Flyers record second straight blowout victory
PHILADELPHIA -- Claude Giroux, Valtteri Filppula and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere each recorded a goal and an assist in the Philadelphia Flyers' 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Michael Neuvirth stopped 40 shots to earn his first win of the season for Philadelphia.
It was the second straight lopsided victory for the Flyers (4-2-0), who beat the Washington Capitals 8-2 in their home opener Saturday night.
Sean Couturier and Dale Weise also scored for the Flyers, who saw rookie defenseman Robert Hagg pick up his first NHL point with an assist on Gostisbehere's first goal of the season.
Jamie McGinn netted a power-play goal for the Panthers (2-3-0), foiling Neuvirth's bid for a shutout with his first goal of the season with 3:50 remaining.
Goaltender Roberto Luongo (1-2-1) took the loss and remains tied with Curtis Joseph for fourth on the NHL's all-time wins list with 454, behind only Martin Brodeur (691), Patrick Roy (551) and Ed Belfour (484). Luongo (34 saves) has also lost more games (367) than every goaltender in NHL history except Brodeur (397).
The Panthers scored three or more goals in each of their previous four games this season and entered the game averaging a league-high 42 shots. They managed 41 shots against the Flyers, but were outshot 15-12 in the second period, when the Flyers scored four goals.
Couturier and Giroux each netted their fourth goal of the season in the second period. They did not score their fourth goals of last season until Nov. 8.
Neuvirth's biggest save came 7:07 into the second period with the Flyers leading 1-0. On a 2-on-1, the Panthers' Jonathan Huberdeau fed Radim Vrbata in the right hash marks, but Neuvirth (1-1-0) slid across his crease to deny Vrbata of his first goal.
The Flyers took a 2-0 lead less than 30 seconds later when Gostisbehere worked a perfect give-and-go with Wayne Simmonds for his first goal. Giroux made it 3-0 with a power-play goal, and Weise completed the second-period dominance with his first goal of the season on a slick between-the-legs feed from rookie center Nolan Patrick.
NOTES: Florida RW Owen Tippett, no relation to former Arizona Coyotes coach Dave Tippett, made his NHL debut on a third line with C Jared McCann and LW Jamie McGinn. ... D Travis Sanheim and C Jori Lehtera were healthy scratches for the Flyers. Cs Colton Sceviour and MacKenzie Weegar, and D Denis Malgin were healthy scratches for Florida. ... The Flyers continue their five-game homestand Thursday night against the Nashville Predators, followed by home games Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers and Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks. ... The Panthers, who lost to the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Saturday, return home to face the Penguins on Friday, then hit the road for games in Washington on Saturday and Montreal on Tuesday.