Laperriere Does It All For Streaking Flyers
(from The Times Herald)
By Anthony J. SanFilippo
Journal Register News Service
January 13, 2010 - PHILADELPHIA - Gordie Howe only had it happen once in his storied hockey career, yet his name is forever linked to the accomplishment.
When a player scores a goal, picks up an assist and drops the gloves to get into a fight is forever known in hockey lexicon as a 'Gordie Howe hat trick.'
Ian Laperriere had the first hat trick of that unique kind for the Flyers in nearly two years, and it was the kind of effort that vaulted his team to a thorough, 6-3 dismantling of the Dallas Stars.
Laperriere set up the game-winning goal — a shorthanded tally by Kimmo Timonen — later scored on a one-timer to add some insurance and finally chased down Stars defenseman Mark Fistric and started a fight after Fistric leveled Blair Betts with a check seconds earlier.
The last Flyer to turn that trick was Randy Jones (no, really) in New Jersey two seasons ago in March, 2008.
"It wasn't much of a 'Gordie Howe,' " Laperriere said. "I wanted to make a point there and I guess he wanted me to make a point there. He just took me down and it wasn't much."
"(Blair is) part of my team, he's part of my line and you know it was a bad pass by me…I put it on the boards there, and he kind of had the puck in his skates and I felt bad. (Dan) Carcillo was coming in too, and you know you just want to make a point. It was 5-1 too, it wasn't a tie game. If it's a close game you kind of pop him, but you don't do that. But, like I said, it wasn't much. It's not a big deal."
Laperriere, who along with Betts has been at the forefront of a shutdown penalty kill (Laperriere leads all Flyers forwards in blocked shots with 41 and is tied for seventh in the NHL among forwards), was just one of many parts that helped the Flyers to their fourth consecutive win, and an appearance back among the participating teams in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Fourteen different players registered at least a point and the win couple with a loss by Ottawa vaulted the Flyers (23-19-3, 49 points) into seventh place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the New York Rangers for sixth and three points behind Boston for fifth.
It was the first time 14 players scored at least a point in one game for the Flyers since an 8-0 win at Vancouver on December 31, 1997.
What a difference three weeks makes, eh?
"It's much easier when we're winning," Timonen said. "Everybody's in a better mood and it's much easier to come to the rink. Hopefully we can keep it going."
Winning is also easier because that the special teams continues to be lights out. The power play has scored on 12-of-31 attempts (38.7 percent) in the last 10 games (8-1-1) and the penalty kill has thwarted 35-of-37 (94.6 percent) opponent's chances in the same span, including the last 21 in a row.
"Specialty teams, it determines outcomes, there's no question," coach Peter Laviolette said. "The majority of the time when your power play is better than their penalty kill, and the same for the other unit, you're going to win a lot of hockey games.
"The players are doing a really good job on the specialty teams right now. The power play has a lot of movement… the penalty kill, the execution has been excellent. That's definitely a difference maker."
Scott Hartnell got the Flyers started with a power play marker in the opening period when he lifted the rebound of a Matt Carle shot over Marty Turco for his 11th goal of the season.
It was an inspired goal by Hartnell, who played just 8:31 in the game, leaving the ice twice after feeling sick.
Dallas tied it in the opening minute of the second period with a goal by James Neal, but the Flyers answered quickly - and often.
Darroll Powe put the Flyers ahead to stay when he banged home a pass from James van Riemsdyk just 96 ticks after the Stars tied it and then Timonen got the game-winner on a 3-on-1 shorthanded rush.
Claude Giroux stretched it to 4-1 with a power play goal of his own when he banked a shot off Fistric's skate blade that squeezed through Turco's five-hole and Laperriere chased Turco when he scored on a 2-on -1 with Powe59 seconds later.
Turco faced just 19 shots in 33 minutes, allowing the five goals.
Simon Gagne put the icing on the cake at the halfway point of the third period to make it a five-goal lead, and then the Flyers went into sleep mode, much to the chagrin of Laviolette, allowing Dallas to get a pair of goals from Steve Ott to make the score a bit closer.
"We need to finish stronger in those situations," Laviolette said of the one dark cloud hanging over his team after the win. "There've been other opportunities. It's a chance to go out and just practice good habits and continue to play a solid game, and we dropped our guard in a couple instances."