Flyers roll in first game without Giroux

No Claude Giroux. No Chris Pronger. No problem.

The Flyers didn’t seem to lose any of their scoring ability in their first game minus Giroux as they steamrolled the Washington Capitals 5-1.

It was also a game of extending goal streaks for the Flyers. Scott Hartnell netted a goal for the sixth consecutive game and Wayne Simmonds scored in his third straight.

It was Hartnell’s 200th career goal.

Defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon scored his first NHL goal on a weak snap shot that got past Tomas Vokoun. Jody Shelley set a beautiful screens  to help Bourdon get the easy tally.

It’s great to see Hartnell going on an absolute tear lately. He’s getting goals in many different ways.

He’s shooting the puck and also getting deflections when he drives to the net. The Flyers need his strong play with Giroux out.

Jakub Voracek scored on a deflection to continue his strong play. Voracek had been piling up the assists as of late but it was good to see him get a goal too.

The Flyers chased Vokoun after four goals. It was a much better offensive effort than the 5-2 loss to the Capitals earlier this season.

Ilya Bryzgalov was tremendous in net as he made 31 saves. His confidence continues to grow. He clearly isn’t lost in the woods anymore.

With Giroux out for the foreseeable future, it was great to see a total team effort tonight. Everyone was contributing and it was a great win.

The Flyers face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at 7:3o p.m.

Hartnell stays hot, leads Flyers to interstate win

Scott Hartnell has been made famous for falling down. But he’s also been famous for something else recently: scoring goals.

Hartnell scored what proved to be the game-winning goal Thursday night in a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The win also gave the Flyers the top spot in the Eastern Conference and in the Atlantic Division.

It was Hartnell’s fourth consecutive game where he found the back of the net.

He even referenced #HartnellDown in his post-game interview with Steve Coates.

Hartnell has tallied 11 points in his last 10 games. He has simply been playing remarkable hockey.

The Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 lead last night.

Danny Briere scored the first goal on a shot that deflected off two Penguin defenders and found its way into the net.

In the second period, Wayne Simmonds scored a beautiful power-play goal that was set up by a nice pass from Jakub Voracek.

Voracek has been playing well as he registered his second assist in as many games.

As a good start as the Flyers, things did tighten up.

The Penguins did get on the board in the second period on a power-play goal by James Neal.

Then Evgeni Malkin made it a one-goal game 8:21 into the third period.

After that, the Flyers didn’t seem to play with the same energy. They looked very tired and were being outmuscled by a faster Penguins team.

Ilya Bryzgalov was sensational in the third period. He was peppered with 14 shots and stopped every one of them to propel the Flyers to victory.

This is the Bryzgalov that the Flyers expected when they signed him to that huge contract back in July. He is a big-game goalie and didn’t crack under the immense pressure.

Malkin was incredibly active in the final frame and looked poised to tie the game. But that never happened.

It was what everyone expected in the first Battle of Pennsylvania of the season. Both goalies played well and it was very physical.