game, referencing the Flyers’ penalty taking. “I think we’ve taken eight in three of the last four games.”
Over that time the Flyers had put the opposition on a power play 23 times, including four two-man advantages. But in beating the Isles Sunday night, the Flyers ... well, they took a pair of penalties less than two minutes apart early in the third period. But they were the only two penalties they took all game, and they killed them off.
“In the previous games, we took too many penalties, which hurt us,” defenseman Ivan Provorov said. “In this game, we took a few in the third but everybody battled and we stuck with it and came through.”
*** NOTES » Provorov led the Flyers with seven shots on goal, one of them going for a tying goal at 1:47 of the third . ... Brayden Schenn had a pair of assists . ... Flyers get back in action Wednesday, back in New York at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers. That’ll be fun.