James Van Riemsdyk Scores Twice As Flyers Top Wild 5-4
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — James van Riemsdyk scored two goals, including the game-winner late in the third period, as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Tuesday night.
Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux each had a goal and an assist and Ivan Provorov also scored for the Flyers, who are 11-2-1 since Jan. 9.
Luke Kunin scored twice, while Zach Parise and Jared Spurgeon added goals for the Wild, who fell to 1-4-2 since the All-Star break.
Anthony Stolarz made 35 saves for the Flyers. Devan Dubnyk stopped 21 of 26 shots for Minnesota.
Van Riemsdyk broke a 4-4 tie on a power play with 4:29 remaining, banking home a rebound off Dubnyk in a scramble near the net. It was the 11th power-play goal allowed by Minnesota in its last 10 games.
Minnesota had taken a 4-3 lead early in the third period on a goal by Spurgeon that was awarded after a video review. His shot from a sharp angle appeared to hit off the crossbar, but at the next stoppage the play was reviewed. Video showed the puck hitting the underside of the crossbar and dropping into the net before spinning back out.
Philadelphia tied it at 6:30 when the Wild got caught in a line change, leaving Giroux and Jakub Voracek alone on a two-man rush. Voracek left a drop pass for Giroux, who beat Dubnyk with a slap shot from the top of the right circle.
The Flyers struck first, scoring less than three minutes into the game. Provorov took a shot from just inside the Minnesota blue line, and it deflected off traffic and past a screened Dubnyk.
But the Wild recovered quickly, thanks in part to two quick Flyers penalties that gave Minnesota a two-man advantage for 1:52.
Parise tied it during the 5-on-3. He took a pass from Mikael Granlund at the left of the net and banked it off Stolarz for his team-leading 23rd goal of the season.
Kunin then scored two quick goals to put Minnesota on top 3-1. First, a centering pass deflected off a Flyers stick directly to Kunin in the high slot, and he beat Stolarz for an unassisted goal at 10:45.
Less than three minutes later, Kunin took a pass from Joel Eriksson Ek in nearly the same spot and ripped a wrist shot past Stolarz for his fourth goal of the season and his first career multi-goal game.
Stolarz kept the Wild in check with a sprawling save of a point-blank shot by Jordan Greenway in the second period. The Flyers then tied the game shortly after with two consecutive goals from van Riemsdyk and Couturier.
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