The Flyers will enjoy their Thanksgiving turkey.
At Nationwide Arena Wednesday night, the Flyers grinded out a 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets, a game that required plenty of resolve to close the door in the third period.
Alain Vigneault's club has been impressive during a busy November. The Flyers (13-7-5) have earned at least a point in 12 of 14 games this month (8-2-4). In November, only one NHL team has more points than the Flyers' 20 - the Stars with 21.
The victory was the Flyers' second over the Blue Jackets (10-10-4) this season as they improved to 6-2-2 against the Metropolitan Division.
• Give some props to the coaching staff and front office.
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The Flyers have their most wins at Thanksgiving since 2010-11, when the team was 15-6-2 on Turkey Day.
In 2018-19, the Flyers were in last place on Thanksgiving with a 9-10-2 record.
In 2017-18, they were also in last place on Thanksgiving with an 8-9-5 mark.
In 2019-20, they are improved and it should be refreshing to see for fans after the Flyers went a combined 23-29-14 over their past five Novembers.
• Claude Giroux's game-winning goal in the second period was clutch. The power play was scuffling and needed to finally cash in, which it did on its fifth opportunity.
• These kind of passes are why so many gushed about Joel Farabee's skill and hands ever since he was taken by the Flyers in the first round of the 2018 draft. The rookie winger has two assists over the last three games, good confidence boosts for the 19-year-old.
Farabee with the pass, Laughton with the GOAL! pic.twitter.com/aGsytDIlpk— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) November 28, 2019
• Did James van Riemsdyk earn himself a promotion in the lineup?
He was strong against the Blue Jackets, picking up his first point in nine games on Tyler Pitlick's impressive first-period goal. JVR was also planted in front, where he's at his best, on Giroux's goal.
Given the Flyers won, the lineup very well could look the same Friday at the Wells Fargo Center. As Scott Laughton's right index finger starts to feel better and the 25-year-old forward is able to comfortably take faceoffs, the Flyers could move van Riemsdyk up to the third line.
Then again, Vigneault has liked Laughton's chemistry with Kevin Hayes on the third unit, so van Riemsdyk could stick on that fourth line a little longer.
• Flyers goaltending has been great this month.
Carter Hart is 5-2-2 with a 2.05 goals-against average, allowing two or fewer goals in seven of his nine November starts.
Brian Elliott was clutch with a 15-save third period against Columbus and is 3-0-2 with a 2.28 goals-against average in November.
At this point last season, the Flyers didn't get that production in net.
• Real positive stuff from Pitlick and Laughton, two forwards that constantly skate hard and make a difference with their effort. Against the Blue Jackets, they also provided goals.
• During the first period, Farabee took a ridiculous crosscheck to the back from Pierre-Luc Dubois as both players were just about to get to their respective benches following a shift. No penalty was called and the Flyers were justifiably unhappy.
The opening stanza, as a whole, was not great for the Flyers. After Pitlick's late equalizer, the Flyers allowed a bad goal less than a minute later when they watched Gustav Nyquist hang out behind the net.
35.1 left in the period? No problem for @seth_jones3! pic.twitter.com/JCuobvWBo4— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 28, 2019
The Flyers bounced back with a strong second period and finished things off in the third.
• The Flyers practice at 12:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving in Voorhees, New Jersey, before finishing a 16-game November with a back-to-back set. The Flyers host the Red Wings Friday (4 p.m. ET/NBCSP) and visit the Canadiens Saturday (3 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Shayne Gostisbehere could see his return to the lineup in one of those two games.
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