Flyers grab control early with pair of 1st-period markers to crunch Canucks | CBC Sports

All the goals came early in the first period.

Flyer goaltender Martin Jones, a Vancouver native, stopped 27 shots.

Vancouver goaltender Jaroslav Halak stopped 26 shots.

WATCH | Flyers edge Canucks on 1st-period flurry:

Couturier helps Flyers get past Canucks

Philadelphia edges Vancouver 2-1, Sean Couturier scores and records the primary assist on the game-winning goal. 0:56

The Canucks had a chance with 1:20 remaining when Flyer defenceman Ivan Provoro was called for tripping. With Halak pulled, Vancouver had a six-on-four advantage and managed two shots but couldn’t score.

The Flyers, who had played the night before in Edmonton, showed more speed and controlled the puck early but the Canucks took over the play as the game progressed.

The night got off to a fast start with the teams scoring three goals in the first seven minutes, two of them 1:53 apart.

Fast start

Philadelphia took advantage of a bad Vancouver pinch to score just 22 seconds into the first. Travis Konency got behind the Canuck defence and passed to Couturier who beat Halak on the far side.

Hughes tied the game at 2:15 with a shot from the blue line that looked to hit a Flyers defenceman and deflect past Jones.

Philadelphia took the lead again at 6:58, needing just 10 seconds to take advantage of Hughes being called for interference.

Giroux made a nice play, banking the puck off the back boards. Couturier picked up the puck and passed to van Riemsdyk, who scored into an open net.

The Canucks outshot the Flyers 16-5 in the second period but couldn’t find the back of the net. Juho Lammikko had one of the best Vancouver chances after Jones stopped a shot. The rebound went to Lammikko on the doorstep. He got the shot away, but Jones made the save.

Soon after Halak stopped Couturier who had a good scoring chance on a Philadelphia power play.