Ho hum, just another come-from-behind victory for the Orange and Black, this time through a Travis Sanheim OT goal:
“I was trying to rim it to TK at the red line,” Sanheim told reporters after the game. “Their guy kind of got a stick on me and I fanned on it. TK was forced to come back, and he obviously makes a great play sucking two guys to him and springs me on a breakaway.”
Good finish, but a crap start for the Flyers, who went down 2-0 at home, but they nicked one back through Rodrigo Abols and the fourth line in the second period, then Tyson Foerster tied it up in the third.
You want the good news or the bad news first?
Let’s do the good news.
The Flyers are tied with the Islanders for the most comeback wins in the NHL this season. Eight times this year they’ve found a way win while trailing at any point in the game. And with 10 total wins it means 80% of their victories are come-from-behind wins. The only wins that don’t fit the bill are the 4-1 hammering of the Preds and the 5-2 home win against the Panthers.
Furthermore, Rick Tocchet’s guys have a .667 win percentage in overtime+shootout games, which is 7th-best in the league. They’re 2-3 in overtime but 4-0 when the game goes to a shootout, so a combined 6-3 when games go beyond the third period.
The bad news, then, is that they often find themselves trailing. A wise man once pointed out that you can’t come from behind to win if you’re leading a game, and there haven’t been many instances this year where the Flyers have a grabbed a game early and controlled it. Not surprisingly, they have a -4 goal differential in the 1st period, which is tied for 23rd. They also have a -4 goal differential in the second period, and it’s the +6 GD in the third period that’s really benefited the team early on. They’re 10-6-3 through 19 games and sitting on 23 points.
Say what you will about the rebuilding Flyers, but they battle. Let’s get Flyered the fuck up. #BrickByBrick #BringittoBroad
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team’s 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University.
email – k.kinkead@sportradar.com
You might also like…