James VanReimsdyk bails out Flyers. Beat Chicago 5-4

James VanReimsdyk could do no wrong last night as he had a breakout, 2 goal performance including the game winner with just :33 left on the clock. Scott Hartnell made a beauty of a pass to find the waiting stick of JVR to slam it right past Blackhawks goaltender Ray Emery.

 The first period started off pretty eventful with Jimmy Hayes scoring on a redirect from Jamal Mayers just three minutes into the game. The ensuing face-off would continue the excitement. Zac Rinaldo and Andrew Shaw, playing in place of Daniel Carcillo who was suspended 7 games for his boarding penalty on Tom Gilbert of the Edmonton Oilers, dropped the gloves. It was Shaw's first NHL fight in his first NHL game. Shaw did a decent job in his first bout. He left the ice with his jersey torn. Rinaldo was obviously not happy, probably because he failed to clear the blue line on the attempted clear leading to the goal by Hayes.

The Flyers would go on to tie the game late in the first period when Jakub Voracek slammed a perfect bounce off a errant shot by Braydon Coburn. Marc-Andre Bourdon also assisted on the goal. The first period would end at a 1-1 tie but not for lack of excitement. Ilya Bryzgalov made several key saves in that period and the Flyers could have been behind rather than tied.

Alex Shaw, the same Shaw playing in his first game, would take a pass from Blackhawks captain Jonothan Toews and beat Bryzgalov for his first NHL goal. 7:37 into the second period and from then on the second period was all Philadelphia. Scotty Hartnell would take a pass from Claude Giroux and Matt Read and find the back of the net to tie it at two goals apiece. Matt Read was playing on the top line in place of injured winger Jaromir Jagr and held his own pretty well for most of the game.

Then just 4 minutes later Flyers F Harry Zolnierczyk scored for the Flyers to take a 3-2 lead. Harry Z just looks like a kid who really is trying to enjoy his time in the NHL. Hopefully he can maintain his level of play and stay in the line up. Most Flyers fans would probably rather have him on the ice than Jody Shelley. Zolnierczyk would slam a rebound home from Sean Couturier and Andrej Meszaros.

 In what looked like a very similar goal. James Van Riemsdyk would slam home a Wayne Simmonds and Braydon Schenn. It was JVR's 10th goal of the season which puts the Flyers with 8 players in double digits in goals.They are the only team in the NHL with 8 players to have reached that mark. Voracek has 6 and  Meszaros and Couturier have 5 each and would be the next to hit the 10 goal plateau.

The second period would end with the Flyers up 4-2. Feelings were good heading into the locker room but then the 3rd period came along. The first have of the period when scoreless but that would change quickly. Patrick Sharp took a double minor for High Sticking at the 10:15 mark of the 3rd. The Flyers failed to capitalize and as time expired on the penalty to Sharp, Brent Seabrook fired a wrist shot over the shoulder of Bryzgalov to bring the Blackhawks within 1. Then just 25 seconds later Patrick Kane would tie the game at 4 and the Flyers had blown a lead in their second consecutive third period versus a Stanley Cup threat.

As time would tick away on the clock you could almost sense that this game was not going to go into overtime. They Flyers made sure of it. Claude Giroux failed to get on the scoring chart with a goal tonight but he did set up two goals and the pass he made down low to Hartnell that set up the game winning goal was textbook. Hartnell's pass to JVR was a blind pass. A blind pass right to the stick of JVR and he made sure to bury it. Patrick Kane who was in the penalty box serving a minor for high sticking could do nothing but watch the Flyers celebrate as he skated back to his bench.

The goal would be the eventual game winner for the Flyers who picked up two key points in the standings. With the Rangers beating the Florida Panters in OT, the boys in Orange and Black could ill afford to fall 6 points out of the division lead.


They Flyers will be off today and will resume competition on Saturday when they host the Ottawa Senators. The Senators have 4 of the 6 announced starters for the East in the All Star game but don't fool yourself, they don't have that tremendous of a team. Next season or more likely the following season look for the Senators to be a force in the Eastern Conference but they aren't quite their yet. That doesn't mean the Flyers can take the Sens lightly but if all goes well it should be a game that falls in their favor.

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