PHILADELPHIA — In a thrilling matchup on Sunday night, Logan Cooley played a pivotal role in helping Utah secure a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Cooley broke a tie with a crucial power-play goal late in the second period and also contributed an assist during the game.
Cooley executed a brilliant forehand-to-backhand maneuver in front of the net after receiving a no-look pass from teammate Dylan Guenther, finding the back of the net against goalie Sam Ersson. Additionally, Cooley assisted Juuso Valimaki in scoring his first goal of the season, which was deflected off the stick of Philadelphia captain Sean Couturier before slipping past Ersson.
Goaltender Jaxson Stauber made 20 saves for Utah, while Ersson stopped 21 shots in his return after missing an entire month due to a lower-body injury. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, this loss marked their third consecutive defeat.
Utah struck first when Michael Carcone’s initial shot was saved by Ersson, but the rebound inadvertently redirected off Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen’s skate and into the net. As the game progressed, Kevin Stenlund sealed the game with a short-handed goal in the last minutes, increasing Utah’s lead.
For Philadelphia, Joel Farabee broke out of a 12-game goal drought, and Owen Tippett also contributed to the scoreboard.
Observations from the game reveal that Utah’s goaltending has remained impressive despite starting netminder Connor Ingram being out with an upper-body injury since mid-November. Stauber had previously recorded a shutout against Vegas last week and has stepped up admirably.
On the Flyers’ side, defenseman Jaime Drysdale made his much-anticipated return to the lineup after missing 12 games with an upper-body injury.
A pivotal moment came when Drysdale thought he had tied the game in the third period, but a successful challenge from Utah’s head coach Andre Tourigny overturned the goal. Video evidence revealed that Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny had interfered with Stauber, preventing him from making the save.
Interestingly, Utah has achieved a remarkable goal differential of plus-14 since November 23, the highest in the NHL during that timeframe, with a record of 5-2-1 over their last eight games.
Looking ahead, both teams are set to return to the ice on Tuesday evening, with Utah playing host to Minnesota and Philadelphia traveling to face Columbus.