Missed Opportunities Cost Flyers in Loss to Senators

(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Two minutes separated the Flyers from a second straight win in regulation. Two minutes from another all-around solid performance from Steve Mason. Two minutes from a hard-fought win where sloppy play and tight checking dominated the play.

Kyle Turris ended all of that with a wraparound goal. The game was tied and the Flyers never really recovered.

A 3-2 shootout loss to an upstart Ottawa Senators team, now with 10 wins, is not a bad result on paper. But when you consider how close the Flyers were to the outright win in regulation, this one hurts, and it appeared to hit Steve Mason the hardest. Mason did not stick around postgame for any remarks to the media and left quickly after the game.

The game hardly falls on Mason's shoulders. Sure, he looked bad on Turris' tying goal, getting caught watching instead of adjusting to the position of the puck carrier. That said, after making 25 saves and four more in the shootout, the Flyers had ample opportunities to make Mason's one error a non-factor.

The Flyers were 0-for-4 on the power play, including three that occurred in the third period. The Flyers also had five chances to solve Craig Anderson in the shootout before Erik Karlsson's deciding goal. They couldn't do it.

Those missed opportunities to extend a lead are what did the Flyers in. They were playing a game of survival late in the third period. With the tying goal, Ottawa grabbed momentum and nearly ended things in an overtime they controlled.

"While it’s a lead, we have to do a better job extending the lead in the third period," head coach Dave Hakstol said. "We played a pretty good hockey game, but whether it’s extending the five on five or on the power play opportunities, we have to do a better job and have to work to extend that lead."

"I think in the third we sat back a little bit. I think when we do that teams are going to come at us and take it to us," Nick Cousins said. "It is a learning experience for us. We have to be better in the third. We have to push back rather than sit back, instead of being afraid to make a mistake."

There was plenty to like about the Flyers performance. They played so well throughout the game collectively. They really held the two points in their hands only to have one slip away. It hasn't been something that could be said much this season, but the Flyers lost a point in Tuesday's loss.

The Flyers are obviously a team on the rise that will have to overcome the growing pains that come with that role. That said, losses like this hurt, providing another lesson for a growing team.

"It felt like we played a pretty good hockey game," Hakstol said, "but like I said we got to keep growing because that’s a game while we have it in hand, we got to do a little bit more and we have to push that so that one play doesn’t tie it up late in the hockey game."