Flyers get a wonder goal from Owen Tippett to snatch a win from Blue Jackets in overtime

Jackie Spiegel, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec 21, 2024

Published in Hockey

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PHILADELPHIA — Coach John Tortorella said the games heading into the NHL-mandated holiday break were important.

Before Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Flyers were on the losing end of three straight in which they were outscored, 17-8. So it wouldn’t have surprised anyone when they trailed 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 to see the streak continue.

Instead, they battled and Owen Tippett scored the game-winner in overtime to give the Flyers a 5-4 win, their first win in over a week.

Things didn’t start well, and after a lackluster 40 minutes that saw them trailing 2-0, the Flyers started to find their game in the third period.

Morgan Frost got the Flyers on the board 6 minutes, 53 seconds into the final frame. After Travis Konecny did the work up high and along the boards, he dropped the puck for Owen Tippett, who carried it down the left boards before cutting across the left face-off circle and into the slot. As he did that, he attracted the attention of the Columbus Blue Jackets — including goalie Elvis Merzļikins — leaving Frost alone for the open goal to his left.

Noah Cates tied it up less than 2 minutes later when a Cam York point shot was tipped by Tyson Foerster in front and bounced to him for the goal. Cates now has scored a goal in three straight games. It brought the Wells Fargo Center to life, but the good times were short-lived as Kirill Marchenko made it 3-2 just 83 seconds later.

The Flyers are known to come back in games and did more than once in this one. Tippett skated the puck into the offensive zone down the right wing and did a curl and drag before his shot ended up in the left corner. He followed it but left the puck as it bounced off the kick plate to Frost in the circle where the center stopped it with his skate before scoring past Merzļikins.

Columbus once again took the lead, this time with 4:11 left in the game on a point shot by Jake Christiansen after a face-off deep in the Flyers zone. But Tyson Foerster tied it up with 1:44 left in regulation as he tipped in a shot by Konecny with netminder Sam Ersson pulled.

Turnovers continue to plague the Flyers.

First up was Jamie Drysdale. Under pressure from Kent Johnson in the Flyers’ zone, the defenseman passed the puck right to Mathieu Olivier, who stepped in and took a shot that Sam Ersson stopped. The rebound didn’t go into the corner, and Johnson picked it up, and instead of trying for a shot attempt right then and there — pulling Ersson out of position — he went around the net and fed Olivier for the easy goal.

In the second period, it was Ersson with the miscue. The Flyers goalie went behind the net to play the puck but missed it, letting Sean Kuraly corral it and feed Mikael Pyyhtiä in the slot to put the Flyers in a 2-0 hole.

The Flyers thought they got on the board with 5 minutes, 39 seconds left on the clock when Olle Lycksell, recalled that day from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League, went in alone on goalie Elvis Merzļikins and scored five-hole. But Columbus challenged for offside, and it was determined Scott Laughton sent the puck back into the zone just outside the blue line.

Breakaways

Captain Sean Couturier did not play for personal reasons. ... Defenseman Cam York returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Thursday. ... The Flyers had a late two-on-one into Columbus’ zone in the first period. Konecny fed Tippett as he crashed the net, but a Merzļikins highlight-reel split save stoned him. ... The Gaudreau family dropped the ceremonial puck before the game.

Up next

The Flyers practice on Sunday before an interstate matchup with the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Monday (7 p.m. ET, NBCSP+).