National Hockey League
Philadelphia 5, Arizona 3
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 11, 2021
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Chris Rooney, Francois St. Laurent
Linesmen: Travis Gawryletz, Trent Knorr
Attendance: 10562

James van Riemsdyk scored two goals to lift the Philadelphia Flyers past the host Arizona Coyotes 5-3 on Saturday.

It was the 30th career multi-goal game for van Riemsdyk.

Claude Giroux, Scott Laughton and Patrick Brown each added one goal for the Flyers, who won their second in a row following a 10-game losing streak. Travis Konecny had two assists.

Flyers goaltender Martin Jones made 29 saves.

Nick Schmaltz had one goal and an assist while Jay Beagle and Lawson Crouse each scored one goal for the struggling Coyotes, who dropped their fifth straight. Cam Dineen added two assists.

Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka stopped 29 shots.

The Flyers went ahead 1-0 at 1:14 of the first period when van Riemsdyk slid the puck under Vejmelka's pads.

Just 39 seconds later, the Coyotes tied the game as Beagle gathered a loose puck and tapped it into the net.

The Flyers came out aggressive in the second and took a 2-1 lead at 5:26 when Laughton scored. Konecny made the initial surge to the net and Laughton then connected.

After Philadelphia turned the puck over in the neutral zone, the Coyotes took advantage and equalized at 10:40 when Schmaltz notched his first goal of the season.

But the Flyers regained the lead 3-2 at 11:21 as Vejmelka was caught out of the net and Brown fired a shot into an empty net.

Philadelphia moved out to a 4-2 lead at 12:34 when van Riemsdyk redirected a shot in front for a power play goal.

The Coyotes had several strong scoring chances in the opening seven minutes of the third with Schmaltz getting the best chance at 6:47. But Jones made a nifty pad save to preserve the two-goal lead.

Philadelphia capitalized when Giroux scored at 7:50 for a 5-2 advantage. It was the 10th goal of the season for Giroux.

Crouse's goal at 11:35 closed the Coyotes within 5-3.

Vejmelka was pulled for an extra skater with 1:37 left but Arizona was unable to score.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Philadelphia   Arizona
James van Riemsdyk 2 Points Nick Schmaltz 2
James van Riemsdyk 2 Goals Nick Schmaltz 1
Travis Konecny 2 Assists Cam Dineen 2
James van Riemsdyk 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Martin Jones .906 Save Percentage Karel Vejmelka .853
Martin Jones 29 Saves Karel Vejmelka 29
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Philadelphia 34 5 1-3 2-2 4 27
Arizona 32 3 0-2 2-3 6 24
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game at home against NY Rangers. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .167 after a win and .190 after a loss.
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against New Jersey. The Flyers have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .412 after a loss.