Friday Forecheck: The Comeback Kids

The Philadelphia Flyers lead the NHL in comeback wins so far this season. After the Flyers overcame a 2-0 deficit against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday -- 2-1 entering the third period -- Philly now has five wins in games they trailed in the third period.

Additionally, there have been two other games in which the Flyers trailed in the third period and managed to come away with a regulation tie before losing in sudden death. All totaled, Philly has gained 12 standings points via comebacks in the third period.

In the big picture, Philly needs to get off to better starts more consistently. Chasing games too often is a recipe to wear down a team. Additionally, comebacks leaguewide become tougher to pull off as the season moves along.

Nevertheless, there is something to be said, too, about resilience. Noah Cates said it best after the Flyers pulled out an overtime win against Minnesota on Cates' game-winner.

"There's a lot of belief in our room. We feel that we aren't out of games, if we have to chip away or if we're down by a goal. We want to play from ahead, of course, but no one gets down if we have to find different ways," Cates said.

Thursday's win over the Blues clinched a sweep of the two game season series between Philly and St. Louis. On Nov. 14, the Flyers overcame deficits of 1-0, 3-1 and 5-3 to skate off with a 6-5 (1-0) shootout win at Enterprise Center.

The Flyers face a grueling challenge for the remainder of November. Thursday's game marked the start of a stretch of six games in 10 nights. After hosting the New Jersey Devils (13-6-1) on Saturday, the Flyers have road games in Tampa, Sunrise (final season series game with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers), Elmont, and then a rematch with the Devils in Newark on Nov. 29.

Andrae The Giant

Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae may only stand 5-foot-9, but he's stood tall for the team since getting the opportunity to play regularly. He's made excellent breakout passes, has started to jump into the play up ice, and has shown good anticipation. He's always been fearless in his willingness to engage physically despite his lack of size.

In Thursday's game against the Blues, Tocchet and assistant coach Todd Reirden gave Andrae the opportunity to move up in the rotation. From the second period onward, Andrae skated with Jamie Drysdale on Philly's second pairing. Nick Seeler rotated into Andrae's customary spot as Noah Juulsen's partner.

Andrae delivered. He played a crucial role in setting up Tyson Foerster for the game-tying goal. Andrae moved laterally across the blueline and teed up a feathery pass for Foerstep to blast into the net from the left circle.

"When you're playing more, the more confidence you have. I think me and Jamie played great together on the shifts we had. It was fun," Andrae said.

Andrae also made a game-saving shot block in the third period. The Flyers would have lost in regulation had Andrae not scrambled to prevent a goal.

In the meantime, the Swedish blueliner still sees room to improve his game and gain more overall ice time moving forward.

"What I did well (against the Blues) was to get up on the play. I created a lot of offense. I moved the puck quick, but I think overall defense and being a bit stronger on the walls can get better moving forward. Keep building on this," Andrae said.