By Michael Bennett
Sean Couturier scored the shootout winner to give the red-hot Flyers their third straight win, 3-2 over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Flyers captain Claude Giroux also scored in the shootout. William Nylander was the only successful Toronto shooter. Phillipe Myers and Oskar Lindblom scored in regulation for the Flyers, and Brian Elliott stopped 38 shots.
Nylander had a goal and an assist, Travis Dermott also scored for Toronto and Frederik Andersen made 30 saves. The Maple Leafs had won a season-high three games.
Toronto also lost star winger Mitch Marner to an ankle injury early in the second period. Marner was hurt after falling awkwardly on his right leg off the second period’s opening faceoff. The 22-year-old struggled to get to the bench and went the locker room. He returned during a television timeout to test his ankle, but once again headed off and was done for the night.
“I don’t know the extent,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock said. “I don’t know if it’s a few days or weeks or whatever. “There’s no sense on dwelling on it.”
Kevin Hayes hit the post in overtime for Philly before Ivan Provorov deked Andersen to the ice, but sent a backhander wide. Toronto got a power play late in the extra period, but Elliott denied Nylander.
Myers and Lindblom gave the Flyers a 2-0 lead in the first period, with Lindblom scoring on a power play. Dermott scored midway through the second, and Nylander tied it early in the third.
“It was a good hockey game up and down the rink,” Babcock said. “We had opportunity, they had opportunity. They got the second point and we didn’t.”
