Three positive signs from a critical Flyers win over the Wild

ST. PAUL, Minn. — You have to hand it to the Flyers.

They could have been standing alone in a world so cold. Facing a demanding Minnesota Wild team that entered the night with one of the NHL’s best records.

This game should have made fans cry — and maybe the futile power play did, going 0-for-4 including four minutes in the final six of regulation and overtime — but instead they battled, played a gritty game, and squeaked out a 3-2 shootout win on Thursday.

With the win, the Flyers are sticking around the playoff picture.

Here are three positives that could help them down the stretch:

The Wild have one of the most skilled teams in the NHL, with players including Kirill Kaprizov — who scored an eye-popping goal when he kicked the puck to himself before beating Dan Vladař — as well as American gold-medalists Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy, and Brock Faber.

According to Natural Stat Trick, at five-on-five, Cam York spent the majority of his 17 minutes, 34 seconds of ice time against Hughes (8:37), Faber (8:03), and Kaprizov (7:12). The same can be said for his partner, Jamie Drysdale: Hughes (9:19), Faber (8:13), and Kaprizov (8:07). It was pretty close to the minutes played by top-pair Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen.

Coach Rick Tocchet on Wednesday said things like the pair were still “experimental,” that the staff is “still trying to figure it out,” and “it’s a work in progress.” However, when those two defenders were on the ice, that trio for the Wild may have had more shot attempts, shots, and scoring chances, but they ended up with goose eggs on the scoresheet. The same cannot be said for the top pair.

York and Drysdale were keeping pucks to the outside, breaking up passing lanes, and clearing the front of the net. With under six minutes to go in regulation and the game tied, Drysdale swept the puck away on a missed shot with Ryan Hartman there.

“Tonight, yeah, and that’s a key, having a good stick in the inside interior,” Tocchet said after the game about his defense as a whole. “There’s some good things there. There’s going to be some teaching mistakes, and we’re going to have to go through it. But to hang in there and win that game, it’s big.”

After sitting out for two straight games and eight of the past 14, Emil Andrae finally got into a game.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Andrae had three shot attempts, three individual scoring attempts — tying Owen Tippett and Trevor Zegras — one high-danger chance, drew one penalty, and had one giveaway across 13:22 of ice time at five-on-five. Although Tocchet said recently it was important to give him time while shorthanded as a third-pair defenseman, he did not see the ice on any of the Flyers’ three penalty kills.

But Andrae made use of his ice time and scored the Flyers’ opening goal.

“The last little while here, I’ve been in and out of the lineup. And obviously, when you’re in, you want to stay in, prove your game, and prove that you can play,” he said. “So, yeah, obviously it’s huge for me, and huge for the team to contribute and contribute to a win.”

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As some defensemen have said, if you’re not noticeable, you’re doing your job, and outside of the goal, Andrae was doing that. He did have a scoring chance in the third when he found a hole, came down, and put a backhander on Jesper Wallstedt, and he and Alex Bump cleared the puck away from the front of the net in the second period with Boldy ready to pounce.

“Yeah, it’s awesome, obviously, for him to get back and line up and contribute and play as well as he did when he’s up in the rush,” forward Noah Cates said. “It’s huge for us, and he’s making good first passes as well. So it’s big, and we need him to stay ready and keep going, because the depth and everything this time of year is so big, and we need everyone.”

With each passing day, Tippett is raising his game to another level.

Of his team-leading 172 shots on goal this season — Trevor Zegras is No. 2 at 137 — only eight have come via a slapshot. And off that type of shot, he has scored two of his 22 goals this season. One was last night.

Skating shorthanded, Tippett got the puck from Carl Grundström around the Wild’s blue line, entered the zone, and unloaded a slapshot that beat Wallstedt to tie the game in the third period.

It was the 115th goal, across his 412 NHL games, but just the seventh with a slapshot.

“Oh, yeah, not really expected it too much,” Cates said with a big grin. “But found a way in, and huge goal for us. ”I think he’s got a couple of shorties now, and obviously, just his skill, his speed is so dangerous. It’s just a huge goal for us, and he’s been big for us all year.”

Tippett, 27, has found a nice blend of physicality — he’s No. 2 behind Garnet Hathaway for the most hits on the team with 131 — speed, and goal scoring despite leading the team in missed shots on goal (86), second in shots blocked (76), while No. 1 in shot attempts (334).

He’s also added penalty killer to his resumé. Across his career, he’s played 65:20 down a man, with 28:43 of it coming this year alone.

Tippett has three goals and four points across his last four games. It’s his best stretch since the start of the year, when he had five goals in five games.

“I’ve heard in the past [about] his consistency, but I think this year he’s been pretty consistent,” Tocchet said before the game. “He’s a guy that I’ve thrown around different lines, and I think I said it after our game the other night, he can drive play himself.

“Yeah, he’s reached another level of his game. He’s got world-class speed. It’s hard to find those types of guys.”