Turnovers Hurt Philly as the Flyers Fall to Red Wings 6-4

The Philadelphia Flyers fell to the Detroit Red Wings 6-4 on Wednesday, fueled by a three-goal second period by the Red Wings. Detroit handed Philly its 13th regulation loss this season, while that becomes the third win in four games for the Red Wings.

How it Happened

The Flyers jumped out to a fast start when Travis Konecny netted the game’s first score on the very first shot in the contest. Just 1:06 ticked off the clock before Konecny beat Alex Lyon.

The Red Wings were able to answer Konecny’s tally late in the first period, taking advantage of back-to-back power plays. J.T. Compher knotted the game up at one for Detroit, sneaking one past the glove side of Sam Ersson.

Alex DeBrincat, playing on his 27th birthday, gave the Red Wings their first lead of the game just over the halfway marker in the second period. However, it did not take more than 25 seconds until Noah Cates responded with his third goal of the season.

Michael Rasmussen scored off a faceoff, and Joe Veleno scored on a two-on-none with Christian Fischer. Both goals came in the final four minutes of the second period, giving Detroit a two-goal lead heading into the second intermission.

Ryan Poehling cut the deficit down to just one as he netted just his second score of the season. Owen Tippett followed suit and tied the game at 4 with his score just under 6 minutes into the third. That score does not happen without a patient drop pass by Jamie Drysdale to Scott Laughton for the defensive zone exit, who eventually found Tippett for the score.

The tie game was short-lived in the third period, as Patrick Kane killed the Flyers’ momentum and regained his squad’s lead.

The Red Wings took a 5-4 lead with 12:38 remaining in the contest and would not look back.

The Flyers emptied the net, and a Travis Sanheim turnover led to an easy Lucas Raymond goal, bringing the game to its final score of 6-4.

Immediate Thoughts

In the game preview, I mentioned special teams playing a pivotal role in this game. The contest had only three penalties, and the Red Wings took advantage of one of their two chances at the man advantage.

The Flyers, who were up against the second-worst penalty-killing team in the league, failed to score a shot on goal during their lone chance on the power play, which came at a pivotal moment in the third period. Even with the extra attacker late in the third, the Flyers could not generate any threatening chances.

Turnovers were killers for the Flyers all game. Cam York seemingly was benched in the third period. He had a bad turnover that led to DeBrincat’s score halfway through the second period.

Velano’s score, along with Raymond’s dagger, came off a Flyers’ turnover. Point blank, turnovers killed the Flyers.

What is Next for the Flyers

The Flyers will have a quick turnaround as they head home for their next game on Thursday when they host the Los Angeles Kings at 7:00 pm.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by AP Photo/Matt Slocum