Jan 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs ahead John Tavares (91) tries to hold the puck previous Philadelphia Flyers ahead Matvei Michkov (39) throughout the third interval at Scotiabank Enviornment. Obligatory Credit score: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Photographs The Philadelphia Flyers will not have to attend lengthy to attempt to actual revenge on Morgan Rielly and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After dropping to Toronto within the finale of their six-game highway journey, Philadelphia hosts the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
The Flyers spent practically two weeks away from dwelling, touring to the West Coast earlier than stopping in Toronto on the best way again. They ended up going 2-3-1 on the trek, with the lone extra time loss coming in Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to the Maple Leafs.
Rielly scored the decisive tally on Sunday, taking a feed from Auston Matthews and beating Ivan Fedotov halfway by way of extra time.
“It feels good,” mentioned Rielly, who had not scored since Nov. 5. “I assumed we performed nicely throughout the construction and it was an in depth recreation. Clearly we have been in lots of these just lately, which I believe is sweet, so to get the outcomes is sweet.”
Certainly, the Maple Leafs have performed 4 consecutive video games determined by two targets or fewer and have gained all 4. Matthew Knies and Oliver Ekman-Larsson additionally scored on Sunday, whereas Matthews registered two assists and Dennis Hildeby made 30 saves.
“I assumed it was a gutsy win,” Toronto coach Craig Berube mentioned. “I assumed that Philly is tough to play towards. They’re fast, they’re quick, they play onerous they usually had legs, so it was a troublesome recreation for us.”
Tyson Foerster and Scott Laughton scored for the Flyers, whereas Rasmus Ristolainen registered a pair of assists.
Fedotov made 22 saves for Philadelphia, which continues to play with out beginning netminder Samuel Ersson (lower-body damage). In his absence, Flyers coach John Tortorella usually toggles between Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov.
“Aside from the primary interval in pockets once we turned the puck over somewhat bit, I assumed it was one in all our higher video games enjoying ahead, checking time and house,” Tortorella mentioned. “I assumed it was one in all our higher video games.”
To disclaim the Maple Leafs a fifth straight win, Philadelphia must punch again in a sequence just lately dominated by Toronto, which has gained 9 of the final 10 conferences.
After all, that will not be straightforward towards a gifted Maple Leafs staff that sits on the high of the Atlantic Division with 54 factors. The Flyers hope to at some point develop the kind of top-end expertise that Toronto at the moment has within the type of Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares.
All 4 of these gamers are averaging at the least a degree a recreation for the Maple Leafs. The Flyers solely have one such participant in Travis Konecny (43 factors in 40 video games), though even Konecny has been restricted to 2 targets and no assists over the past 5 contests.
“One other good one towards a extremely expert staff,” Laughton mentioned of Tuesday’s conflict with Toronto. “We shut down the center of the ice for probably the most half within the impartial zone and restricted their possibilities. They get the final one there, however we get them once more (in Philadelphia) and can attempt to do the identical factor and get yet another than them.”
–Subject Degree Media
