Postgame Perspective: Rough season on road ends in shootout loss

Saturday's game in Carolina marked the 26th time the Flyers have played in a game that went into overtime. For the 14th time, the Flyers had to face the dreaded shootout. For the 11th time, they lost.

It is a familiar pattern that offers no silver lining – though Nick Cousins first shootout attempt and goal was definitely pretty.

Perhaps the only silver lining here is that this is truly the beginning of the end for the Flyers. A forgettable season is almost over, and the road woes that plagued the Flyers all season are finally complete. It ended, however, in the most fitting fashion.

The Flyers record now sits at 31-29-18. Yes, that is 18 losses in overtime or a shootout. A lot of times throughout the course of the season, an overtime loss – the mere factor of earning one point – is a moral victory. For the Flyers, they have 18 points in the standings that scream "not good enough," or "try harder next time."

Truth be told, in many cases this season, the Flyers losses in overtime and the shootout have been in games where they were lucky to have earned the point.

In most of those situations, it was in large part to Steve Mason's excellent season. So many times Mason has been responsible for keeping the Flyers in games, only to be let down in the extra session.

Ray Emery was in goal on Saturday, and while he recovered from a shaky start – but did struggle in the shootout – he wasn't the reason the Flyers even managed to force the shootout. It was a fortuitous bounce that left Sean Couturier alone in front of the net to score the game-tying goal with 1:50 remaining in the third.

Perhaps the thing that stands out the most when it comes to the Flyers and shootouts is Mason's performance. Mason struggled in shootouts in the beginning of the season as well. He was always the one to make the comment about leaving points on the ice, which will be the ultimate reason the Flyers are in position for a lottery pick instead of looking toward a playoff run.

But Mason spent time evolving his game in shootouts. He worked on a new style, a new approach to shooters, and it worked.

After starting the season 0-4 in shootouts, Mason won two straight before losing the next three. In two of the three shootout losses for Mason, the shootout went into sudden death and the Flyers had chances to win.

Emery is 0-4 in shootouts this season. Rob Zepp has one shootout win for the Flyers, stopping both shootout attempts against him.

Mason has also stopped 22 of 37 shootout attempts. At 60 percent, that doesn't sound very good, but since his first shootout win on January 6, Mason has stopped 15 of 21 attempts in five shootouts.

All this proves is that the Flyers problem in the extra sessions of hockey games is the same as it is in regulation. They don't score enough and they don't have enough scoring talent.

The Flyers have scored 12 total goals in the shootout this season in 53 attempts. Nine of them are by either Jake Voracek and Wayne Simmonds. Claude Giroux is 1-for-12 this season. Couturier is 1-for-8. Cousins has the other goal.

Additionally, Matt Read, Brayden Schenn and Vincent Lecavalier all have multiple attempts without scoring. Scott Laughton is also 0-for-1.

In overtime, Read led a two-on-one with Schenn. The pass across ice to Schenn was not there for Read. Instead of throwing a shot toward Cam Ward, Read waited…and waited…and waited. And time – and space – ran out. 

It is that kind of uncertainty, that lack of simple execution, that has hurt the Flyers all season, whether in regulation, overtime or the shootout.

In addition to the Flyers 3-11 record in shootouts, they have a 5-7 record in games that reach overtime. The last time the Flyers won in overtime or a shootout was on Feb. 20, a shootout win against Nashville. The Flyers have lost seven straight games that have gone beyond regulation.

As the road schedule closed for the Flyers, so too ended a dismal season away from Wells Fargo Center. It was no secret of Mason's abysmal record on the road, 2-13-6, but that was only a small portion of the Flyers overall road record of 10-20-11.

It is now a thing of the past. Four games remain as the Flyers close out the forgettable season on home ice.

Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.