It was a game the Flyers said they had circled on their calendar for a long time. But when it came time to play, the Flyers looked anything but energetic.
The Detroit Red Wings silenced the Flyers all night and scored two opportunistic goals to claim a 3-0 win over the Flyers on Wednesday night
A very strategic first period started slow and featured a lot of neutral zone play. One mistake had the Flyers trailing.
Shayne Gostisbehere was tied up going after a puck in the corner and threw it toward the goal. Darren Helm beat everyone else there and was able to shoot it over Steve Mason to give the Red Wings the lead at 7:57.
The Flyers managed just six shots in the first, trailing in that department, 9-6.
In the second, the Flyers had a chance to get back in the game with a power play, but a failed keep by Jake Voracek sent Andreas Athanasiou the other way with a shorthanded breakaway and he made the Flyers pay, scoring his eighth goal of the season to make it a two-goal game.
The Flyers could not close the gap any during the second, which meant a frantic third-period rally was needed.
But when it counted, the Red Wings played the hungrier game and the Flyers never generated much of anything. The Flyers took nine shots in the third, none that truly tested Jimmy Howard, who stopped all 27 for the shutout win.
The Flyers missed out on a chance to gain points that would have put them in prime position to clinch as soon as Thursday. That opportunity is gone now with the regulation loss.
The Flyers are back in action on Thursday night when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs. The opening faceoff will come after the annual team awards, set to start at 7 p.m.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
| Flyers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red Wings | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Scoring Summary
| 1st Period | |||
| DET | Darren Helm (13) | Unassisted | 7:57 |
| 2nd Period | |||
| DET | Andreas Athanasiou (8) SH | Unassisted | 3:15 |
| 3rd Period | |||
| DET | Kyle Quincey (4) EN | Jimmy Howard | 18:17 |
Penalty Summary
| 1st Period | |||
| PHI | Jake Voracek | 2:00 Tripping | 11:30 |
| DET | Tomas Jurco | 2:00 Tripping | 16:32 |
| PHI | Claude Giroux | 2:00 Roughing | 19:34 |
| DET | Justin Abdelkader | 2:00 Roughing | 19:34 |
| 2nd Period | |||
| DET | Justin Abdelkader | 2:00 Interference | 2:06 |
| PHI | Radko Gudas | 2:00 Slashing | 7:28 |
| DET | Pavel Datsyuk | 2:00 Tripping | 12:13 |
| PHI | Michael Raffl | 2:00 Slashing | 17:54 |
| 3rd Period | |||
| DET | Danny Dekeyser | 2:00 High-Sticking | 8:06 |
| PHI | Wayne Simmonds | 2:00 Roughing | 10:45 |
| DET | Danny Dekeyser | 2:00 Roughing | 10:45 |
| PHI | Michael Raffl | 2:00 Roughing | 14:45 |
| PHI | Wayne Simmonds | 2:00 Elbowing | 14:45 |
| DET | Justin Abdelkader | 2:00 Holding | 14:45 |
Game Statistics
| Flyers | Red Wings | |
| Shots | 30 | 26 |
| Power Plays | 0/4 | 0/4 |
| Hits | 23 | 29 |
| Faceoff % | 59% | 41% |
| Giveaways | 3 | 8 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 1 |
| Blocked Shots | 10 | 21 |
| Penalty Minutes | 14 | 14 |
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
