In an effort to break a three-game losing streak, the Flyers managed to give themselves life with a furious third-period rally that had Wells Fargo Center buzzing.
It all went for naught as the Ottawa Senators strategically played the overtime to get the game to a shootout and finally defeated the Flyers in the sixth round of the skills competition.
Let's hit it with our Postgame Review.
Postgame Points
- Missing the Moose - If there was anything that stood out about this game, it was the story within the box score. Alex Lyon got a second straight start, certainly a little unusual considering the Flyers had Michal Neuvirth supposedly healthy and ready to go. Perhaps they just wanted another look at Lyon.
Whatever the reason, it screamed that Neuvirth was in Dave Hakstol's doghouse and Lyon didn't fare well in this game. He looked shaky. His rebound control was terrible. He was frantic. The signs were there that this was going to be a rough one for Lyon one way or another.
What it really showed is how much the team misses Brian Elliott right now. Elliott was the stability within the net for the last few months and he needs to be moving forward too. Neuvirth isn't going to carry this team to success in the final two months and Lyon is just not ready for the NHL level just yet, maybe good in a pinch, but not for anything long-term.
Ultimately, the Flyers need to get Elliott back and soon if they want to keep up in the standings.
- Special Teams - This was a game that featured two teams that don't have very good special teams rankings. And it showed.
While the Senators penalty kill certainly didn't look bad, the Flyers power play was awful. The Flyers penalty kill remained too passive and survived more than killed off the penalties they took.
Games can be won and lost in the special teams battle. The Flyers may have found a way to tie the game late, but they could have made much easier work of the hole they were in with just one successful power play and they struggled to even generate chances.
- Nolan Patrick - If there was any player in the game that deserved a goal in this game, it was Nolan Patrick. And the rookie delivered in the clutch.
Patrick's goal with 2.6 seconds left in regulation sent Wells Fargo Center into bedlam and Patrick's reaction was refreshing. You know what's nice? When a 19-year-old kid who just scored the biggest goal of his life in an NHL game to tie the game with under five seconds to play, go ahead and celebrate. Patrick and the rest of the Flyers went just as crazy as the crowd and that's the competitive fire that needs to come out in this team.
More than just Patrick's goal were the chances he had leading up to it. He was stopped point-blank from the slot. He rifled a shot off the post. He had a chance elude his stick from the slot earlier in the period. He had been around the net all game, so why not get one with time winding down?
If nothing else, Patrick is getting time on the ice in big moments. He essentially stepped in for Wayne Simmonds in the final 10 seconds of regulation because Simmonds took a penalty. He got an attempt in the shootout. He's getting the opportunity he needs to get and his confidence is starting to get there. The points will get there too with even more time.
- Shootouts - We're back to this. The Flyers are 0-4 this season in shootouts.
On one hand, it's nice for the Flyers to have played so many games this season without seeing the shootout. Four shootouts in 52 games, that's a much lower percentage than it used to be.
On the other, the Flyers still don't have any skill in the skills competition. I don't think Craig Anderson broke a sweat in the shootout. Meanwhile, Neuvirth stands on his head, makes three saves, has two more shots miss the net and finally gives one up in the sixth round.
If that's supposed to generate excitement for the game, please enlighten me. Because the longer the shootout went on, it only delayed the inevitable and became boring.
- Salvaging Points - No question Patrick's tying goal late helped the Flyers secure a big point in the standings. At this point, any points they can get are good ones just because the last three games had gone so poorly.
But the result is still the result. It's not about salvaging points, it's about working harder to avoid having to play catch up and rally as they did to even get a point at all.
When you consider the opponent, it doesn't get any better. If the Flyers had done this against Washington or Tampa Bay, you kind of understand that those teams are on a different playing field. But Ottawa? This is a team that is so far down the standings, selling is already in their future this month when there is so much parity in the league to begin with. The Flyers needed a better start than they had. What they got was a decent first five to 10 minutes and then slept through the remainder of the period.
That's the wrong approach for a team that has done nothing but talk about playoffs and with four straight losses may not be in the picture much longer.
Quotable
"It’s the way they play and we gave those opportunities away instead of you know just live to fight another day. Put it deep and get on the forecheck, but I think we responded well in the second and third period. We adjusted and that’s what we need, like I said we need to play a better 60-minute effort." – Flyers forward Sean Couturier
"I don’t think we played our game in the first period. We were kind of sitting back a little bit watching what is going to happen and second and third was better." – Flyers forward Claude Giroux
Play of the Game
The reason the Flyers got a point. Nolan Patrick gets the game-tying goal with 2.6 seconds remaining.
By the Numbers
What a third period the Flyers had. They outshot the Senators, 16-3, and led in shot attempts at even strength, 35-3. That's a CF% of 92.11. Those numbers are insane. But throughout the game, the Flyers were on the plus side of shot attempts. They trailed, 22-21, in the second period at even strength, but otherwise, led the entire way throughout the game.
