Flyers Win, Extend Regular-Season Home Streak vs Blackhawks
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cam Atkinson had two goals and an assist, Joel Farabee chipped in three assists and the Philadelphia Flyers earned a rare victory of late, 4-3 over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
Oskar Lindblom and Derick Brassard also scored for the Flyers, who won for just the fourth time in the last 25 games while continuing their home-ice dominance of the Blackhawks.
The Flyers have won 16 straight regular-season contests at home against Chicago. The Blackhawks' last regular-season victory in Philadelphia came on Nov. 9, 1996 — Chicago, however, did clinch the 2010 Stanley Cup on Patrick Kane's overtime goal in Game 6 at Philadelphia.
Dylan Strome had a pair of goals and Alex DeBrincat also scored for the Blackhawks, who have lost five of seven. Kane had an assist, upping his team-leading totals to 39 assists and 56 points.
The matchup pitted two proud franchises going through trying seasons near the bottom of the standings. The game was a far cry from that Stanley Cup showdown in 2010 when the Blackhawks won their fourth overall title and first of three in six years during their dominance in the 2000s.
The Blackhawks began the day with more points than just seven NHL teams. The two-time Cup champ Flyers were last in the Eastern Conference's Metro Division with just three teams in the league having fewer points.
Despite their records, they played a spirited contest. There was plenty of scoring, lots of big hits and stoppages that ended with helmets and sticks littered on the ice following scrums.
For a change, the crowd's decibel level reminded of the days when Philadelphia's home arena was loud, sold out and tough on opponents. There have been lots of empty seats this season and often little energy from the disappointed home faithful.
Atkinson put the Flyers in front for good at 4-3 with 11:32 left in the third with his second of the game and team-leading 20th of the season. He stole the puck from Dominik Kubalik at the Chicago blue line, passed to Farabee and got a return feed in the high slot and shot high past goalie Kevin Lankinen.
Brassard tied the back-and-forth contest at 3 with 16:51 remaining, ending an excellent passing sequence with Atkinson and Farabee with a shot that deflected off Lankinen's pads and over the goal line.
Brassard had a costly turnover in Philadelphia's 5-4 loss to Minnesota on Thursday, and met with interim coach Mike Yeo on Friday during an optional practice to apologize. It was the fifth of the season for Brassard, and first since he scored twice on Nov. 20 as a hip injury has limited him to just eight games since.
The game featured 12 penalties and things got chippy at times, especially in the third period. Philadelphia defenseman Kevin Connauton limped off the ice after a crunching hit by Kirby Dach with 8:59 to play.
DeBrincat scored his 31st goal of the season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Flyers: Kevin Hayes returned to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 17. Hayes, in the third season of a seven-year, $50 million deal, has played in just 20 games following a pair of offseason surgeries to his abdomen area. He had a subsequent surgery on Jan. 18 to remove fluid caused by an infection. He recorded an assist on Lindblom's tally.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: Host Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Flyers: Conclude club-record eight-game homestand against Vegas on Tuesday.
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