Flyers rout Jets 6–1
The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Winnipeg Jets 6–1 on Saturday, with Sean Couturier scoring two goals and adding an assist. ( ) Noah Cates contributed a goal and two assists as well, and both forwards were named among the game's three stars. ( )
Philadelphia closed its western road swing by overwhelming Winnipeg on Saturday night, scoring seven times in a 7-1 win at Canada Life Centre. (nhl.com) Sean Couturier scored twice and added an assist, and Noah Cates had a goal and two assists for Philadelphia. Matvei Michkov finished with a goal and an assist, and Dan Vladar made 28 saves. (nhl.com; espn.com) The Flyers led 3-1 before the first period was 9 minutes old after goals from Porter Martone at 1:17, Michkov at 8:24 and Couturier at 8:49. Travis Sanheim, Cates and Nick Seeler added the other goals, with Cates scoring short-handed in the second period. (espn.com) Philadelphia improved to 41-27-12 with the win and sat third in the Metropolitan Division entering Sunday. Winnipeg fell to 35-31-12 and remained outside the Western Conference wild-card spots. (espn.com; espn.com; nhl.com) The game fit a late-season split between the clubs. Philadelphia entered the night on a playoff track in the East, while Winnipeg was chasing ground in the West with only a few games left on the regular-season schedule. (espn.com; nhl.com) Philadelphia also reversed the result from the teams’ first meeting this season. Winnipeg beat the Flyers 5-2 in Philadelphia on Oct. 16, and the rematch turned into the Flyers’ most lopsided answer of the season series. (espn.com) The shot total stayed relatively close, with Winnipeg finishing ahead 29-23, but Philadelphia controlled faceoffs at 57.9 percent and scored on its chances early. Couturier’s two goals were unassisted, and Rasmus Ristolainen had two assists from the blue line. (espn.com) Philadelphia returns home to face Carolina on Monday, April 13. Winnipeg’s margin for error is smaller now than it was at puck drop Saturday. (espn.com; espn.com)
