For much of this season, the Philadelphia Flyers’ goalies have done little beyond tying dubious NHL records.
That story’s been different lately, as the Flyers’ netminders have gone from holding the team back to propping them up.
Tuesday certainly fit into that pattern, as Philly only needed one Oskar Lindblom goal to beat the New York Rangers 1-0. That goal happened just 1:40 into the game, yet Anthony Stolarz authored a 38-save shutout.
Stolarz clearly made the difference in that contest, as the Rangers doubled up the Flyers with 38 shots on goal to 19.
Both teams are far removed from playoff contention right now, yet there were still some emotional and nasty moments, especially after Brady Skjei was hit hard during the third period. Skjei was able to return to the contest:
With this performance, the Flyers are now on a five-game winning streak. Even with this run, Philly is 10 points behind the Penguins for the East’s second wild-card spot, and Pittsburgh has a game in hand. So even with more Stolarz shutouts, the Flyers are unlikely to fight for more than pride.
Then again, considering the talent on hand, maybe a strong finish to 2018-19 would help keep more of a still-seemingly-promising core together? That’s pretty decent motivation for this fledgling Flyers group.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.