Provorov helps make Flyers all better again
PHILADELPHIA >> There was a defensive giveaway in the opening minutes, recently struggling Ivan Provorov making a little error that gave the New Jersey Devils an early chance.
There was another gaffe from defender Robert Hagg to start the second period, giving the Devils an odd-man rush that Flyers goalie Brian Elliott turned away.
Then came another midway through the period, that one by Provorov’s now-former blue line partner Shayne Gostisbehere.
None of the errors led directly to Devils goals, however, and for the first time in a while, they were worth mentioning only because they were the few examples Saturday of how the Flyers didn’t step out of line defensively, which was the main reason they beat the Devils 5-2.
“Other than the little mistakes, we’ve been pretty solid defensively,” forward Travis Konecny said. “We’re in the right positions, it’s just that bounces haven’t been going our way, little things like that. But I feel like we just played a pretty solid game back there. Our d-corps was unbelievable, our forwards were getting in lanes and not giving them opportunities to get pucks to the net. “We did all the right things tonight.” Contrast that with so many other nights, particularly a 6-3 loss two nights before in Columbus, or even a 6-5 win at home over Florida two nights before then.
In fact, a 1-0 home loss to Vegas the previous Saturday and the season-opening win in Vegas on Oct. 4 were the only games of the first seven that the Flyers really had their stuff together when it came to team defensive play.
That was before this day.
“The whole team has struggled,” said Jake Voracek, whose goal off a 2-on-1 break late in the game would be a difference maker. “We were maybe the worst team in goals against so it was a big game for us.”
Voracek was close. The 31 goals the Flyers had allowed entering the game was secondworst in the league only to Detroit. Provorov, expected to be on his usual northbound trajectory in his anticipated development into one of the NHL’s best on the blue line, had been playing well below par through the first unlucky seven games. So much so that coach Dave Hakstol broke up his top pairing, moving Robert Hagg up with Provorov and putting Gostisbehere on a more familiar left side with solid newbie Christian Folin. Except for those few aforementioned misplays, the moves worked. Both Devils goals came on the power play.
Yet of all the talk about recent defensive problems after the game, it was none other than Hakstol who essentially shrugged it off.
“Today’s effort, defensively, was pretty close to what we’ve done the last three games,” Hakstol claimed. “It was just a little bit cleaner, not a big difference there . ... Actually, the last three games we’ve been pretty darn good defensively. But we’ve given up one or two of those grade-A opportunities that come off individual players or individual mistakes. We didn’t have that tonight.”
They did have an up-to-speed Voracek, however. His goal with only 3:10 left in regulation was the game-winner, with a couple of empty-net goals by Wayne Simmonds and Scott Laughton providing final-minute padding.
But the Voracek goal was actually orchestrated by Provorov. His wind-around backhand clearing pass sprung Voracek and Laughton a 2-on-1 break, Voracek keeping the puck and doing the honors himself.
Not that he was any good in this game or anything.
“I think in the first period I played like horse .... ,” Voracek, um, explained after being named “first star” of the game with a goal and two assists. “You guys have got to watch the game a little bit more, you know what I mean? It’s not only about points. The last three games, I thought I played good hockey, it just didn’t go in.”
This one did, and with a big offensive assist by the team’s best defenseman who wasn’t playing like it.
“I thought I played well, but you know, a few shifts or a few plays where I could’ve played better,” Provorov said. “But it’s part of hockey. It can’t be perfect. Nobody is perfect, and I’m going to continue to get better and keep playing better.”
Once he does, many of the Flyers’ defensive woes should get better, too.