Flyers Pull Off Huge Comeback Over Sabres in Shootout

BOX SCORE

All it took to provide a jolt of energy to a band of weary skaters was a rookie scoring his first goal and a veteran getting laid out on the ice.
 
Travis Konecny’s first NHL marker and then Dmitry Kulikov’s ill-advised charging hit to Jakub Voracek released the beast inside of the Flyers on Tuesday night as they climbed from a three-goal canyon to a 4-3 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres at Wells Fargo (see Instant Replay).
 
“It was amazing,” Voracek said. “They didn’t get frustrated and go after Kulikov. They got focused and tried to tie the game up. We’ve been so down many times this season and come back. That’s the big character of this group.”
 
They were behind 3-0 in the third. Fans had already left the building when Konecny scored the first of a Flyers season-high three power-play goals at 4:30.
 
A few minutes later, Kulikov went high on Voracek, leaving him wobbly. Under the NHL concussion protocol, the Czech winger left the ice for a few minutes. He returned in the final two minutes of regulation.
 
By then, Mark Streit had set up one goal for Brayden Schenn – his first – and scored himself on a scramble in front of goalie Anders Nilsson to make it 3-3.
 
The drama only increased during a dominant overtime session for the Flyers, followed by a shootout in which goalie Steve Mason aggressively challenged and stifled two Sabres shooters before Claude Giroux and Voracek nailed it shut with goals.
 
“You try different things and we did shootout practice a week ago and I did very well so, you try what works,” said Mason, who made eight saves in relief of starter Michal Neuvirth and got the win.
 
“They both tried going five-hole and it was good to get the saves with some goal support in the shootout.”
 
Goal support has always been the Flyers' shootout nemesis.
 
Now if Dave Haktol’s squad looked fatigued, well, it had reason, given this six-games-in-nine-days torture trial (three in five days) and a late arrival on Tuesday morning from Montreal.
 
Neuvirth wasn’t very sharp – three goals against on 17 shots – and has been pulled twice in three starts. Somehow he’s also gotten two no-decisions to remain unbeaten with a goals-against average well under .900.
 
Mason came in, made a couple of stops then watched the comeback begin. In some ways, it was reminiscent of last week in Chicago when the Flyers came back with four goals, only this time, they won.
 
“We wanted to go out and play hard for each other in the third period,” Hakstol said. “Tough situation down 3-0 in your building, back-to-back night, not a whole lot going right.
 
“Not able to really get a whole lot of things going … get that first one, anything can happen.”
 
And it did, starting with Konecny’s goal.
 
“I felt excited – everyone was excited we got a goal on the board,” the 19-year-old winger said. “But what got us motivated to go was when we saw that hit on Jake. It’s not you want to see one of your best players go down like that … that got us motivated to go.”
 
The Flyers scored twice more in 1:05 to stun the Sabres, who had not played in five days.
 
“He’s a tough guy,” Giroux said. “He was more mad he had to go off the ice for protocol. He’s a warrior. Don’t tell him I said that.”
 
Giroux didn’t use tiredness as an excuse for the first two periods.
 
“We played some bad hockey,” he said. “We know we’re a better team than this. Our work ethic got us back in this game. Emotions and fans behind us, it was a fun third period.”
 
Fun even though he still doesn’t have a goal – outside of the shootout, which doesn’t count. Hakstol gave him a pep talk.
 
“He knows I am not happy with my play right now,” Giroux said. “I have to find a way to play better.
 
“We need everyone in this locker room if you want to be successful. If individually you play some good hockey, if everyone does that, as a team you will be good.”
 
Incidentally, Hakstol changed up his top line. Schenn, who was hot during preseason, was in a rut since coming back from his suspension. Schenn dropped down to the third line and Matt Read – the team’s leading goal scorer with five – took his spot on Giroux’s unit.
 
“It’s not easy,” Schenn said. “You get ready for the season, you play preseason and then you sit two weeks. Especially the World Cup guys are fresh, guys are playing well, then you take your two-week break, but it keeps coming.
 
“I feel it getting better game by game. It’s nice to get on the board tonight and hopefully that builds confidence.”
 
These comebacks should provide that confidence for his teammates, as well.