Skip to content
Flyers
Link copied to clipboard

Coyotes shoot past Flyers in OT

For the second straight game, the Flyers were shorthanded because of an injury to one of their defensemen.

Andrej Meszaros takes a shot at Coyotes goaltender IIye Bryzgalov during the second period. (Steven M. Falk/Staff Photographer)
Andrej Meszaros takes a shot at Coyotes goaltender IIye Bryzgalov during the second period. (Steven M. Falk/Staff Photographer)Read more

For the second straight game, the Flyers were shorthanded because of an injury to one of their defensemen.

This time, they couldn't overcome it.

Shane Doan scored a power-play goal with 2 minutes, 19 seconds left in overtime Tuesday night, lifting Phoenix to a 3-2 win before a sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Coyotes, who won their eighth straight, had a four-on-three advantage because of a hooking penalty to Kimmo Timonen.

With their goalie pulled for an extra attacker, the Flyers tied it when Claude Giroux scored on his own rebound with 1:13 left in regulation. A joy-struck Giroux punched the air in jubilation after the hard-earned goal, his 21st of the season.

The Flyers, who held a 37-23 shots advantage in regulation, nearly won it in the first minute of overtime, but goalie Ilya Bryzgalov stopped Matt Carle from the slot.

Shortly thereafter, Sergei Bobrovsky robbed Derek Morris from the right circle.

Bobrovsky, brilliant in the first two periods, allowed a soft goal to Taylor Pyatt with 9:30 left to snap a 1-1 tie.

Pyatt, from above the left circle, sent a soft shot that deflected off Bobrovsky and went over the goalie's shoulder and into the net.

Phoenix had tied it at 1 on Eric Belanger's goal with 17:16 remaining.

Mikkel Boedker won a battle for the puck from Timonen and, from behind the net, found Belanger, who knocked the pass past Bobrovsky.

Defenseman Oskars Bartulis, who was subbing for the injured Sean O'Donnell (knee), suffered an apparent shoulder injury when he was run into by former Flyer Scottie Upshall early in the second period.

The injury caused the Flyers to with five defensemen the rest of the way - and scramble their pairings for the second consecutive game.

They had to do likewise in Sunday's 4-2 win over the New York Rangers.

Before Tuesday, the Flyers had been 30-1-2 when taking a lead into the third period.

Phoenix took a seven-game winning streak into the night. Six of those victories were by one goal.

"Our goaltending and defensive play lately is what's getting us over the hump," former Upshall, Phoenix's top goal scorer, said before the game.

Upshall, making his first appearance in Philadelphia since he was traded to Phoenix nearly two years ago, received a smattering of applause as he was in the starting lineup Tuesday.

"My fondest NHL memories come back to this building," he said.

The applause for Upshall turned to boos - and some derisive chants - after he leveled Bartulis 17 seconds into the second period.

An on-charging Upshall lowered his shoulder into Bartulis' right shoulder, and the Flyers defenseman hit the ice hard and bounced into the boards behind the net, appearing to injure his left shoulder.

Upshall was given a boarding penalty, during which the Flyers had numerous scoring chances but were thwarted by Bryzgalov.

Bartulis skated gingerly off the ice and went into the locker room. He did not return.

The Flyers could put Bartulis or O'Donnell on the injured-reserve list - they must miss seven days - and recall a player from Adirondack. Danny Syvret and Erik Gustafsson are the top candidates.

The Flyers, thanks to strong work by Bobrovsky, held off the Coyotes in the opening period. Bobrovsky made nine first-period saves - and most of them were difficult ones, including a slot blast by Shane Doan with 5:40 left in the stanza.

The Flyers built a 1-0 lead on Ville Leino's 14th goal, scored with 13:36 to go in the first period. Leino tipped Carle's point drive past Bryzgalov to the short side.

Thanks to some good work on the penalty kill, and a little luck - a power-play blast by Eric Belanger late in the second period caromed off the right post - the Flyers took that 1-0 lead into the final period. It marked the 12th time this season they had a shutout entering the last 20 minutes.

And the 12th time they failed to secure a shutout.

Follow on Twitter at www.twiytyer.com/BroadStBull.