The last time the Vegas Golden Knights played the Philadelphia Flyers, the Flyers ran off to a 3-0 lead. November 25 was when Knights fans thought they were in deep trouble and about to lose a trap game to the lowly home team. However, a funny thing happened.
The Golden Knights scored three goals in under 11 minutes in the second period, pulling them within a goal. Yes, Philadelphia scored thanks to Matvei Michkov during that stretch. However, it swung the momentum in Vegas's favor, where they eventually tied the game in the third period. Give a big "thank you" to Tanner Pearson for scoring with Noah Hanifin and Nicolas Hague for helping. How did Flyers fans and Gritty handle this momentum shift?
Jack Eichel sealed the deal for the Golden Knights with the only shootout goal, capping off yet another comeback victory. Such wins have been the team's calling card, for they haven't given up when backed into a corner. A 5-4 win in a shootout is always satisfying, especially on a long five-game road trip. Put two points in the bag, please. Extra ketchup, too!
But these same Flyers are heading to T-Mobile Arena on Thursday, marking the first game for Vegas in 2025. Don't be fooled by the road team, either. They're 9-8-3 away from Wells Fargo Arena this season and have done well historically against the Golden Knights. All this should culminate in an upset victory for the road team... right?
Why the Philadelphia Flyers will be tricky to beat
On Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens deployed an aggressive forecheck that wore down the Vegas Golden Knights. Kirby Dach, Cole Caufield, and company were vicious in their attack, creating turnovers in the defensive zone. It resulted in a 3-2 comeback victory for Montreal, giving the Golden Knights a taste of their own medicine.
100 BUTS POUR CAUFIELD
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 31, 2024
COLE'S 100TH GOAL#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/XfHBkBa8sg
While the Flyers aren't as adept defensively as the Canadiens are, they still have viable blue-liners and forwards that forecheck well. Travis Sanheim is an emerging defensive talent with 28 takeaways (sixth in the NHL). He also has a nice sidekick in Travis Konecny (17 goals, 42 points, 17 takeaways) who dictates the play for Philadelphia.
Therefore, it's on players like Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin to take care of the puck. The Flyers have plenty of young players that move across the ice fluidly, making them a tougher team in transition. It's also on forwards like Mark Stone and William Karlsson to defend the neutral zone, turning their attack against them. The Canadiens did that against the Golden Knights on Tuesday, abusing the forecheck for scoring opportunities in transition.
The Golden Knights must make John Tortorella's head explode
Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella is an entertaining figure in hockey. He has a short temper and tells people to "shut their yaps." The two-time Jack Adams winner is known for being a prickly figure, bringing a blunt style to every team he coaches.
Tortorella also emphasizes getting shots on goal, although his Flyers aren't doing that much (1,042 shots on goal, 20th in the NHL). Still, that's significantly more than the Canadiens, who are 31st in the NHL with 927 shots on goal. Thus, defending the forecheck and taking care of the puck will prevent these scoring opportunities from happening.
Combined with an uninspiring track record against the Flyers (7-5-1 all-time against Philadelphia), Thursday's game could be another trap game for the home team. However, the Golden Knights are 15-4-0 at T-Mobile Arena and are playing great hockey. If Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin can kickstart the offense and give their superstars more scoring opportunities in transition, the Golden Knights will get back on the winning track.