Joel Farabee
Entering the third period on Friday night in Carolina, it was another similar case. Carolina had only one goal. Hart had 27 saves. This time, the Flyers gave him some run support, and Hart did the rest in a dominant performance that continued his hot start to the season.
Carter Hart kept the Flyers in another game, and this time his teammates rewarded the effort with two third-period goals in a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.
The Flyers close out a quick two-game road trip against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night, looking to once again rebound and get back in the win column.
If not for excellent goaltending again, the Flyers would not have been in position to win this game. They would certainly have not gained a point in the standings, which could certainly prove valuable later. Despite that, it is hardly a moral victory for the Flyers. Another sloppy game is showing a troubling trend as a difficult month is just getting started.
The Penguins are dealing with various health issues, some injury-related and some COVID-related. Most notably, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will be out for Thursday’s game after testing positive for COVID on Wednesday. Crosby had missed the first seven games of the Penguins’ season recovering from offseason wrist surgery and just returned for his first game of the season on Saturday. Nonetheless, Pittsburgh is off to a 3-3-2 start without having Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in the lineup, so this is still no easy task for the Flyers.
The Flyers had a successful 2-1-0 road trip, but had their first lackluster game of the season on Saturday in Calgary. They will be looking to bounce back from that result. The Coyotes have struggled to start, still in search of their first win of the season. As such, the Flyers have to avoid a similar game to Saturday and playing down to the opponent.
The Calgary Flames return to home ice after sweeping a five-game road trip that included four Metropolitan Division teams. Now, they face the Flyers, once final test for the Orange and Black on this road trip as they close out their October schedule.
It’s no secret that when the Flyers signed Jones, they were signing a player they were betting on to play behind Carter Hart regularly, especially with as many back-to-backs as the Flyers are facing this season. Jones’ first chance to show he can be the player of the game on those nights, especially when his team needs him most, was a whopping success.
The Vancouver Canucks come in with a modest 3-3-1 record in the first seven games of their season, including the 5-4 shootout victory in Philadelphia on Oct. 15. The Flyers will be looking for a different result as they look to build on Wednesday’s win.
The Flyers open a three-game Western Canada road trip against the Edmonton Oilers, another team undefeated with a 5-0-0 record. Wednesday’s game will mark a second straight without Ryan Ellis in the lineup, making the challenge that much tougher.
