PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In their most critical contest of the season, the Flyers came away with a 3-2 victory over the Bruins.
It was a win that put the Flyers four points behind Boston for the final playoff spot in the East Division. A loss in regulation would have dropped the Flyers eight points back with just 16 games remaining, and coach Alain Vigneault said the math was simple when it came to the standings.
"I think it's safe to say I wouldn't have liked our chances of battling back if we would have lost," said Vigneault. "We needed to win, especially in regulation and especially against a team we're chasing. They've got two games in hand, but they have a lot of hockey to play in a short amount of time."
The game was tied at 2-2 when Sean Couturier's third period goal proved to be the game winner. Travis Konecny also scored in the victory, and Konecny believes the Flyers are playing their best hockey at the right time of the year.
"We're not super surprised," said Konecny. "That's how we've been wanting to play all year and how we know we can play. Now it's just coming together and things are starting to happen for us."
The Flyers also received a strong goaltending performance from Brian Elliott. The Flyers' netminder made 30 saves in the victory, and Vigneault said Elliott came up big when his team needed their goalie to shut the door on the Bruins.
"He's been outstanding," said Vigneault. "He's making big saves at the big time and he's been a real force for us in goal."
While the Flyers needed this victory, they can't afford a letdown on Sunday against Buffalo. The Sabres come to town with the worst record in the NHL, but Buffalo blasted the Flyers, 6-1, in Western New York in their last meeting. Vigneault is hoping his players will be able to build momentum from this victory and keep their focus in their next game.
"We've got to take care of our own business," Vigneault said. "We got to focus on our game here, and we've got a big game coming up."