Jeff Moeller 9y

Rapid Reaction: Flyers 4, Blackhawks 1

PHILADELPHIA -- Here’s a quick look at the Philadelphia Flyers’ 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center.

How it happened: Philadelphia’s Wayne Simmonds scored his team-high 28th goal of the season and broke a scoreless tie when the Blackhawks had trouble clearing the zone. He took a cross-ice pass from Matt Read and beat Corey Crawford to the stick side at 7:30 of the opening period.

The Flyers made it 2-0 when Ryan White redirected Carlo Colaiacovo’s slapper from the point got past Crawford’s stick side at 6:09 of the second period. Philadelphia added its second goal of the third period when Claude Giroux tapped Jakub Voracek’s shot from the right faceoff circle past Crawford at 13:58 to make it 3-0.

Andrew Shaw got the Blackhawks on the board when he scored his 13th goal of the season after tapping in Duncan Keith’s slapper from the top of the slot past Steve Mason’s stick side on the power play at 2:24 of the final period. Chicago scored just 14 seconds into the penalty.

Philadelphia sealed the game when Michael Raffl fired a wrist shot between Crawford’s legs on a power play that made it 4-1 at 15:55.

Former Flyer Kimmo Timonen received a robust applause when he was introduced before the tilt. Flyers fans also gave him a standing ovation as he waved to the crowd after a video tribute to him was shown midway through the first period. Timonen was a fan favorite from the 2007-08 season until being traded to the Blackhawks last month.

What it means: The Blackhawks missed a golden opportunity to gain ground in the playoff race against a reeling Philadelphia club that has lost four in a row and seven of their past eight and is dealing with swirling rumors about the future of head coach Craig Berube.

The Blackhawks remained four points behind second-place Nashville and five behind first-place St. Louis -- both of which were idle -- for the race in the Central Division.

Player of the game: Mason was sharp all night, as he stopped 25 shots through the first two periods. He made several keys stops late in the first and second periods. He finished with 34 saves and gained his 15th win of the season (15-17-10) in 46 games. Philadelphia finished with 33 shots.

Stat of the game: There weren’t any penalties called in the opening two periods. There was plenty of opening skating and not a lot of tight checking. The teams became more chippy with each other in the final period.

The Blackhawks line of Brad Richards, Marian Hossa, and Patrick Sharp were effective, as they accounted for six of the team’s first 25 shots.

During their 3-1 victory over Carolina on Monday night, the Blackhawks were outshot 44-24.

What’s next: The Blackhawks return from a four-game trip Friday to host the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7:30 p.m. CT at the United Center before they hit the road for a one-game stop at Winnipeg on Sunday. They will be back home on Monday to host the Los Angeles Kings.

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