Streaking Flyers cool off Canucks
PHILADELPHIA 4 VANCOUVER 1
VANCOUVER — Shayne Gostisbehere and Claude Giroux each had a goal and an assist for the Philadelphia Flyers in a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
Michael Raffl and Wayne Simmonds also scored for the Flyers (11-11-7), who won their third straight after a dreadful 10-game losing streak. Jakub Voracek had three assists.
Philadelphia’s Brian Elliot made 36 saves for his 200th NHL victory.
Brock Boeser scored for the Canucks (14-11-4), who had a three-game win streak snapped on the last night of a three-game home stand.
Jacob Markstrom, coming off his first career NHL shutout, stopped 22 shots for Vancouver.
The Canucks jumped all over the Flyers in the first period, outshooting Philadelphia 9-0 until Markstrom made his first save, an impressive stick save, around the eight-minute mark. The Canucks goalie was busy after that, making seven saves in a single Flyers power-play chance.
Philadelphia scored soon after on the second of three straight man advantages in the first. Gostisbehere fired from the blue line, the puck caromed off Sam Gagner’s stick and cleared traffic to open the scoring at 14:08.
It was 2-0 only 45 seconds into the second when Voracek won a puck battle along the boards, skated through the slot and then dished to Raffl, who tipped in the puck. Vancouver’s penalties cost the club again midway in the second, this time with Sven Baertschi off for interference. Giroux onetimed a pass from Gostisbehere and the Flyers had a comfortable 3-0 lead.
The Canucks got on the board with just 19 seconds left in the second. Boeser picked up a Baertschi rebound at the top of the Flyers crease and backhanded it in. The goal, Boeser’s 14th of the year, stood after being reviewed for interference, and Vancouver had some life going into the third.
But the Flyers kept coming in the third, as Canucks defenceman Chris Tanev successfully broke up a 2-on-1 to help keep it a two-goal game midway through the period. Alex Edler’s third trip to the box, with six minutes left, put Vancouver back on the defensive. Simmonds added the emptynetter insurance with just over a minute left to play.
The Canucks learned earlier in the day that top-line centre Bo Horvat could miss up to six weeks with a fractured foot. Horvat, who has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 28 games, suffered the injury Tuesday against Carolina. MONTREAL — Missing Matthew Tkachuk to a suspension and having a back-up goalie in net wasn’t going to stop the Calgary Flames.
Sean Monahan’s second goal of the game 1:14 into overtime and 35 saves from David Rittich lifted the Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
It was only the third win in the last nine games for Calgary (15-12-2), which had to grind it out after losing in a shootout the night before in Toronto.
“Any win’s good,” said Monahan, who scored his 16th and 17th goals of the season. “Whatever way you get it, you take the two points and move forward.”
Tkachuck served a one-game suspension for spearing Toronto’s Matt Martin. It was a second suspension this season for the skilled but sometimes undisciplined 19-year-old.
Rittich made only his second career start and improved to 2-0-0 after beating Colorado in his season debut on Nov. 25.
The Czech goaltender made 35 saves, outduelling Carey Price, who stopped 34.
“We did a lot of good things but the team over there was resilient,” said Price. “Their goaltender played well for them and they found a way to win.”
The Flames trailed 2-1 going into the third period but tied it at 7:49 on a goal from fourth-line winger Garnet Hathaway that needed two video reviews. The officials first ruled goaltender interference when the puck went in with Hathaway and two linemates jamming at the puck in the crease.
Flames coach Glen Gulutzan challenged the ruling, which was then overturned.
“Janko [Mark Jankowski], Benny [Sam Bennett] and I were buzzing,” said Hathaway, who got his first goal of the season and his second in 46 career NHL games.