PHILADELPHIA — For the last 11 games, starting goaltender Carter Hart had stolen the show and outright stolen games for a Flyers team that struggled to get out of their own zone and reduce their opponents’ chances against.
But with Hart out due to an illness on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers pounced on the opportunity to prove that they’re capable of winning without him, too. They squashed the lowly Blues, 5-1, marking just the third time this season that the Flyers have won with a total of more than three goals.
Yes, backup goalie Felix Sandström was more than solid in his start, denying 29 of 30 shots on goal. He finally earned his first NHL win in his nine career starts. But the Flyers skaters stepped up on both sides of the puck to ease the burden on their goalie, especially in the first two periods. They scored three unanswered goals in the second period thanks to the efforts of Wade Allison, Travis Konecny, and Noah Cates.
