The Philadelphia Flyers kept themselves alive, albiet barely, in the 2013 playoff race with a 2-1 shootout victory over the rival New Jersey Devils Friday night.
Earlier in the week, goalie Ilya Bryzgalov wagered that the Flyers would be "done" if they were to drop their upcoming games with the Devils, one in New Jersey and one at home. After an ugly loss Wednesday, it was looking like this would be the case, as the Flyers were six points behind New Jersey in the Eastern Conference standings following the contest.
That made Friday's tilt even more pivotal, and the Flyers fans made this clear when they cheered loudly following the end of the shootout.
The only thing missing from Friday's game was a high amount of goals scored. The teams combined to go 0-for-9 on the Power Play.
Early on, Simon Gagne set up Max Talbot with a great pass, giving him a clear shot on Johan Hedberg. His Talbot's goal was one of the only good shots the Flyers got on Hedberg all game, as he was just as stingy as he was Wednesday in only allowing one of the Flyers' 22 shots to go in.
David Clarkson scored New Jersey's lone goal later in the second period, his 11th of the year. He had scored ten goals to start the season, but then went without a single tally for 13 games before scoring on Bryzgalov.
After a sorry performance that saw the Devils score three times in the first period alone, Bryzgalov brought his A-game to the Wells Fargo Center Friday, stopping New Jersey on 27-of-28 shots for the win.
Though the third and overtime periods were hotly contested, neither team managed to score, sending the game into a shootout. Matt Read lead off by beating Hedberg for the first goal, though Ilya Kovalchuk matched him soon after. Claude Giroux then followed up by beating Hedberg with a nifty move, giving the Flyers a 2-1 shootout lead.
The rest was all Bryzgalov. He made aggressive saves on shots by Clarkson and Patrik Elias to wrap up the shootout and the game.
Philadelphia (13-15-1) is still on the outside looking in, but they're still within reach of the playoffs. They trail 8th place Winnipeg by three points in the Eastern conference with 27. The Flyers travel to Tampa Bay Monday, then visit the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday the 24th.
New Jersey (13-9-6) leaves Philadelphia with 32 points, good for sixth place in the East. They play Montreal Saturday at home, then host the New York Rangers Tuesday at home.
