The Flyers picked up where they left off and now have their first four-game winning streak of the season.
They received contributions from three different lines in taking down the Jets, 3-1, Monday for the seventh straight time at the Wells Fargo Center.
It was also the Flyers' first win over one of the current first-place teams. Prior to this win, the Flyers were 0-2-4 against the four divisional leaders.
Here are my observations:
• As expected, the Flyers looked like a team coming off an eight-day layoff. The team had trouble completing simple breakout passes in the first period and had difficulties navigating its way through the neutral zone through the first 40 minutes.
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• With Shayne Gostisbehere a last-minute scratch with a lower-body injury, Christian Folin gave the Flyers a solid 9:12 in his place with a couple of hits and blocked shots. Collectively, the Flyers' defense as a whole stepped up and played one of its better all-around games, contributing at both ends of the ice.
The question moving forward is if "Ghost" is out for an extended amount of time, will we see Philippe Myers?
"I think Phil has earned the right to get some games and we'll have to find the right time where," general manager Chuck Fletcher said Monday.
• Against a hard, heavy team like the Jets, it was important to create offense from rebounds and redirected shots. The Flyers did just that, scoring their first two goals on shots from the point. Even though Mikhail Vorobyev wasn't credited for an assist on the Flyers' first goal, he set up that tally by skating the puck across the line into the zone before spotting an open Folin at the blue line.
Fourth line coming through!
Varone gives the Flyers a 1-0 lead! | @skiJFBB pic.twitter.com/Drr2KX6KMa— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 29, 2019
I liked Vorobyev's game at both ends of the ice in his first contest back with the Flyers since October. Interim head coach Scott Gordon was cautious with his ice time (only 7:36), but that will be the test to see how he handles limited shifts and how he stays engaged after playing 20-plus minutes with the Phantoms.
• The Jets' top line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler is one of the tougher top lines the Flyers have faced this season. It's difficult to work the puck away from it, but because it comes hard on the forecheck and plays deep in the offensive end, it also left itself susceptible to some odd-man rushes and the Flyers had some quality scoring chances as a result.
• Perhaps there was some criticism behind playing Carter Hart with the Phantoms last Saturday night, but I didn't see much downside and the extra start looked like it gave him an opportunity to work off the rust of a layoff. Hart was locked in from the opening jump and the Grade-A saves he made on the Jets' first power-play opportunity were proof that he would keep his teammates in this game.
Carter Hart doing Carter Hart things 👀 pic.twitter.com/SeIET4mGCI— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 29, 2019
• James van Riemsdyk was buzzing in the Jets' zone in the final 20 minutes of this game. He had a no-look pass to Sean Couturier that could have led to a goal and then perfectly executed a give-and-go with Travis Konecny that sealed the Flyers' victory. Along with Nolan Patrick, I expect JVR to have a considerably better second half of the season.
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