Read, Flyers Use Big First Period to Top Coyotes, 4-2

Matt Read beats Mike Smith early in the first period. (Photo credit: AP Photo / Ross D. Franklin)

By David Strehle (@David_Strehle)

Hockey can be a funny game sometimes, taking predominant trends and throwing them right out the window. Such was the case Saturday night, as rookie Matt Read and the Philadelphia Flyers used a blistering first period to overpower the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena by a score of 4-2.

Coming into the contest, Philadelphia had been outscored 11-2 in the first periods of their previous six games. Add in the fact that Phoenix had allowed just 10 first period goals all season long, and all the signs pointed to a good start for the Coyotes.

That’s why they actually play the games.

The Flyers put up a four-spot in the first, thoroughly dominating the home team from the opening faceoff. While on a power play courtesy of a Raffi Torres check to the head of Zac Rinaldo, Read took full advantage of a bad bounce off a stanchion that kicked out in front of the Phoenix cage. Read pounced on the puck and snapped a shot past Coyotes’ netminder Mike Smith for his 10th goal of the season just 4:23 into the tilt to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.

The Wayne Simmonds-Danny Briere-Read line would strike again a minute and a half later. Briere cruised down the slot and wristed the puck towards the goal with Simmonds providing a screen in front. The puck hit a body up high and dropped at the goal line, where Simmonds whacked it into the net for his fifth of the year and a 2-0 Flyers’ lead.

Philadelphia increased their lead over 10 minutes later. Kimmo Timonen carried the puck around behind the Phoenix net and whipped a pass to Claude Giroux at the right faceoff circle. The Flyers’ leading scorer one-timed a shot past Smith for his 15th of the year and a 3-0 Philly lead. It was also Giroux’s 32nd point of the season, tying him for the NHL lead in points with Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was Timonen’s 17th assist of the year, tying him with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Marc-Andre Bergeron for third in assists among defensemen.

Late in the period Rinaldo drew another Coyotes’ penalty, this one a high sticking call on Boyd Gordon. Again the Flyers made Phoenix pay for their lack of discipline as Briere set up Hartnell for his 11th of the season, and Philadelphia skated to the locker room in the first intermission with an improbable 4-0 lead.

Ray Whitney broke Ilya Bryzgalov’s shutout bid midway through the second period, sending a shot from the slot past the former-Coyote. Phoenix controlled play in the middle frame, outshooting the Flyers, 13-6.

Philly evened the Coyotes’ effort in the third and there was no scoring until late, when Mikkel Boedker deflected Keith Yandle’s point shot through Bryzgalov with 40.2 seconds remaining in regulation to set the final score.

It was the first time all season long that the Bryzgalov played both ends of games on back-to-back nights. He beat both of his former clubs in the last two days, as he got the come-from-behind win over the Anaheim Ducks Friday night, 4-3 in overtime.

Read finished with a goal and two assists, and continued his excellent play against the Coyotes. His goal with 18.2 seconds remaining in the game on November 17th in Philadelphia gave Bryzgalov and the Flyers a 2-1 win.

Philly improved to 4-1-0 in their last five games, and stayed within three points of the first place Pittsburgh Penguins, who also won tonight. Philadelphia holds two games in hand on the Pens. The Flyers also became the first team to win nine road games, improving to 9-3-1 away from the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers have one game remaining on the current road trip, Wednesday night against the Buffalo Sabres, before returning home to take on the Penguins in an Atlantic Division showdown.

Taking a Flyer: With his goal, Read joined Giroux and Hartnell as Flyers who have hit the double-digit mark in goals scored this season…Briere had two assists for a second consecutive night, and now has scored two points in a game in three of his last five contests…defenseman Andrej Meszaros was taken heavily into the boards by Torres in the final minute of the game and looked to be shaken up. The Flyers can ill-afford any more injuries to their tattered blueline corp, already missing captain Chris Pronger (knee surgery) and Erik Gustafsson (wrist surgery)…Matt Carle led the team in ice time tonight, logging 24:56, which was 39 seconds more than Braydon Coburn…Bryzgalov improved his record to 10-5-2 for the year, including 7-1-1 since taking the loss in a 9-8 nightmare against the Winnipeg Jets on October 27th.