Philadelphia Flyers
5 Observations: Great 8 Sends Stunned Flyers to 8th Straight Loss
The Philadelphia Flyers’ losing streak grew to eight games in excruciating fashion Wednesday night at Capital One Arena.
Alex Ovechkin scored on a left-circle, one-timer with 3:56 left in overtime, giving the Washington Capitals a 3-2 comeback win.
It was his 25th OT goal in Ovechkin’s career, tops in NHL history.
A short time before he scored his 790th career goal, Ovechkin put a shot off the post in the Capitals-dominated overtime.
Washington tied it at 2-2 when Sonny Milano finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play with 2:58 left in regulation. The play may have been offside, but the Flyers did not challenge — probably because they would have been penalized if the play was ruled onside.
The Flyers are 7-8-5. Two games earlier, Montreal tied them at 4-4 with 1.9 seconds left. The Flyers lost that game in a shootout, 5-4.
Yes, it’s been a painful skid for the injury-ravaged Flyers.
Washington (8-10-3), which got star winger T.J. Oshie (two assists) back in its lineup for the first time since Oct. 29, ended a four-game losing streak.
Here are five quick observations:
1. Felix Sandstrom stepped up his game.
Playing for the first time since a 5-1 loss to Dallas on Nov. 13, Sandstrom was the Flyers’ best player. He turned aside 29 of 32 shots, and was especially effective in the second period, keeping the Caps off the board in that stanza, one in which they outshot the Flyers, 15-5.
2. The Flyers were getting soundly outplayed when they took the lead.
Washington had a 13-3 shots domination and kept the Flyers hemmed in their defensive zone when, out nowhere, Ivan Provorov’s bad-angle, backhand shot deflected off Patrick Brown and into the net. That gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead with 5:27 to go in the second.
It was Brown’s first goal in four games since he returned to the lineup.
Pucks on net and a good thing happened. #PHIvsWSH | #FueledByPhilly pic.twitter.com/Cl9L4A3xYT
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 24, 2022
3. With a little help, Morgan Frost ended a long goal-less streak.
Frost’s innocent-looking shot from above the left circle was butchered by goalie Darcy Kuemper. The shot hit off his shoulder and fluttered into the net, giving the Philadelphia Flyers a 1-0 lead with 14:33 left in the first.
It was Frost’s first goal in 19 games; he hadn’t turned on the red light since the opener, when he tallied twice (one on an empty-net goal) against New Jersey.
Too chill to handle. ❄️🥶#PHIvsWSH | @_morganfrost_10 pic.twitter.com/ouihOrPAbo
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 24, 2022
4. The Caps’ sputtering power play awakened against the Flyers.
Entering the night, Washington had been 1 for 26 on the power play over its last six games.
But the Caps cashed in on their first opportunity Wednesday.
Marcus Johansson scored to knot the score at 1, but after a review, the goal was erased because he used a kicking motion to put the puck in the net.
No matter.
Just 22 seconds later, Johansson scored from the doorstep to make it 1-1 with 8:55 to go in the first. Ovechkin, who was originally credited with the goal, had the primary assist.
5. Philly did some lineup tinkering, and the fourth line excelled.
Jackson Cates replaced Max Willman as the third-line left winger, and Kevin Hayes and Noah Cates (Jackson’s brother) switched positions on the second line. Hayes went back to center, and Noah Cates shifted to left wing.
Hayes appeared to injure his shoulder when hit by Ovechkin in the opening period. He came off the ice, but returned a short time later.
With the game tied at 2-2, Jackson Cates hit the post with about two minutes left in regulation. He was playing his first game since being recalled from the Phantoms.
As for the fourth line, it was relentless and was arguably the Flyers’ best unit. The line — Lukas Sedlak centering Nick Deslauriers and Kieffer Bellows — created numerous scoring chances.
Bellows had his best game as a Flyer. He had eight shot attempts (five on goal) and delivered three hits. Sedlak set up several opportunities, and Deslauriers had an assist and seven hits.
With the Flyers holding a 1-0 lead early in the first, Deslauriers fired a shot off the post.
Breakaways
The Flyers have lost all five games that have gone beyond 60 minutes. … Carter Hart had started four in a row and six of the previous seven games. During those six starts, he allowed 23 goals (3.83 goals per game). … On the power play, Philly was 0 for 4, and Washington was 1 for 3. … Hayes had his six-game points streak snapped. … Sedlak got a bloody nose after checked into the glass by Oshie in the opening period. … The Flyers host Pittsburgh on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Getting ready to call it a day on this team Sam. That loser mentality had crept back in again. They are way to passive on the PK. Way to passive in OT. I hate the fact that these losses are happening like they are. If they are going to lose just get blown out 8-0. Tired of turning every opposing team into 3rd period and OT heroes. I also hate Ovechkin. That jackass is a major putin supporter and almost no one calls him out on it. He is made me an even bigger Connor Mcdavid fan. Hopefully McDavid can pass him on every level.
Chuck Fletcher has been less then steller but I still blame Hextall for this mess. This team is the perfect example of not having a balance between the eye test and analytics. Most of Hextall’s draft picks are turds.
You can’t give Fletcher a pass on his draft picks. Goal Caufield could be wearing orange and black instead of Cam York. York is an average AHLer at this point and will probably continue that mediocrity throughout his career.
Not giving him a pass. He has made some horrible choices since takeing over. Cole Caufield didn’t look steller initially until there was a coaching change when Martin St. Louis took over. Still have some hope for Cam York. I was just mentioning the guys who were supposed to be the new core of the team. Farabee has flashes but dissappears for long stretches. Frost has been playing better but right now it doesn’t look like he is going to pan out.
I agree with you but both of the GM’s have sucked to date ! Hexy isn’t doing well in the yellow and black either. His recent sleepless nights were caused from signing Kapanen. The pasts insomnia had a longer list. O’Brien??? Rubtsov?? A Mac??Amazing the lack of common sense needed to be a GM in the NHL !!
A Mac might have been another brain dead GM’s issue?!? Homer maybe??
Per Bill Meltzer: “Frost has had five breakaways over the course of the first 20 games of the season plus and an additional seven scoring chances from the “home plate” area below and between the dots. Nonetheless, he’d gone 18 games without a goal since scoring twice on opening night.”
5 points in 19 games. Let’s officially declare this guy a bust.
When they traded Brayden Schenn for two first round picks in subsequent years, I was ok with it, naively thinking that they would draft decent talent. Of course, it’s too clear now their drafting is deficient. They thought Schenn was expendable because they had the #2 overall pick that year and planned on Nolan Patrick actually being good. Farabee has been just ok but is no more than a 50-point player. Schenn has averaged a little higher than that but has put up one 70-point season and maybe another coming this year:
Schenn: 17 points in 19 games
Farabee: 13 points in 20 games
Frost: 5 points in 19 games