The Flyers on Thursday answered a challenge, as they now prepare for a tough game against the Bruins in Boston on Saturday afternoon.
The Flyers more than met that challenge, hosting one of the top teams in the Western Conference, the St. Louis Blues, by beating them, 3-1 (see game story).
Here are 10 observations from the Flyers' encounter with the Blues at the Wells Fargo Center:
1. This marked the second game in a row that a Flyers defenseman committed a turnover off the breakout that resulted in a goal against. Against Calgary Tuesday, Michael Del Zotto was stripped. In this one, Mark Streit tried to make a risky cross-ice pass and it was picked off by the Blues' Vladimir Tarasenko, who quickly fed Jaden Schwartz for a 1-0 lead.
2. Del Zotto finished the game with a goal, an assist and was a plus-3 — his best outing this season.
3. Besides having lightning-quick moves, the 23-year-old Tarasenko has one of the best sticks in the league, both offensively and defensively. He nearly scored himself shortly after assisting on the Blues' lone goal.
4. In the first period, the Flyers had just one shot on their first power play, while also adding a turnover and surrendering a short-handed chance. They've lived and died on the power play all season, but it's on a downward slide right now, going just 2 for 15 in their last five games.
NHL
5. Gotta like the patience Matt Read showed in the third period, waiting for teammates going into the zone. He dished it off to Streit, and then moved to the middle of the high slot for a shot that Wayne Simmonds scored on. Simmonds' goal pushed the Flyers to a 2-1 lead. Nothing wrong with allowing the play to develop.
6. St. Louis came into the game with a 25-1-2 record when leading after two periods. The Flyers were 2-20-4 when trailing after two periods. Somehow, the Flyers scored three times in the third period to win this game. That doesn't happen often.
7. The Blues did a decent job keeping the Flyers' chances to the outside for most of the first two periods. Ryan White was one player that seemed to find a way to the net, either for himself or his teammates. White had a great chance in the second stanza off a Brayden Schenn feed, but goalie Brian Elliott made an outstanding save at the post on him. White had an energetic game early, setting up R.J. Umberger, whom Elliott snuffed out as well.
8. Umberger's glorious chance in the first period saw a large chunk of net staring at him like freshly fallen snow, and his shot popped off the post. Conversely, Del Zotto didn't have much to shoot at in the third period with all those bodies in front of Elliott, but hammered a shot that nicked Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson to tie it, 1-1.
9. Flyers head coach Craig Berube changed his lines in the third period with his team trailing, 1-0. He put Simmonds back with Sean Couturier and Read and reunited Jakub Voracek with Claude Giroux and Michael Raffl on the top line. Voracek took spots on three different lines in the game.
10. It was nice to see Steve Mason (28 saves) finally get to .500 this season, while also picking up his 50th victory in a Flyers uniform. He's now 13-13-8 on the season.