The Hockey Herald

Tonight’s match up between the Dallas Stars and Philadelphia Flyers at the Wachovia Center featured two teams that entered the season with high hopes after both made surprising runs to their respective Conference Final Rounds.  However heading into tonight, they were two teams headed in different directions.  The Flyers came into this game on a high, having won five in a row.  Dallas has lost five of their last seven and rank last in team defense.

 

The Flyers dominated the game from the outset.  Despite Mike Modano’s best efforts to keep the Stars in the game, they managed to tie the score each time the Flyers grabbed a one goal lead with Modano tallying twice, the Flyers again showed why they are a good hockey team by rising above the adversity  and getting that last goal and finally making it stand up. 

 

And who else to lead that charge than “The Captain”.  With the game tied late in the third and the Stars playing their best hockey of the night.  Mike Richards took control of the game.  After Gagne stopped Dallas at center ice.  Richards picked up the puck and headed into the Dallas zone.  Then, displaying that remarkable calm and patience in big situations, Richards waited out the Dallas defense and found a streaking Mike Knuble for the game winning goal.

 

You could say that the Flyers got lucky when Brad Richards missed a wide open net that would have tied the game at four.  But you have to be good to be lucky, and you have to be lucky to be good.  Tonight the Flyers were both.  And that is why they came away with the win.

 Positives:

Ÿ         Joffrey Lupul and Scott Hartnell have been playing great hockey since being challenged by coach John Stevens.  Lupul made a great pass to Scotty Upshall for the game’s first goal.  And Hartnell’s strong forecheck led to the Flyers third goal.

Ÿ         Penalty Killing.  The Flyers had two huge penalty kills back to back midway through the third.  That was the point where the momentum tilted back in the Flyers favor.  The end of the game saw the Flyers face a 2 man shorthanded situation when Dallas pulled Turco for the extra attacker.  With the game on the line, they held Dallas without a single shot.

Ÿ         Mike Knuble had a monster game

Ÿ         Jeff Carter remains red hot

 Negatives:

Ÿ         Not much tonight.  The Flyers took a few too many penalties in the third, but they were all questionable.

 Notes:

The Flyers are now 9-1-2 when scoring first * The Flyers boast the only two centers in the NHL to combine for at least twenty goals.  The Dynamic Duo, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, have 6 and 15 goals respectively * With his goal tonight, Jeff Carter now leads the league in goal scoring * Signs of a good team… four of the Flyers last five wins have been by one goal & over their last seven games (6-0-1), the Flyers have scored 24 goals while only allowing 15.

 

-Mike Tursi

Related posts:

1. Final Thoughts vs. Phoenix (11/22/08)
2. Final Thoughts: Flyers vs. Atlanta (11-16-08)
3. Final Thoughts: Flyers @ Penguins (11-13-08)
4. Final Thoughts: Flyers @ Islanders 11-11-08
5. Dallas advances