Coming off the emotional excessive of beating Boston, the Flyers had a letdown Sunday night time with a 4-1 loss to the Panthers on the Wells Fargo Middle.
Anthony Stolarz, a 2012 second-round draft choose of the Flyers, was wonderful in web for Florida.
“I believed we performed very well,” head coach John Tortorella mentioned. “Could not rating. Goalie performed very well.”
Bobby Brink had the lone objective for the Flyers (36-27-9). Felix Sandstrom struggled within the staff’s web.
Sam Reinhart scored an empty-netter — his fiftieth objective of the season — to complete off the Flyers.
Tortorella’s membership is 2-3-1 on this seven-game gauntlet in opposition to contenders. The brutal stretch wraps up Tuesday in opposition to the Rangers, who lead the NHL with 47 wins.
The Flyers had a three-game level streak snapped (2-0-1).
The Panthers (46-20-5) had been lacking two of their higher gamers, Aleksander Barkov (undisclosed) and Aaron Ekblad (decrease physique), due to accidents.
The Flyers went 2-1-0 within the three-game regular-season sequence in opposition to Florida. The Flyers’ wins had been 2-1 choices on the street.
Each groups Sunday had been on the second half of a back-to-back set. The Flyers beat the Bruins, 3-2, Saturday afternoon at dwelling, whereas the Panthers performed in New York and misplaced to the Rangers, 4-3, in a shootout. The sport ended at 11:04 p.m. ET. The Flyers had been unable to capitalize on what, at the least in idea, seemed like an advantageous spot.
• Regardless of the loss, the Flyers nonetheless maintain a playoff spot with 10 video games to go.
They have been in third place of the Metropolitan Division for the reason that finish of January. They entered Sunday with an 83.4 % likelihood to make the postseason, in accordance with Hockey-Reference.com’s chances report.
The Capitals are the closest on the Flyers’ tail within the division race. Washington is 2 factors again of the Flyers and has performed two fewer video games. The golf equipment meet April 16 on the Wells Fargo Middle within the regular-season finale for every staff.
“You do not have time to breathe proper now, the playoff race is so tight,” Ryan Poehling mentioned. “We now have so many video games in such a brief quantity of days and that is type of a very good factor, too. We’re enjoying properly, you simply type of neglect about it and transfer on to the following one.”
• Sandstrom, making his third begin of the season, transformed 11 saves on 14 photographs.
After the sport, when requested about Sandstrom, Tortorella shrugged and did not present a solution. Later, through the staff’s vice chairman of hockey communications Joe Siville, Tortorella clarified, saying Sandstrom is “making an attempt his ass off.”
Carter Verhaeghe delivered the backbreaking objective when he motored previous rookie defenseman Adam Ginning and beat Sandstrom with a clear shot 4:43 minutes into the third interval. The 27-year-old backup received a bit of it. The Flyers wanted a save there.
“I would like to have the ability to step up and hold us in it,” Sandstrom mentioned. “I am not too blissful about right now.”
Reinhart opened the scoring within the first interval together with his forty ninth objective of the season. It was a shot Sandstrom might possible cease.
The Flyers weren’t good in protection, both. Florida exited the defensive zone by connecting on a go that an aggressive Sean Couturier tried to intercept. Consequently, the Flyers’ three forwards had been late to get again.
“It was simply a kind of days the place I am like, ‘Why and the way did that occur?'” Sandstrom mentioned. “I’ve simply received to be extra detailed and ensure I in all probability observe them higher. … Not superb objectives to let in.”
Stolarz stopped 32 of the Flyers’ 33 photographs. He performed 19 profession video games for the Flyers earlier than being traded to the Oilers in 2019.
“Stolie performed a very good recreation,” Scott Laughton mentioned. “We had a pair on our stick that in all probability ought to have went within the web, however they did not and that is the outcome.”
The Flyers’ last-ranked energy play went 1 for five. Brink’s objective got here with the Flyers’ web emptied for the 6-on-4 benefit and made it 3-1.
In Half I of a two-part interview, Danny Briere sat down with Ashlyn Sullivan to debate his first 12 months because the Flyers’ basic supervisor.
• The Flyers took expensive penalties on the finish of the primary interval when a scrum ensued following the buzzer. Brink and Cam York had been hit with roughing infractions, whereas Matthew Tkachuk was the one Panther penalized.
Florida pounced on the early energy play alternative as Vladimir Tarasenko blasted dwelling a shot solely 55 seconds into the center stanza. The objective cushioned the Panthers’ result in 2-0.
It is undoubtedly shocking when a staff comes out on the unsuitable finish of penalties from a scrum except it is blatantly apparent one aspect is inflicting extra chaos. Regardless, it was a giant swing in opposition to the Flyers.
Dealing with a two-goal deficit, they performed with extra urgency however had nothing to point out for it at second intermission.
“We will construct off the entire recreation,” Tortorella mentioned. “We performed a very good hockey recreation.”
• The Flyers go to the Rangers on Tuesday for his or her first of two journeys to Madison Sq. Backyard (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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