Alex DeBrincat entered Saturday's game with no points in his last four games and just three points in 12 games in January. Prior to January, DeBrincat was a point-per-game player (36 points in 36 games).
So much physicality that, at one point, three separate fights took place within a 16-second time frame in the first period. Just minutes before the first brawl, the Flyers took a 1-0 lead courtesy of a goal from forward Noah Cates.
Flyers vs. Kings The Los Angeles Kings (26-17-6) are in town, losers of three of four and clinging to the Western Conference’s second wild card by a point.
In those two games, he’s averaging more than 14 minutes a night, a significant increase from the 10:49 he’s averaged on the season. His most frequent linemate is Ryan Strome, and they’ve played together for only 31.6 per cent of Comtois’ five-on-five minutes (his second most frequent linemate is Jakob Silfverberg, and they have been on the ice together for 29.1 per cent of Comtois’ five-on-five minutes).
Zach Hyman had a goal and three assists while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins collected three points for the Oilers (27-18-3), as they vaulted over the Los Angeles Kings into third place in the Pacific Division with 57 points. SPECTOR’S NOTE: That news prompted an outpouring of support for embattled head coach Bruce Boudreau on social media and from Canucks fans during this game.
DETROIT — It took 50 minutes, 59 seconds to build energy and break through Ville Husso’s goaltending, but once the Flyers got on the board, they ran with it to a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Hart got an assist from Nicolas Deslauriers on defending a backdoor pass in the third, but even without the help, he was there.
Many players’ seasons have evened out somewhat, and it’s as good a time as any to take a look at where things stand for a handful of top Calder Trophy candidates, this time at the forward position. He had a solid seven points in 18 NHL games last season, maintaining his rookie status, but this season leads rookies with 20 assists.
Peter Zezel, Ken Linseman, Dave Poulin, Sami Kapanen, all 250 enforcers in the team’s history; there is a long tradition of Flyer teams having players lower down in the lineup that can contribute in many different ways, whether it be with a scoring touch, defense and penalty kill work, or violence. The fourth line the Flyers have deployed most often this year has been a trio of Zack MacEwen, Patrick Brown, and Nic Deslauriers, and without even looking at the numbers, if you know those names you know what they’ll provide.
Many players’ seasons have evened out somewhat, and it’s as good a time as any to take a look at where things stand for a handful of top Calder Trophy candidates, this time at the forward position. He had a solid seven points in 18 NHL games last season, maintaining his rookie status, but this season leads rookies with 20 assists.
In Buffalo, Philadelphia’s Samuel Ersson made 28 saves to earn his first NHL shutout in a 4-0 win for the Flyers over the Sabres on Monday night. “It’s special, but the win is what matters, and that’s what you’ve got to take with you moving forward.”
