Flyers crush Sens to snap skid in Ottawa

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OTTAWAThis is a season of change for the Flyers.

Changes in new faces, new lines, new defensive pairings, new goalies.

Youre seeing things you didnt see all last season.

Like a shutout.

Or, as it happened Tuesday night at Scotia Bank Place, three straight games in which the Flyers scored at least two power-play goals. They had three power-play goals in the game.

That was part of the backdrop to a 7-2 Flyer rout over the Senators. Two power-play goals came during a 4-0 first period scoring feast.

Did we mention three rookies scored?

Matt Read notched his second of the season, while callup Harry Zolnierczyk, making his big-league debut, and regular Sean Couturier, each scored their first NHL goals.

As good as that final score may read, it didnt make coach Peter Laviolette happy that the Flyers had a long lull in the second period and more unnecessary stick fouls.

In the second period, I thought we stopped moving our feet a little bit and it caused us to take some penalties, but we got going again in the third period, Laviolette said.

Back to our game. But the first period, I thought we came out and skated well and moved the puck north and got it in and generated offense. We were really tight defensively. It just slipped a little bit in the second period.

Meanwhile, sophomore goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made his first start of the season and was very sharp in net, especially in the latter stages of play when Ottawa ramped up its game. Bob, who looked impressive during training camp, finished with 21 saves.

In the second period, there was a lot going on, Laviolette said. We had a lot of zone time, probably six or eight minutes of penalties that period. That led to a lot of zone time and a lot of big saves by him.

He did a nice job of staying focused because there wasnt a whole lot for him in the first.

The Flyers scored four times on Sens starter Alex Auld, who was simply lost in net. Read had a three-point period with a goal and two assists and finished with four points.

Ive been given the opportunity and Im trying to make the best of it, Read said. Just going out and working hard and doing all the little things right. Tonight, I had a couple of bounces our way and a good night for us.

Max Talbot scored an even-strength goal at periods end for his first marker of the season. Again, a lot of "firsts" for the Flyers in this game.

Auld, who played well in a weekend loss to Washington, allowed a terrible shortside goal to Read off the rush, 6:20 into the game. Not even two minutes later, Wayne Simmonds had a spin-a-rama with a pileup of fallen bodies in the crease on the power play.

I was just kind of in front of the net and kept my stick on the ice 'G' Claude Giroux fired a great pass and I tipped the puck, Simmonds said of his initial attempt.

It hit the goalie's pads and there was a big scramble in front of the net. Then, I somehow found the puck again and I turned around and fired the puck in.

The shot almost hit Read in the face.

"I saw something whiz by my face and off the post," Read said. "Oh man, that could have hurt. I'm glad it was back in the net and got us off to a good start."

Giroux, who came into the game tied with Chris Pronger for the club lead in points (five), made it 3-0 with the second power-play goal at 16:20. His shot ricocheted in and out of the net so quickly, Simmonds didnt realize it was a goal, and threw the rebound back in.

Read drew assists on Simmonds goal and Talbots in the final minute of the period.

That first period was a good road period for us, Simmonds said. We came out hard. We were hard on the puck the whole 20 minutes and got rewarded.

Every time a guy goes to the net, the Flyers end up with a scoring chance, which is why he is getting 15 minutes of playing time a game and figures to earn more as the season progresses.

Craig Anderson replaced Auld to start the second period and the penalty tide shifted against the Flyers, who gave Ottawa a two-man advantage for a minute but survived because the disorganized Senators were terribly sloppy with their passing and wouldnt shoot as the crowd booed them much of the time.

Bobrovsky had outstanding back-to-back saves near the end of the second period on Peter Regin and Erik Condra off an odd-man rush into the Flyers end.

Probably the toughest chance he faced to that point. The Senators finally got a goal on a give-and-go at the net from Daniel Alfredsson to Jason Spezza at 18:59.

Early in the final period, Bobrovsky had a nice pad stop on a breakaway pass to Zack Smith into the zone. Ottawa had several minutes where it carried play, then faded. In the final minutes of the game, James van Riemdsyk had a power-play tip, then Couturier and Zolnierczyk made it 7-1 with their first-ever goals.

They all played well, Laviolette said of his rookies.

Loose pucks
Zac Rinaldo had his second fight of the season, dropping a decision to Ottawas Zenon Konopka in the waning seconds of the opening period.The Flyers outshot Ottawa 10-3 in the first period.Pronger has a five-game point streak.Defenseman Matt Walker, making his season debut and playing alongside Braydon Coburn, had a draw in his second- period fight with Chris Neil.Walker won a fight against Konopka in the final period. Two fights in his game this season.The four goals in the first period were the most for the Flyers in the first period since they scored five goals during an 8-7 loss to Tampa Bay on Nov. 18, 2010. The last time the Flyers scored four goals in the first period of a road game was Oct. 10, 2007. That was an 8-2 win at Vancouver. The last time they scored four goals in any period was a four-goal second period on Dec. 30, 2010 in a 7-4 win at Los Angeles. Danny Briere was 10 for 13 on faceoffs (77 percent). The Flyers also snapped their seven-game winless streak in Ottawa that dated back to a 4-3 win on Nov. 24, 2007.

E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net.

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