The Flyers had this one. Up 3-0 in the second period.
Still ahead 4-2 with just eight minutes to go in regulation. It looked like they were about to grind out a much-needed road win - the kind of ugly, scrappy victory that doesn’t make the highlight reels but helps stabilize a team that’s been stumbling.
Instead, they walked out of Utah with another gut-punch loss, one that may just top the list of head-shakers in a season already packed with them.
Clayton Keller was the dagger. He tied the game with just 35 seconds left in regulation, then buried the game-winner in overtime to complete the Mammoth’s improbable comeback. But while Keller’s late-game heroics will get the headlines, the real turning point came about 90 seconds earlier - and it’s the kind of moment that will haunt a team.
With the Mammoth net empty and nothing but open ice ahead, Garnet Hathaway had a golden opportunity to seal the game. He crossed into the offensive zone with the puck on his stick and a clear path to the empty cage.
It was the kind of scenario players dream about - a chance to be the hero, to finish the job, to finally exhale after a tense third period. But instead of firing the puck into the yawning net, Hathaway hesitated.
And that hesitation was all it took.
Nick Schmaltz, hustling back on the play, closed the gap and stripped Hathaway clean. No shot, no goal, no insurance.
Just a missed opportunity that quickly turned into a nightmare. Moments later, the Mammoth were celebrating the tying goal.
A few minutes after that, they were skating off winners in overtime.
It was a stunning sequence - not just because of the blown lead, but because of how preventable it all was. Hathaway didn’t need to do anything fancy.
He didn’t need to pick a corner or wait for the perfect angle. He just needed to shoot the puck.
Instead, he got caught between decisions, and the Flyers paid the price.
It’s a moment that will draw comparisons to some of the more infamous gaffes in recent NHL memory - think Patrik Stefan’s infamous whiff against Edmonton back in 2007. And while it’s unfair to pin an entire loss on one play, there’s no denying that Hathaway’s miscue was emblematic of the larger issues plaguing this Flyers team: indecision, lack of killer instinct, and failure to close.
And that’s what stings the most. The Flyers actually showed signs of life in this one.
Their power play - which has been ice-cold for much of the season - chipped in two goals. They built a multi-goal lead on the road.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was shaping up to be the kind of win that could help turn the tide after dropping seven of their last 10.
Instead, they leave with nothing but frustration and another notch in the “what could’ve been” column. The Flyers didn’t just lose a game in Utah - they let a win slip through their fingers, one hesitation at a time.