PHILADELPHIA — Bobby Brink scored his first two NHL goals, Sean Couturier, Owen Tippett, Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim each added one and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Minnesota Wild 6-2 on Thursday night.
Carter Hart made 26 saves while Cam Atkinson had three assists for Philadelphia (4-2-1).
“Everyone in here loves each other and that's led to our success,” Brink said. “We have a really tight group.”
Dakota Mermis and Marcus Foligno scored for Minnesota (3-3-1) while Filip Gustavsson had 29 saves on the first stop of the Wild's four-day, three-city trip to the East Coast. The Wild have allowed 31 goals in seven games — including four straight of four goals or more.
“We're not trending in the right direction," Wild head coach Dean Evason said.
Brink — the 22-year-old rookie who grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota — has been part of the early stages of Philadelphia's rebuilding efforts. Skating on the third line with Joel Farabee and another Minnesota native - Noah Cates - Brink has made an immediate impression on Flyers head coach John Tortorella.
“Growing up and watching the Wild and scoring the first goal — it's pretty cool,” Brink said.
When asked how long he's been thinking about that moment of his first goal, Brink didn't blink. “About 22 years now."
Brink's dad Andy skated at the U of M and Bobby all but grew up with a stick in his hands. He helped Minnetonka win a state high school title in 2017-18, skated juniors in Sioux City, Iowa and then at the collegiate level with the University of Denver. He was drafted in the second round of the NHL Draft in 2019, picked 34th overall.
Philadelphia entered Thursday night with a 1 for 20 mark on the power play — the worst in the NHL through the season's first two-plus weeks. On Thursday, they went 2 for 3 with both goals coming midway through the second period to break the game open.
First, Couturier slid a loose puck in front past Gustavsson's extended left pad for his second goal after missing the entire 2022-23 season with two back surgeries. Brink - who missed a lot of time last season with hip surgery - followed less than three minutes later with his first NHL goal off a loose puck that bounced off an official's skate in front of the Minnesota net.
“As much as he knows and we know how well he's played, scorers want the goals” Tortorella said. “And I'm really happy for him.”
The Wild mounted pressure in the third with two quick goals in the first 4:30 of the period, highlighted by Foligno's conversion of Marcus Johansson's pass past the sprawled Hart.
The momentum was snuffed out two minutes later when Atkinson forced a steal at the defensive blue line and passed to Tippett on a breakaway. Brink followed with his second goal on a pass from Farabee four minutes later.
“We can't turn the puck over, but we were pushing and pushing in a one-goal game,” Evason said. “But we have to protect the puck and get it down low where we were having success.”
UP NEXT:
Wild: Travel to Washington on Friday night.
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