Flyers flatten Jets 4-0
WINNIPEG -- Knowing it was their final game before the NHL all-star break, the Philadelphia Flyers went all out against the Winnipeg Jets.
Forward Noah Cates scored a goal and an assist to help the Flyers blank the Jets 4-0 on Saturday night.
"Going into the break, you just empty the tank and you're not too worried about how you're going to feel for the next game," said Cates, who scored the first goal of the game.
"We're feeling good about ourselves going into the break with a win. We've had a really good month here in January and we've got a couple of more big months coming down the stretch."
Carter Hart made 40 saves to earn his first shutout of the year for Philadelphia (21-21-9), which is 7-1-1 in its last nine road games.
"It's great," Cates said. "He's probably been one of our best players, one of our most consistent players all year. He's been holding us in games and for him to be rewarded with a shutout is big."
Kieffer Bellows, Owen Tippett and Tony DeAngelo also scored for Philadelphia. Rasmus Ristolainen had two assists.
It was the fourth shutout of Hart's NHL career.
"It's obviously nice," Hart said. "There were a lot of big blocks, a lot of good sticks in lanes. They do a lot of seam passes and we did a good job of denying that."
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 26-of-30 shots for Winnipeg (31-19-1) -- which lost its third straight game -- before being relieved by David Rittich before 14,476 fans at Canada Life
Centre. Rittich made three saves in relief.
Many of the fans booed the hometown team and Jets coach Rick Bowness didn't blame them.
"This group knows how to win," Bowness said. "There is a price to pay in this league. You have to work, you have to compete, and you have to do it every night. As the season progresses, it gets harder.
"Right now, you're seeing what we're seeing. As soon as there is a little adversity -- we handled it well early in the year -- we're not handling it well right now. The difference-makers, you can't even find them out there. Until we make that commitment again to play as a team and we want to win, this is what you get."
Bowness was so frustrated that he called a timeout with 7:06 left in the second period with the Flyers up 2-0.
"(Adam Lowry's) line was the best line out there, by far," Bowness said. "We didn't have enough guys going to follow it up. We had some guys that clearly didn't want to play tonight. You can't get momentum. You can get momentum when those guys go out there, but the next guys have to go out and have the same attitude. We didn't."
The Jets are now 17-8-0 at home.
"We will use tomorrow to rest, watch some shifts and see where we can improve," Lowry said. "It feels like the sky is falling a bit, but we're still in a good spot.
"We can win this game against St. Louis on Monday, and going into the break, use those rest days and come back really refreshed. Obviously, we're disappointed with the effort, disappointed with the outcome. Three games in a row that we've kind of let slip away. You're going to want to stop this slide as soon as we can."
DeAngelo scored on setup from Scott Laughton at 6:48 of the third period, which chased Hellebuyck from the net. Tippett scored on a breakaway while Bellows scored his first of the year in the second.
NOTES
Winnipeg defenceman Dylan DeMelo missed the game with a lower-body injury. He is not expected to return until after the all-star break. Veteran winger Sam Gagner returned to the lineup, replacing Axel Jonsson-Fjalby (healthy scratch). Philadelphia forward Wade Allison (lower body injury) did not play after the Carman, Man., native blocked a shot in the overtime loss to the Wild in Minnesota on Thursday. Philly was also without forward Zach MacEwen (upper-body). Flyers centre Kevin Hayes was riding a four-game points streak heading into the game. The former Jet has scored 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in his last 13 games and will be Philadelphia's rep at the all-star game.
UP NEXT
Jets: Will host the St. Louis Blues on Monday.
Flyers: Will host the New York Islanders on Monday, Feb. 6.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.