Flyers Game
Flyers Stunned by Late Mammoth Push, Lose 5-4 in Overtime Wednesday Night
The Philadelphia Flyers (23-18-8) blew a 3-0 lead and were eventually stunned by Clayton Keller, who scored twice as they fell 5-4 to the Utah Mammoth (26-20-4) at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday.
Cam York, Christian Dvorak, and Bobby Brink scored for the Flyers. JJ Peterka, Lawson Crouse, Barrett Hayton, and Clayton Keller scored for the Mammoth.
The Flyers got off to a fast start, but were eventually stunned by the Mammoth’s late-game effort. Despite multiple chances to seal the game with the Utah net empty, Philadelphia could not. That left the door open for the Mammoth’s late-game-tying goal.
The Flyers still earned a point with the overtime loss.
Here is how we got to the final score.
Read More: Flyers Game 49: Lines, Notes & How to Watch vs. Mammoth
The perfect start for Philly
Wednesday’s game got off to a fast start.
Travis Konecny fed Travis Sanheim (16) for the shot from the slot. His shot did not go, with Christian Dvorak (20) getting a piece of it. But Cam York (4) was there to bury the rebound shot, giving the Flyers the 1-0 lead just 30 seconds into the game.
It did not take long after the goal for the first power-play of the game. Just over a minute after the York goal, Utah went on the power play. Nick Seeler picked up a penalty for putting a puck over the glass. After about 40 seconds, the play was evened up at four-on-four after York drew a hooking penalty from Barrett Hayton.
Neither team scored.
However, on the first rush post-man-advantage, Konecny (27) sprung Christian Dvorak (11), who tucked it with a forehand shot. That gave the Flyers the 2-0 lead just less than five minutes into the game. Noah Juulsen (7) made a great play to get Konecny the puck out of the defensive zone. That earned him the secondary assist on the goal.
Philadelphia had a real chance to pour on the momentum with a power-play chance moments later, following a Liam O’Brien cross-check. The power play showed much improvement, but could not get a third goal in the period.
That was all in the first 10 minutes.
Things settled down after that, and the Flyers took that 2-0 lead into the first intermission after outshooting Utah 14-7. What a start for the Flyers.
Read More: PhHN Daily: Flyers Game; Ullmark Opens Up; LaCombe the Olympian
Flyers avoid scare from Mammoth
Nick Schmaltz got called for a high stick at the buzzer in the first period. So, the Flyers started the second period on the power play, which gave them the chance to start strong.
Bobby Brink(12) cleaned up the loose change from a Trevor Zegras (26) shot, giving the Flyers the 3-0 lead 58 seconds into the second period.
However, a big hit by Liam O’Brien on Owen Tippett, clean or not, really gave the Mammoth a boost. After the first minute of the second period, the Mammoth put the pressure on the Flyers and forced Sam Ersson to step up.
The Flyers’ netminder looked up to the task, but could not get help up front. Philadelphia was hemmed in to the defensive zone, and after bombarding Ersson with shots, Utah finally got one past him. The puck looked to be stopped, but JJ Peterka (17) somehow kept it alive and put it into the back of the net, getting Utah on the board.
It was a 3-1 game, but not for long. Less than a minute later, Lawson Crouse (16) scored from the slot after the Flyers could not clear, assisted by Schmaltz (27) and Clayton Keller (34). Very quickly, it became a 3-2 game.
However, minutes later, the Flyers were gifted an opportunity to silence Utah’s momentum after it got called for too many men on the ice.
Zegras (27) caught Christian Dvorak (12) streaking, who got his own rebound and netted the second chance effort, extending the Flyers’ lead to 4-2. Jamie Drysdale (17) earned the secondary assist.
Philly had another man-advantage chance just 32 seconds after the goal, following a Peterka hook, but did not have the same success. So, they took the 4-2 lead into the second intermission.
