Led by Couturier, Konecny, Flyers win a crazy one to snap 6-game skid originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers, in dire need of a win, got one Saturday afternoon.
A crazy one. But they got one.
It wasn’t the prettiest of victories but John Tortorella’s club will take it. After relinquishing three separate leads, the Flyers dug in to beat the Wild, 7-5, at the Wells Fargo Center.
Sean Couturier (two), Nick Seeler, Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny and Rasmus Ristolainen scored the Flyers’ goals.
Ristolainen’s was the game-winner with 2:24 minutes left. Couturier finished off a hat trick with an empty-netter.
Konecny’s third-period power play marker drew the Flyers even at 4-4 and Couturier regained their lead about three and a half minutes later with his second of the game.
In a big way, the 31-year-old captain snapped a 32-game goal-scoring drought, which dated back to last season. Couturier had a five-point game (three goals, two assists) and so did Konecny (one goal, four assists).
The Flyers (2-5-1) halted a six-game losing streak.
“We’re young, we’re rebuilding, we are going to take some gut punches,” Tortorella said Friday. “But we’re better than this.”
His team got the much-needed win without top-pair defenseman Cam York, who has an upper-body injury. More on his status here.
The Wild (5-1-2) suffered their first regulation loss of the season. They visited Philadelphia on a four-game winning streak, with all four victories coming on the road.
• Samuel Ersson made 21 saves on 26 shots.
Minnesota grabbed its first lead at 4-3 early in the third period when Marcus Foligno deflected a shot past Ersson.
The Wild tied the game for a third time on Jake Middleton’s goal with 6:32 minutes remaining.
The Flyers have had an issue with committing too many bad penalties and that continued Saturday. Joel Eriksson Ek tied the game at 3-3 with 3.2 seconds left in the middle stanza. It was a power play goal after the Flyers were whistled for too many men on the ice.
Wild netminder Filip Gustavsson stopped 16 of the Flyers’ 22 shots.
In the opening 3:51 minutes of the game, Couturier struck first to end his slump and Seeler added on to make it 2-0.
But Minnesota then turned it on and outplayed the Flyers, eventually erasing the lead with goals in a 33-second span of the second period.
• Michkov had a two-point game (one goal, one assist), giving the 19-year-old rookie nine points (four goals, five assists) through eight games.
His goal reclaimed the Flyers their lead at 3-2 in the second period before the Wild tied it again.
• Prior to the game, the Flyers returned Jett Luchanko to his junior club Guelph. More on that here.
• The Flyers are right back at it Sunday when they welcome the Canadiens (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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