Foerster forces OT as Flyers top Wild in shootout, improve to 3-1-1 on homestand originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers forced overtime with 5:44 minutes left in the third period Thursday night and went on to beat the playoff-bound Wild, 5-4, in a shootout at the Wells Fargo Center.
John Tortorella’s club improved to 3-12 after regulation this season and 2-1 in the shootout.
James van Riemsdyk won it for the Flyers in the skills competition. Carter Hart stopped all three of Minnesota’s attempts.
After Matt Boldy’s second goal of the night put the Wild ahead, 4-3, with 6:28 minutes left in the third period, Tyson Foerster drew the Flyers even 44 seconds later on a rocket of a shot.
“The kid buries one,” Tortorella said.
The Flyers (27-32-12) are 3-1-1 on their season-long seven-game homestand. The victory Thursday night gave them consecutive wins for the first time since Jan. 9-14, when they notched three straight.
“We know where we sit in the standings, but I think guys still have a lot to play for,” van Riemsdyk said. “You have guys playing for roles on a team going forward, guys playing for contracts for next year, things like that. There’s always a lot to play for and it’s an honor and a privilege to get to play in this league.”
At 13-1-3, Minnesota came to Philadelphia with the NHL’s best points percentage since Feb. 17 (.853).
The Wild (41-22-9) are battling with the Stars and Avalanche for first place in the Central Division.
The Flyers went 1-0-1 against Minnesota in the two-game regular-season series.
• Tortorella’s team entered this long home swing scoring 2.55 goals per game, 30th in the NHL.
But on the homestand, the Flyers have scored 4.40 goals per game. Against the Hurricanes and Wild, two of the NHL’s top-three goal-prevention clubs, the Flyers scored a combined eight goals.
The sudden jolt of offense has been a promising sign for the Flyers.
“We have definitely gotten to the net better,” Tortorella said pregame. “We have spent a lot of time on the ice and with tape as far as getting to that area, having some depth in our offense, too. Sometimes when you tell players to go to the net, you’ve got two guys in front of the goalie but their defense is in front of them and they gobble it up and go the other way. We’re trying to get some depth in some of our stuff in front of the net.
“We’ve had some puck luck. … There’s nothing [magical] we did for us to score goals; we’ve gotten some puck luck and certainly have had people around there for rebounds and tips.”
• Coming off of a 41-save victory over the Panthers, Hart faced a much lighter volume against the Wild.
The 24-year-old finished with 20 saves on 24 shots.
Minnesota took its first lead of the night at 3-2 late in the second period when the Flyers totally lost Marcus Foligno as he waited at the blue line to stay onside.
But Rasmus Ristolainen’s power play goal knotted things back up with 23 seconds left in the middle stanza.
“Risto’s is a huge goal for us to bounce back,” Tortorella said.
Three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 30 of the Flyers’ 34 shots
Foerster’s shot was a beauty. The 21-year-old prospect asked for some noise from the crowd as he celebrated the game-tying goal.
“He’s got a great release, big body, can pull it in,” Scott Laughton said. “You saw it there late in the game. Changes the whole game.”
The 2020 first-round pick has six points in the last four games (two goals, four assists).
“He’s off to a good start, that’s for sure,” Travis Sanheim said. “Obviously he’s got a great shot, but more importantly, I think just his poise with the puck and making plays. For a young guy to come up and do that right away is pretty impressive.”
• After going 26 consecutive games without a goal, Joel Farabee has found the back of the net in four straight.
Hockey is a funny game, huh?
He’s up to 13 goals on the season after sitting at nine for two-plus months. He has back-to-back two-point performances.
The 23-year-old winger is a foundation piece and a normal offseason of training should be pivotal for him.
“It’s a confidence league,” Farabee said. “When you’re playing with confidence, you definitely start to feel good.”
• Laughton scored the game-opening goal in the first period. Tony DeAngelo finished the night with two assists.
• Nicolas Deslauriers was a late scratch, missing his first game of the season because of an upper-body injury. He’ll be further evaluated Friday.
The 32-year-old winger warmed up and appeared to be totally fine.
After the game, Tortorella considered Deslauriers day to day.
Kieffer Bellows, who did not take the ice for warmups, took Deslauriers’ place in the lineup.
• The homestand continues Saturday when the Flyers host the Red Wings (1 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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