Travis Konecny scored with just over six minutes to play in the third period as the Philadelphia Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Saturday.
Tony D’Angelo added a goal and an assist while Scott Laughton recorded a short-handed tally for Philadelphia (2-0-0), which has opened the John Tortorella era with back-to-back home wins. Carter Hart stopped 27 shots in the win.
“We didn’t panic,” Tortorella said. “I think to go through that the second game of the year and to succeed, it is something we can lean on if we get in that situation again.”
Kyle Burroughs and Conor Garland scored for the Canucks, who have lost the first two games of their five-game road trip to open the season.
“We were 0-for-5 on the power play. And they were 1-for-5 on the power play and they score and they scored a shorthanded goal,” Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau said.
“That’s the difference in the game. If we don’t shore that up, we’re going to be in trouble.”
Konecny — who has three goals on the young season and added an assist on Laughton’s shorthanded goal Saturday — scooped up a deflected shot just outside the crease and slid the puck past Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko with 6:07 left to break the 2-2 tie.
“We put our heads down and keep working, you are going to get your chances,” Konecny said.
It was the capstone moment of Philadelphia’s comeback.
DeAngelo had brought the Flyers back within 2-1 with a power-play goal midway through the second while Laughton converted on a shorthanded breakaway that beat Demko just inside the post.
Burroughs scored just 1:34 into the game when a wrist shot ticked off a Philadelphia defenceman and over Hart’s shoulder for his first goal of the season.
Vancouver extended the lead to 2-0 late in the first period when Garland’s wrister from the top of the circle whistled past Hart and into the top corner on the stick side.
SPLIT-SCREEN WORLD
With the attention of most Philadelphia sports fans directed at Citizens Bank Park and the Phillies taking on the Atlanta Braves in Game 4 of the National League Division Series, the Flyers decided to split the video screen above center ice into two to show the top of the ninth inning of Philadelphia’s 8-3 series-clinching victory while the hockey action was going on.
After Seranthony Dominguez struck out Travis d’Arnaud for the final out during a faceoff stoppage,
Flyers fans exploded in celebration while the arena loudspeakers played Dancing On My Own, the Tiesto mix song that has become the baseball team’s playoff anthem.
“I thought it was great,” Tortorella said. “It makes me want to get the hockey team out here in those situations.
“We were looking at them celebrating between periods and that’s what we play for. Just those few moments that you can do some of that (stuff) where they win and can act like idiots and have a blast. That’s what we play for.”
UP NEXT
Canucks: Continue their five-game road trip on Monday in Washington, followed by Columbus on Tuesday, then Minnesota on Thursday.
Flyers: Start a three-game southern road trip on Tuesday at Tampa Bay.