It had to be the Flyers who played the first 3-on-3 overtime that actually meant something. Of course it did. And although the Tampa Bay Lightning controlled the extra session with their speed (and Jason Garrison eventually ended it on a breakaway), the spectacle we witnessed is precisely what the NHL had in mind when they made the rule change. That overtime was brought to you by Vin Diesel.
Overall, the Flyers can be pretty pleased with how they played. Ironically, Tampa Bay only outclassed the orange and black in the second period, in which the Flyers scored both of their goals. There is nothing wrong with getting a point in a legit Cup contender’s barn (see, I can talk hockey), much less a team that went 32-8-1 at home last season.
Mark Didtler has your game recap. Here’s what I saw:
1. It wasn’t pretty, but the Flyers’ third period was excellent. They dug in at the neutral zone and played extremely disciplined against Tampa Bay’s speed. That’s not easy to do against a team with Stamkos, Hedman and the Triplets line. Also noticeable was that Dave Hakstol was rolling all four lines late in the game. Nobody scored, but the Flyers out-Corsi’d the Lightning 14-9 in the third period.
2. Here is Dave Hakstol on the 3-on-3: “We tried a little too hard to make things happen, and that cost us.” I’m going to have to agree with him. Look at this crappy shot I took off the TV, with three guys on the boards and Giroux trying to cherry pick. Great for entertainment, but not a very tactically sound alignment there:
3. Good Evgeny, Bad Evgeny. The Flyers’ power play was already very good last season (23.4 percent, 3rd in NHL), and Evgeny Medvedev provides the unit with another weapon. In particular, the 33-year-old Russian possesses a valuable skill the rest of the Flyers’ blueliners don’t necessarily excel at: getting shots through traffic from the point. Brayden Schenn was the beneficiary tonight, and look at how many bodies this puck squeezes through (GIF by @myregularface):
Tampa knotted the game up later in the second period on the power play, and Medvedev took a very unnecessary penalty. You have to admit it was kind of funny, though. My man was carrying two sticks! (GIF by @bradytrett)
4. Scott Laughton showed why he earned a spot on the roster in training camp. Playing alongside Matt Read (left) and R.J. Umberger (right) on the third line, the 21-year-old center just looked decisive on the forecheck. He was rewarded for his persistence, making a nice touch assist on a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play with his two linemates. Read slid between the puck in Ben Bishop’s five hole for the goal.
5. Malik Rose would say it all of the time, to describe a drive to the hole by Sixers point guard Tony Wroten that went awry: Million dollar move and a ten cent finish (GIF by @myregularface).
Claude Giroux earned a penalty shot in the first period, and he deked Ben Bishop out of his pads. But Bishop did something that I don’t believe I have seen before: He used that gigantic 6-foot-7 frame (and the reach that accompanies it) to lift Giroux’s stick. Resourceful save, because that was the only way the puck wouldn’t find the back of the net. Bishop didn’t have to work nearly as hard to stop Laughton’s penalty shot in overtime.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann