It goes down as an overtime loss for the Flyers, who fell victim to the NHL's newest form of overtime: 3-on-3. But against the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Flyers earned a small moral victory.
The Flyers 3-2 overtime loss starts them with a point in the standings and a step in the right direction effort-wise.
So in his first test, Dave Hakstol passed. The team that looked lethargic and sloppy against the Devils was actually keeping the Tampa Bay Lightning off their game and playing theirs
"We're not happy about the result but I think we played the way we wanted to," Claude Giroux said. "As the game went on, we got better and more comfortable with how we want to play. I didn't feel we had a stretch in the game where we played poorly. I think we were pretty consistent and that's a good sign."
"I thought we played strong for 60 minutes of hockey," Scott Laughton said. "We had a lot of pressure on their D. More importantly, we played the right way. Everyone bought in."
And look at the goal scorers on both sides. For Tampa Bay, it was not Steven Stamkos. It was not Ondrej Palat. It was not Tyler Johnson. Instead, it was Jason Garrison getting the last laugh.
And on the Flyers side, there was actually some signs that secondary scoring could be better. Matt Read scored the Flyers first goal with assists to Laughton and R.J. Umberger. Brayden Schenn scored the second goal with assists to Umberger and Evgeny Medvedev.
In so many cases last season, the Flyers second power play couldn't even get a scoring opportunity, let alone a goal. It was also a rarity for Read and Umberger to be involved in the scoring. Consider that a step in the right direction.
"They did their job. We had guys chipping in," Hakstol said. "We talked about how we need four lines to be able to play the game the way we want to play, with energy and pace. I thought all four of our lines gave us that tonight."
Perhaps the Flyers biggest flaw was a similar inability to perform in the 1-on-1 battle of a shootout. The Flyers had two shootout attempts in the game, better known as penalty shots. Both Giroux and Laughton did not convert. Both cost the Flyers the second point.
But it is not a point the Flyers left on the ice. It is a point that the Lightning had to earn away from the Flyers and particularly Steve Mason.
Mason was incredible in his debut, making several highlight-reel saves. If the Flyers find themselves in any playoff picture this season, he will be one of, if not the single, primary reason.
It's easy to look and see shades of last season — the late-game loss, the lost point, the struggles on breakaway chances. They were all there.
But as a group, the Flyers played a very sound game at both ends, something the team can build on come Saturday.
"We had an opportunity to get more. Nobody's satisfied in our room," Hakstol said. "Our group doesn't think that way in terms of being satisfied. But it's early. One of the biggest things for us is to make sure we know the positives. Learn from a couple of things that didn't go right. But in terms of a foundation, that's a good foundation."
It might look the same as the season openers of the previous three season, all losses for the Flyers. But the effort that was there has the Flyers poised to win more games. That's the silver lining to Thursday's opener.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
