Frost Scores in Debut, but Flyers Struggle in Loss to Panthers

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

With a goal by Travis Sanheim to open the scoring in Florida, the Flyers had scored the first goal of the game in seven of the last eight games. It hasn't helped to make the results better lately.

The Flyers carried a three-game losing streak into Florida and started off on a good note with Sanheim's goal, but the Panthers started coming in waves and opened up a 2-1 lead after the first and a 4-2 lead after the second.

Morgan Frost made his NHL debut and scored his first NHL goal, but the Flyers still fell far short of the Panthers in a 5-2 loss on Tuesday night.

The Flyers opened the scoring at 6:26. Sanheim jumped on a loose puck and fired a blast that found the net off the stick of Sergei Bobrovsky to make it 1-0 Flyers.

The Panthers grabbed the equalizer with a shot from a similar distance. Colton Sceviour threw one on goal from a distance and it hit the stick of Andy Andreoff and beat Carter Hart. 

Just 1:52 later, Brett Connolly fired a shot from a sharp angle that hit off the side of the mask of Hart and went into the net to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead.

Florida kept coming in waves in the second period and it led to two more goals in short order. Off a neutral-zone turnover, Evgenii Dadonov got a shot on goal that Hart stopped, but a big rebound went out to Aleksander Barkov, who roofed it over Hart to make it 3-1. 

Less than four minutes later, Jonathan Huberdeau fired one home from the slot to make it 4-1, ending Hart's night. Hart finished with 14 saves on 18 shots.

The Flyers did get one goal back at 14:20. In his first NHL game, Frost got on the board, making a nice move from behind the goal line, cutting in front and lifting a backhand over Bobrovsky to make it 4-2.

The Flyers had to go on the penalty kill for four minutes late in the second and to start the third period after Phil Myers was called for a four-minute high-sticking penalty. 

The Flyers outshot the Panthers, 14-5, in the third period, but Bobrovsky settled in and held the Flyers at bay for the rest of the game. Mike Hoffman sealed the game for the Panthers with an empty-net goal late in the third.

Brian Elliott made seven saves in relief of Hart. Bobrovsky made 35 saves on 37 shots.

The Flyers get back on the ice on Thursday to face the Carolina Hurricanes. Game time is 7 p.m.

Box Score

Scoring Summary

1st Period

• PHI Travis Sanheim (2) (Phil Myers, Kevin Hayes) 6:26
• FLA Colton Sceviour (2) (Mike Matheson, Brett Connolly) 10:38
• FLA Connolly (8) (Vincent Trocheck) 12:30

2nd Period

• FLA Aleksander Barkov (7) (Evgenii Dadonov, Josh Brown) 6:46
• FLA Jonathan Huberdeau (10) (Barkov, Dadonov) 10:23
• PHI Morgan Frost (1) (Travis Konecny) 14:20

3rd Period

• FLA Mike Hoffman (9) EN (Unassisted) 17:28

Game Statistics