Flyers end 10-game winless skid, hit jackpot in Vegas 4-3
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Max Willman scored his first NHL goal and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Friday night to end a 10-game winless streak.
Kevin Hayes, Sean Couturier and James van Riemsdyk also scored for the Flyers. Carter Hart made 41 saves. Philadelphia is 1-8-2 since Nov. 18.
Max Pacioretty scored twice and William Karlsson added his second of the season for the Golden Knights. Laurent Brossoit made his sixth start and eighth appearance of the season for Vegas and stopped 21 shots.
Philadelphia opened the scoring during a 4-on-4, just one second before Vegas forward Adam Brooks would have given the Golden Knights a short power-play opportunity. Instead, Hayes found the puck low, spun and backhanded it past Brossoit.
In just his third game after missing 15 with a broken foot, Karlsson beat Hart on the final leg of a beautifully executed tic-tac-toe with Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault.
Willman notched his milestone goal when he gathered a fortunate bounce and one-timed it from the bottom of the right circle to put Philadelphia back in front early in the second period.
Shortly after the Golden Knights’ struggling power play failed, Pacioretty was in the perfect position to tap home Alex Pietrangelo’s rebound from the blue line. Pacioretty extended his point streak to seven games, including his sixth goal in five games.
Vegas’ special teams’ issues carried over to its penalty kill, as the Flyers took advantage of back-to-back power plays in the third period.
After Golden Knights captain Mark Stone was called for hooking, Couturier fired a one-timer from the right circle that Brossoit was barely able to react to just 16 seconds into the power play. Then, with Pacioretty in the box for holding, Van Riemsdyk gave the Flyers a 4-2 lead with 10:23 left.
Vegas has allowed goals six of its past seven times short-handed, spanning its last two games. The Golden Knights, who have the second-worst power play at home, were 0 for 5 with a man advantage and are 0 for 11 in their last three games.
Pacioretty’s second goal came with 1:45 left in the game, but Vegas couldn’t capitalize with an extra attacker down the stretch to tie the game.
Philadelphia, which lost 3-0 in New Jersey on Wednesday, improved to 3-0-1 after being shut out.
