5 Observations: ‘Pasta,’ Blistering Bruins Feast on Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers went to TD Garden on Monday afternoon and faced the NHL’s best team, the Boston Bruins.

The result was predictable.

Boston 6, Flyers 0.

Remarkably, the Bruins (34-5-4) have one regulation loss this season at home, where they are 21-1-3.

For the Flyers  (18-19-7) it was just their second loss in their last nine games. They had their three-game winning streak snapped.

In two games against Boston this season, the Flyers have been outscored, 10-1.

Here are five quick observations:

1. Pasta was served for this lunch-time matchup.

Just 4:38 into the game, right winger David “Pasta” Pastrnak gave Boston a 1-0 lead by scoring on a tap-in. The rout was underway. Pastrnak added a power-play goal early in the third period.

A failed clearing attempt by Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo led to a two-on-one down low, and Pastrnak deposited a pass from Pavel Zacha. Pastrnak (plus-4) had a steal to put the play in motion.

“We had a good start, gave one up for free, and never got caught up after that,” coach John Tortorella said.

In 27 career games against the Flyers, Pastrnak has 21 goals.

Overall, he has 21 goals in his last 21 games this season, including 10 goals in his last six contests. Pastrnak is second in the NHL with 35 goals. Connor McDavid has 37.

PASTAAAA 🚨 pic.twitter.com/AoGK8zSqRD

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 16, 2023

2. David Krejci keyed the win on a day he reached a milestone.

Playing in his 1,000th game, Krejcei, 36, had three assists in the easy victory.

Krejci, who played in the Czech Republic last season, helped set the tone with a pair of first-period assists as the Bruins built a 2-0 lead. Zacha scored the second goal, a drive from just above the right circle that hit the post and caromed into the net. Though it was a tracer, Carter Hart will want that one back.

Later in the first, Hart redeemed himself by stopping Taylor Hall on a breakaway.

“We had a good start, but then they popped in two on us, and they kind of deflated us a little bit,” right winger Travis Konecny said.

David Krejci (0-3—3 so far today) is the fifth player in @NHL history to record at least three assists in his 1,000th NHL game and the ninth to record at least three points.

Check out #NHLStats Live Updates for the full list: https://t.co/qabo6HOFEt https://t.co/RGkpshzzve

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 16, 2023

3. Hart hasn’t had much success against Boston.

The theme continued Monday as he allowed four goals on 16 shots before being replaced. He entered the game with four wins in 12 decisions against the B’s, along with a 3.72 GAA and .883 save percentage vs. Boston.

Hart and the Philadelphia Flyers fell into a 4-0 hole as Brad Marchand (rebound) and Zacha (two goals, assist) scored 46 seconds apart early in the second period. Zacha’s goal, his second of the game, appeared to deflect off defenseman Nick Seeler’s skate.

With 12:25 left in the second, Sam Ersson replaced Hart.

4. The Flyers have decent chance to get over “hockey .500” this week.

With home games this week against Anaheim (Tuesday) and Chicago (Thursday), the Flyers have an opportunity to get over “hockey .500” for the first time since they were 7-6-3 on Nov. 15.

Anaheim entered Monday’s game in Pittsburgh with the NHL’s second-worst record (12-27-4), while Chicago (11-26-4) has the league’s worst mark.

“We wash this one and go back to work,” center Scott Laughton said after Monday’s loss.

“How we answer (Tuesday) night is all I’m thinking about,” Tortorella said.

5. Ersson up next for Flyers?

Ersson, 23, is expected to get the call Tuesday against the Ducks. Since Hart played only half the game, however, Tortorella could come back to him.

He shouldn’t.

Find out what you have in Ersson (4-0) — he has wins in his last four starts — before a decision has to be made on Felix Sandstrom, who is with the Phantoms on a conditioning stint.

Ersson stopped 11 of 13 shots in relief Monday.

Breakaways

Morgan Frost took an inadvertent high stick to the face from Patrice Bergeron late in the game, giving the Flyers a five-on-three power play. But the Flyers couldn’t convert. They were 0 for 6 on the PP; Boston was 2 for 4. … Jeremy Swayman stopped 29 shots and collected his sixth career shutout. … Owen Tippett had a game-high six shots, and Patrick Brown had a game-high five hits. … Boston, a veteran team, won 63.3 percent of the faceoffs. … High-scoring Konecny crashed into the boards in the third period and skated slowly to the bench, but he returned to the game. … Looking for a spark, Tortorella juggled his lines and pairings midway through the second period. … The Flyers started a stretch Monday in which they play five games in seven days, including a pair of back-to-backs. They will not practice during the week because Tortorella wants them to rest and recover. … The Flyers will host Boston on April 9.

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