National Hockey League
Philadelphia 3, Winnipeg 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 7, 2015
Where: MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Referees: Steve Kozari, Rob Martell
Linesmen: Bryan Pancich, Tony Sericolo
Attendance: 15294

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth continues to make the case that he is worthy of a heftier workload.

Neuvirth posted his third shutout of the season, and Philadelphia's power play finally clicked as the visiting Flyers dumped the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 before a packed house at the MTS Centre on Saturday night.

Neuvirth blocked 28 shots as the Flyers (5-6-3) halted a six-game losing streak and capped a five-game road swing (1-3-1) with a gritty victory.

All three of Neuvirth's victories this season have come by way of the shutout. He's split the 14 starts evenly with fellow puck-stopper Steve Mason, and has a sparkling .945 save percentage and a skimpy 1.81 goals-against average.

"I'm just going day by day, working hard every day," said Neuvirth, when asked if he's anticipating being called on for more starts. "I feel good up there and focusing on myself and not worrying about the other things."

The Flyers held their opponents to fewer than 30 shots for the first time this season, a fact not lost on the Czech-born goalie afterward.

"Toward the end I had a lot more energy than the games before," Neuvirth said. "You know I think they had 12 shots in the first, but after that we just played great hockey on the road. The first two periods I was seeing the puck well. I was finding the traffic pretty good. In the third, I got lucky a couple of times. But you know I was missing the luck the last games, so I got it tonight."

Flyers center Brayden Schenn fired a power play goal in the first period -- his fifth goal of the season and the club's first with the man advantage in eight games.

Right winger Wayne Simmonds scored just his second goal of the season at 9:44 of the third period, flipping in a rebound past goalie Ondrej Pavelec with the Flyers again on the power play to provide some insurance.

Right winger Matt Read scored his third goal of the season into an empty net with 1:35 left in the final frame.

Pavelec made 20 saves for the Jets (8-5-2), one of the NHL's highest-scoring squads. It's the first time they've been blanked this season.

Simmonds heaped plenty of the credit on the man between the pipes for the Flyers.

"I think we played a solid game. It started with our goaltender. Neuvy played a heck of a game. I thought we played strong in front of him," Simmonds said. "We kept it simple and we put a couple in the net tonight.

"We've been struggling to score goals and both our goalies have been playing awesome every time they play. I think that's Neuvy's third shutout. He's been lights out for us and I think it was only right tonight that we rewarded him with a win."

Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol was asked if he feels like Neuvirth has earned the label as the No. 1 netminder.

"I don't really think in that way," he said. "We've got two good goaltenders. I think I said that about six weeks ago. We've got great confidence in them.

"(Neuvirth) was seeing the puck very well. He did a good job for his teammates, and his teammates did a good job in front of him. It's got to be that two-way street."

Philadelphia had come up dry on 16 straight chances with the man advantage before Jets left winger Alex Burmistrov took a tripping penalty and right winger Jakub Voracek and center Claude Giroux worked the puck around to Schenn. He snapped a shot from the top of the circle that beat Pavelec to the far side.

In the third period, Simmonds, stationed in front of Pavelec, swatted in a bouncing pack after the Jets goalie made a sensational, sliding save without the use of his stick. It was snared in the top mesh of the net after a wild scramble in front.

Giroux assisted on both power play goals.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice wasn't at all pleased with his club's performance.

"It's a little hard to tell how hot (Neuvirth) was," Maurice said. "We just didn't execute offensively. What we did with the puck, we just weren't real sharp with it. We had a hard time getting a handle on it, getting it off quick. (We) put a lot into his glove early, I thought, (and) not a lot of empty-net chances or back-door chances in that game."

NOTES: C Patrice Cormier and D Paul Postma were inserted into the Winnipeg lineup for the first time this season. C Andrew Copp (upper body) and C Nic Petan (illness) were sidelined, while D Ben Chiarot and D Adam Pardy were healthy scratches. ... C Vincent Lecavalier was a healthy scratch for Philadelphia, while C Sam Gagner returned. Flyers D Evgeny Medvedev (upper body) remains day to day. ... Jets D Toby Enstrom had just one point, an assist, in the club's first 12 games but chipped in three helpers the last two games prior to Saturday. ... Philadelphia first-year bench boss Dave Hakstol coached 11 seasons at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, about 145 miles south of Winnipeg, posting a flashy 271-131-40 record and seven appearances in the NCAA Frozen Four championship.
Top Game Performances
 
Philadelphia   Winnipeg
Claude Giroux 2 Points N/A
Matt Read 1 Goals N/A
Claude Giroux 2 Assists N/A
Brayden Schenn 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Michal Neuvirth 1.000 Save Percentage Ondrej Pavelec .909
Michal Neuvirth 28 Saves Ondrej Pavelec 20
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Philadelphia 23 3 2-5 5-5 17 28
Winnipeg 28 0 0-5 3-5 17 29
Upcoming Games
  • Winnipeg will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Jets have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Colorado. The Flyers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .300 after a loss.