Utah ties it late
Just like the second period, the Flyers opened the third period on the power play following a late high stick, this one from Ian Cole in the final seconds of the second period. Utah was able to kill off the penalty.
However, the Flyers held on to the momentum. They continued to put pressure on Karel Vejmelka, but could not get one past the Mammoth netminder.
Jack McBain crushed Jamie Drysdale, with Noah Juulsen stepping up in his defense. Juulsen and McBain both got five for fighting, but the Flyers got the additional two minutes for the instigator.
Barrett Hayton (6) redirected the Dylan Guenther (19) shot, and made it a 4-3 game on the man-advantage with just over seven minutes to play, making things interesting.
Utah eventually emptied the net, and the Flyers had multiple great looks, including Garnet Hathaway, who just held on too long, and Nick Seeler and Travis Konecny, who both got tied up by Mammoth defenders.
Then, with just over 34 seconds remaining, Clayton Keller (14) put one past Ersson, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, nothing really happened until just about two minutes in. The Flyers had a chance, but a long stretch pass was just out of the reach of Owen Tippett. So, the Flyers tried to settle things down and set up possession, but Travis Konecny’s pass was taken by Dylan Guenther, who went down the ice and eventually set up Keller (15) for the dagger.
The Flyers were stunned in overtime, falling 5-4 to the Mammoth.
What’s next for the Flyers
The Flyers wrap up their road trip with their date with the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Friday at 9:00 p.m. EST.
They didn’t lose due to late push, they lost because veteran players didn’t play smart hockey. Juulsen takes a roughing penalty up 2 with 7 minutes left because his teammate got checked. Hathaway went for a morning skate on an empty net and doesn’t get a shot off. Konecny twice tried to shoot from just inside the blue line with numerous opponents in front of him, giving away possession, then passes it back to Sanheim who’s in his own defensive zone and he can’t control the puck and turns it over. Then Tochett roles out the same guys who play without thinking in ot and they blow it. That’s just not smart hockey.
Blamed last year’s dumb play on Torts, but it’s the same dumb players. Sanheim can’t be your top defensemen.
Sanheim has a lot of talent, but he makes some very bad decisions at really bad times.
55% of blame. Hathaway not burying shot into empty net.
15% of blame. Juulsen’s stupid penalty with minutes to go.
15% of blame. Sanheim’s play on tying goal.
15% of blame. TK giveaway in OT.
Need Vladar back on Friday to have any chance of getting a point.
Let’s not forget TK’s 2 giveaways in regulation along the boards at the offensive blue line to get it to OT. One the first one he takes a shot from just inside the blue line with 4 UTAH players between him and the goal. Why not just skate that in and keep possession? On the second one it was TK that passed the puck back to Sanheim who failed to handle the bouncing puck. Go forward with the puck… not back.
100% of blame on veteran players not playing smart hockey while leading in a game. Time and place. There are times to take chances and stand up for teammates, but up 2 goals with 7 minutes left in the third period isn’t one of those times.
Terrible loss,need to release Garnet Hathaway, he has to shoot the puck at an empty net. Also Sanheim’s brutal giveaway set up the OT where they refused to take possession of the puck.
How close does one have to be to SHOOT THE PUCK AT AN EMPTY NET!! This loss hurts not just because of the blown 3-goal lead, but also because of the opportunity to put it away only to be pick pocketed because you can’t skate fast enough and SHOOT THE PUCK!
Tocchet deserves some blame also. He is getting a free pass and should be held accountable on some of his players he puts out at the end of a game and OT. Coots is done. The problem is no one else will ever take that albatross of a contract. TK can make mistakes but not be called on it. The same with Sanheim. I have a crazy idea why not send Michkov out to start an overtime and see what he could do. Torts last year at least used him in OT. The last 5 minutes of every game we are winning Coots is playing in case we need a face off win which he doesn’t win. Then we get scored on and see Coots trailing the play. I don’t want to hear anymore about 200 foot players. We don’t have mxnyother than Cates.