The Philadelphia Flyers looked as solid as we've seen them as they defeated the Los Angeles Kings in overtime on Tuesday night. Michael Raffl, Chris VandeVelde, and Brayden Schenn scored for the home team, while Tyler Toffoli and Mike Richards lit the lamp for Los Angeles. Ray Emery was nothing short of magnificent in goal, stopping 38 of 40 shots. True to form, LA's Jonathan Quick was also on top of his game, stopping 3 of 43 shots.
It was an exciting game by all accounts. The Flyers put a lot of pressure on the defending Stanley Cup champions, and had it not been for a few defensive miscues, the Kings may not have even gotten on the board. Aside from those miscues, the Flyers looked incredibly sharp. They played hard and with discipline, only taking two penalties in sixty minutes, and held the Kings to one goal in forty minutes.
The second period went by without much fanfare aside from one Flyers penalty, and the third period began with the same score that the second did – 2-1 Flyers. Just about five minutes into the third, Richards' goal tied the game, but the Flyers did not allow Los Angeles to score again. After sixty minutes of play, the game was to be decided in at least overtime.
Both teams looked solid in overtime, and it appeared the game just might end in a shootout win for either team. But Schenn's goal halfway through OT – a goal that had been initially waived off – gave the Flyers the very well-deserved victory.
The Flyers are set to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at 7:30pm. It's quite possible that Emery will be in net yet again, as he has proved to be quite the solid backstop this season.
