The Philadelphia Flyers currently lead the National Hockey League in comeback victories this season. On Thursday, the team overcame a 2-0 deficit against the St. Louis Blues, entering the third period down 2-1 before securing their fifth win in games where they trailed during the final period.
In addition to these wins, there have been two other games where the Flyers managed to tie after trailing in the third period but ultimately lost in overtime. In total, Philadelphia has earned 12 points in the standings through third-period comebacks.
Despite this success, concerns remain about the team’s tendency to fall behind early. Consistently having to come from behind can wear down a team over time and is generally not sustainable as seasons progress and comebacks become more difficult across the league.
Flyers forward Noah Cates commented on the team’s mindset following an overtime victory against Minnesota, which he clinched with his game-winning goal: “There’s a lot of belief in our room. We feel that we aren’t out of games, if we have to chip away or if we’re down by a goal. We want to play from ahead, of course, but no one gets down if we have to find different ways,” Cates said.
Thursday’s win also completed a sweep of their two-game season series against St. Louis. In their previous meeting on November 14 at Enterprise Center, Philadelphia overcame deficits of 1-0, 3-1 and 5-3 before winning 6-5 in a shootout.
Looking ahead, the Flyers face a demanding schedule for the rest of November with six games over ten nights. Their next matchup is at home against the New Jersey Devils (13-6-1) on Saturday before embarking on road games in Tampa Bay and Sunrise—where they will finish their season series with defending Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers—followed by stops in Elmont and Newark for another game against New Jersey.
On defense, Emil Andrae has emerged as an important contributor despite being undersized at 5-foot-9. Since earning regular playing time, Andrae has been effective with breakout passes and offensive support while remaining physically engaged on defense.
During Thursday’s contest versus St. Louis, coaches Tocchet and Todd Reirden promoted Andrae into a larger role alongside Jamie Drysdale on Philadelphia’s second defensive pairing from the second period onward; Nick Seeler shifted into Andrae’s usual spot next to Noah Juulsen.
Andrae was instrumental in setting up Tyson Foerster’s game-tying goal by moving laterally along the blue line and delivering an accurate pass for Foerster’s shot from the left circle.
“When you’re playing more, the more confidence you have. I think me and Jamie played great together on the shifts we had. It was fun,” Andrae said.
He also made a critical shot block late in regulation that helped preserve Philadelphia’s chance for victory.
Reflecting on his performance and future goals, Andrae stated: “What I did well (against the Blues) was to get up on the play. I created a lot of offense. I moved the puck quick, but I think overall defense and being a bit stronger on the walls can get better moving forward. Keep building on this,” Andrae said.
