There’s nothing quite like enjoying the moment.
So the Flyers should take a bow right now and acknowledge how far they’ve come this month of October after a four-game winless start to the season, worsened by a series of injuries, especially on the blue line.
Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win against the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings was their third straight and gave them 10 points in nine games (see Instant Replay).
“A good team effort tonight and again, we’ve been battling,” said coach Craig Berube. “Last four of five games our competitiveness and team game have been pretty good.”
Meanwhile, the cast of unexpected heroes continued to grow as Michael Raffl scored his fifth goal of the season -– third in two games -– while fourth-line centerman Chris VandeVelde got a clutch go-ahead marker, as well.
Brayden Schenn won it in overtime when Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin turned the puck over then got gassed trying to catch Schenn on a breakaway.
Schenn’s shot against Jonathan Quick went to review to see if Wayne Simmonds pushed goalie Jonathan Quick over the line before the puck went in.
“It was a good way to end it with me and Brayden on the ice at the same time,” said Simmonds, a reference to both players being ex-Kings as part of the Mike Richards trade four years ago. “I was real excited he put that goal in the net. Like schoolgirls jumping up and down. Felt good
“I saw it go over the line. They said no goal because I pushed him over the line but the puck was over before I pushed him in the crease.”
Two things stood out. First, the Flyers' forwards did yeoman’s work all night long on the backcheck and kept L.A. on the perimeter much of the game. Second, goalie Ray Emery came up big again with 38 saves.
Emery has given the Flyers points in all five of his appearances.
“He’s been awesome. He’s been lights out for us even in stretches of games when we’re not playing our best,” Schenn said. “He keeps us in it making big saves for us and that is what you need from a goalie at the start of the year.”
Two saves were critical: Sitting on his butt, Emery raised his glove to bat down Jarret Stoll’s rocket in the second period with the Flyers ahead, 2-1. And then Emery shot his left pad out on Tyler Toffoli’s shot late in the third period when it was 2-2.
“He had a lot of confidence and was pretty aggressive,” said Flyers captain Claude Giroux. “It’s paying off for us. He’s a hard worker and he’s pretty hot right now.”
Toffoli, incidentally, had a shorthanded goal in the game, but at even strength, the Flyers' top checking unit of Sean Couturier centering R.J. Umberger and Matt Read held Jeff Carter’s line with Toffoli and Tanner Pearson scoreless.
Couturier’s unit, backed by the defensive pair of Nicklas Grossmann and Mark Streit, kept them to the outside most of the game.
“They did a good job,” Berube said. “Not only them but whoever was at there on our defense. It’s a tough line to check. They’re big and they all skate well and support the puck and control the play. Our guys competed.”
The will to compete is why the Flyers are 4-3-2 right now with a chance to have a very successful month of October despite considerable adversity, including the toughest start to a season in 15 years.
“We try not to look at the big picture too much and go game by game,” Giroux said. “There’s times in games we had letdowns.
“We worked hard, they’re a big team and pretty physical and pretty good at protecting the puck. When they were in our zone, we did a good job of defending and keeping them to the outside.”
The Flyers close the month out Thursday night in Tampa Bay. That will be seven playoff clubs from last season in the first 10 games, not to mention four Stanley Cups since 2010 among that group.
“It’s a huge positive for us,” said Jakub Voracek, who had two assists. “The schedule was tough and we are over .500 now. We have a couple injuries but we still find a way to win.”