Drysdale makes Philly debut in Flyers’ shootout win over Canadiens originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers picked up their first comeback win when trailing by two goals as they beat the Canadiens, 3-2, Wednesday night in a shootout at the Wells Fargo Center.
Sean Couturier delivered in the skills competition.
Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost scored goals for the Flyers (21-14-6), who went 2-1-1 on their four-game homestand.
Jamie Drysdale picked up his first point in a Flyers jersey. He had a couple of looks in OT, as well.
John Tortorella’s club had lost seven of its last nine games (2-4-3), so it needed a win before hitting the road again.
This was the 11th time the Flyers had gone to overtime in their last 21 games. They’re 9-5-6 in games decided by one goal.
Competitive but also living on the edge.
The 48 points are the Flyers’ most at the halfway mark of the season since 2019-20, when they had 49 (22-14-5).
Tortorella’s rebuilding Flyers are narrowly holding onto a playoff spot.
The Flyers face the Canadiens (17-17-6) two more times this season, with both matchups in Montreal.
• After being traded Monday and practicing Tuesday, Drysdale made his Flyers debut and got right to work on the power play.
He gave a lift to the club’s 31st-ranked man advantage when he assisted Frost’s game-tying 2-2 goal in the second period. Frost made it happen with a shot-mentality.
The 21-year-old skated on the Flyers’ top defensive pair opposite of Travis Sanheim. He moved well and his hockey sense was evident.
Danny Briere landed Drysdale in the nobody-saw-it-coming Cutter Gauthier trade. The Flyers’ GM mentioned how Drysdale would likely have to go through a learning phase because of the difference in systems with the Flyers and Ducks.
“Just the zone coverages, it’s a change in that,” Tortorella said at morning skate Wednesday. “We just spent 20 minutes with the whole team going over that. It’s basically him just watching that. There are going to be some hiccups, but he’s a bright kid. As we do with all the young players when they come here, we’ll just teach and go through it.”
• In the first period, Samuel Ersson yielded two goals on two shots.
Sean Monahan put Montreal in front just 1:29 minutes into the action when he redirected a shot.
David Savard‘s marker cushioned the Canadiens’ lead 10 minutes later. It came on a tough bounce off of Frost, who was battling in front of the net.
The Flyers played a strong game in front of Ersson, who finished with 17 saves. The 24-year-old settled in and made a couple of timely stops, one of them at the tail end of OT. He stopped all three of the Canadiens’ attempts in the shootout.
Montreal netminder Cayden Primeau, the son of former Flyers captain Keith Primeau, turned away 37 shots.
He was absolutely superb in overtime.
Tippett’s goal was a big one for the Flyers because it got them within 2-1 at first intermission.
• With the addition of Drysdale, the Flyers have eight healthy defensemen on their roster. As a result, Tortorella rolled with 11 forwards and seven blueliners against the Canadiens.
Nicolas Deslauriers and Marc Staal were healthy scratches.
“It’s healthy,” Tortorella said of the in-house competition for playing time. “Just on the human side, I think the world of Nick. I know it kills him to sit out. Same thing with Marc Staal. They’re both great competitors.
“You’re not going to have everybody happy about things when your team is growing. So to me, it’s a really good sign having to make tough decisions because you have more bodies and your team is growing and evolving.”
• The Flyers held their annual Pride Night, which supports the LGBTQ+ community.
A number of players sported Pride-themed tape on their sticks during warmups.
• The Flyers head out on a three-game road trip, which kicks off Friday with a matchup against the Wild (8 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).
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