Flyers Game
Flyers Unable to Complete Third Period Comeback, Lose 3-1
The Philadelphia Flyers lost their fourth straight game on Sunday, falling 3-1 to the New Jersey Devils.
Jamie Drysdale scored the lone goal for the Flyers in the loss.
The Flyers have yet to win a game during their seven-game home stand, with just three games remaining. All three games left during the homestand are against teams currently in a playoff position. The three games following the conclusion of the homestand on Saturday are also against teams currently in a playoff position, making that six straight games against playoff teams.
The Flyers’ struggles have come at the very worst possible time for Philadelphia.
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Michkov Benched in the First
The first period was slow and a bit sloppy. Neither team did much of anything. Both squads combined for 13 shots on goal in the period. It certainly was no offensive battle.
Both teams swapped scoring chances, but only the New Jersey Devils cashed in during period one. Cody Glass (5) scored his first goal in a Devils uniform as he was let loose, and buried the puck from the slot.
There was a handful of blame to go around on the goal. It seemed as if Owen Tippett left Glass in the neutral zone to pursue Luke Hughes who made the zone entry. He then went to the slot, but instead of sticking back to keep a body on Glass, he put added pressure on an already covered Erik Haula in front of the net. That left Glass wide open in the slot.
However, it wasn’t Tippett who would be punished for the score; instead it was Matvei Michkov. At first, I was a bit confused as to why head coach John Tortorella benched Michkov after the goal–then I rewatched it a few times. Michkov seemingly released off Glass at the blue line, almost like he was getting ready for an offensive rush.
The Devils went up 1-0 thanks to the goal, and Michkov sat for the rest of the period (just over eight minutes). He would return for the second period.
Read More: ‘If I had to do it again…’: Tortorella Talks Michkov and His Last Benching
Not Much Excitement
I was going to write “not much excitement the rest of the way”, but who am I kidding, there was not much excitement in the first period either.
The entire game lacked excitement. There was little sustained pressure, few high-danger rushes, and no big hits; the game was just sort of skated.
Erik Haula (6) scored the only goal of the second period as he rebounded the puck after it bounced off Ivan Fedotov’s pad, and cashed in on the second-chance opportunity.
Both teams looked flat offensively, growing increasingly tired as the game continued.
The third period would show much of the same until the period had less than five minutes to play.
The Flyers got a jolt of energy late in the game when Jamie Drysdale (4) put the Flyers on the board with his goal off the rush. Travis Konecny (42) and Tyson Foerster (14) picked up the assists.
While the goal gave the Flyers a shot of momentum, and it showed. However, the Flyers were unable to complete the late-game comeback. Dawson Mercer (15) would net the empty net score, leading to a 3-1 Flyers loss on Sunday.
What’s Next for the Flyers
The Flyers will continue the lengthy homestand when they host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
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Fire this coach if we ever want young players to advance. Still after 15 years still can’t teach offense in this league. Tired of only young guys get benched.
Defense and goaltending wins championships. If not after this year, more than likely after next season Tort’s will be bumped upstairs.
Michkov needs to play a full 200 foot game and be defensively responsible. The days of being one dimensional and having guys cherry picking for the breakout pass are long gone.