Third-period burst delivers win in opener
Goals by Raffl, Konecny, Hayes get Flyers’ season off to a strong start
PHILADELPHIA — If there had been spectators at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night, most certainly they would have given the Flyers a rather raucous ovation.
That’s because the Flyers went toe-to-toe with Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL’s season opener and stood their ground.
The Flyers’ three-goal third period proved the difference. Michael Raffl’s goal at 5 minutes, 37 seconds of the final period broke a 3-3 tie and sent the Flyers to a 6-3 win.
Travis Konecny added an insurance goal at 12:14. Kevin Hayes scored the third goal of the period shortly after.
Flyers new defenseman Erik Gustafsson came up with a strong performance, assisting on the Flyers’ first two goals.
The two teams will meet again Friday back in
Philadelphia.
Joel Farabee’s goal with 1:06 to play in the second period gave the Flyers a 3-2 lead. On the play, Farabee took a pass from Hayes at the bottom of the right circle, spun around and sent a shot past goalie Tristan Jarry just inside the far post.
But the Penguins fought back in the third and picked up a goal from Brandon Tanev.
Then Raffl and Konecny took over, with Raffl converting a Scott Laughton feed and Konecny scoring from close range.
Early in the second period, Crosby tied the score at 2-2 with a brilliant play.
He knocked down goaltender Carter Hart’s clear attempt, then poked the puck into the net at 3:39.
Gustafsson, signed to a one-year, $3.3-million contract during the offseason, made the most of his initial appearances on the power play.
Both resulted in goals.
On the first, James van Riemsdyk set up shop in front of goaltender Tristan Jarry and managed to tip Gustafsson’s point shot into the net at 15:11.
Then on the next power play, Gustafsson figured prominently again. With the clock running down, the defenseman launched a shot which Nolan Patrick tipped in with just eight seconds remaining for a 2-1 lead.
Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Mark Jankowski.
The Penguins center knocked a shot off Hart’s left shoulder and just inside the crossbar.
The Flyers padded their lead with a Hayes goal at 12:34 of the third period.
Season opener stats
The Flyers entered Wednesday night’s game with an all-time overall record of 25-19-8 in season openers. They were carrying a four-game winning streak, all of them away from the Wells Fargo Center, including last year’s neutral-site win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Prague.
In home openers, the Flyers began play with a 29-17-8.
The Flyers and Penguins were meeting for the eighth time in their season openers with the record even at 3-3-1.
Giroux a worthy captain
Since Claude Giroux took over the Flyers’ captaincy at the start of the 2012-13 season, he stands fourth in NHL points with 572.
Praise for Vigneault
Scott Laughton was asked about how the Flyers’ culture has changed for the better since Vigneault came on board last season.
Laughton has been through several coaches and Vigneault may end up being the most memorable when all is said and done.
“I think first and foremost, he holds guys accountable,’’ Laughton said. “That is probably the biggest thing of him coming in. You know he has been around and he has won at every level and he has been around the game.
“He holds you accountable. It starts with guys at the top and it filters through your lineup.’’
Short shots
Travis Konecny played in his 300th game as a Flyer . ... Shayne Gostisbehere was not in the lineup. He is still listed as “unfit’’ to play, which is the language the NHL is using for all injuries and illnesses during the pandemic. ... Sean Couturier will serve as an alternate captain for all Flyers game this season. Ivan Provorov will serve as an alternate for home games and Kevin Hayes and Jake Voracek will rotate for road games . ... This was the first time since the 2013-14 season the Flyers did not have a player making their NHL debut in the lineup.