Flyers’ Slow Starts Becoming a Costly Habit in Another Gut-Punch OT Loss
PHILADELPHIA - The Flyers had their chances. They clawed back, found their legs, and even had the game on Travis Konecny’s stick in overtime.
But once again, it was too little, too late. A 3-2 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon at Xfinity Mobile Arena marked Philadelphia’s 11th defeat in their last 13 games (2-8-3), and the troubling trend at the heart of it all was on full display: slow starts are sinking this team.
This wasn’t just another missed opportunity - it was a game where the Flyers needed to come out swinging. Instead, they stumbled out of the gate, found themselves down 2-0 just over seven minutes in, and were fortunate not to be trailing by three when an Andrei Kuzmenko goal was overturned on an offside challenge.
That’s now 36 times in 54 games that the Flyers have allowed the first goal. And while some of those may have come off bad bounces or unlucky breaks, Saturday’s early hole was self-inflicted. The energy just wasn’t there early, and in a league where momentum matters, that kind of start is a killer.
“We just weren’t ready,” defenseman Nick Seeler said bluntly. “You saw the difference when we finally started playing our game late in the first and into the second. We’ve got to bring that from the jump.”
Goaltender Dan Vladar, who gave up three goals on 21 shots, didn’t shy away from taking some of the blame either.
“It’s the start again,” Vladar said. “It starts with me back there.
Maybe I need to be more ready. But it’s tough when you’re chasing every game.”
The Kings jumped ahead thanks to two goals from Adrian Kempe. The first came off a redirect from his skate after Alex Laferriere sent a puck into the slot. The second was a breakdown in coverage - Kempe drifted into the high slot untouched and hammered home a one-timer from Corey Perry at 7:08.
Denver Barkey lost track of Kempe on that play, and while head coach Rick Tocchet didn’t call him out directly, the message was clear.
“You’ve got to be focused in the middle of the ice,” Tocchet said. “You’re not there, it ends up in the net. Now you’re down 2-0.”
Tocchet pointed to the youth on the roster as part of the issue - not as an excuse, but as a reality. This team has been taking its lumps, and the weight of a tough stretch is showing.
“We’ve got some young guys, and when something bad happens, it snowballs,” Tocchet said. “They’ve got to learn how to stop it. That’s part of growing up in this league.”
To their credit, the Flyers did respond. After being outscored 17-6 over the previous 10 periods, they finally punched back.
Just 39 seconds into the second period, Trevor Zegras finished off a crisp power-play passing sequence from Konecny and Bobby Brink to cut the lead to 2-1. It was Zegras’ 20th of the season and a much-needed jolt.
From there, the Flyers carried play. They outshot the Kings 10-4 in the middle frame and had multiple chances to tie it.
Rasmus Ristolainen rang iron off a slick pass from Sean Couturier. Konecny nearly tucked in a wraparound.
Noah Cates missed wide on a prime look late in the period.
The breakthrough came just 25 seconds into the third. Nikita Grebenkin worked the puck to Ristolainen at the point, and Konecny - who’s been on an absolute tear - redirected the shot home to make it 2-2. That was Konecny’s eighth goal in his last eight games.
“He’s doing the right things,” Tocchet said. “Getting open, getting inside, creating chances.”
“I’m just happy with how we responded,” Konecny added.
Tocchet noted that the Flyers limited the Kings to just three scoring chances in the second and only two in the third. The defensive structure tightened up, the energy picked up, and the game was there for the taking in overtime.
And it nearly was. Konecny had a breakaway to win it, but his shot clanged off the post. Moments later, Quinton Byfield buried the winner with a wrister at 2:48 of OT.
It was the Flyers’ seventh straight loss in games that go beyond regulation - four in overtime, three in shootouts. That’s a brutal stat for a team hanging on the fringe of the playoff picture.
“I like the resolve,” Tocchet said. “We hung in there.
TK’s been hot. He hits the post, and it’s a different story.
But we lost. That’s the way it goes.”
Zegras, one of the team’s few bright spots of late, tried to keep the mood upbeat.
“We’re good,” he said. “It’s a long year.
We’ve played really well at times and still lost. That happens.
We’re confident, we’re tight as a group, and we’ve got each other’s backs.”
The Flyers have two games left before the Olympic break - both at home, against the Capitals and Senators. If they want any shot at staying in the playoff mix, they’ll likely need to win both.
Vladar, for one, isn’t backing down from the challenge.
“You guys might be doubting us, but we’re not,” he said. “We’re confident.
Every team hits a stretch like this. It’s on us - especially the older guys - to bring the energy and belief.
The season’s not over.”
But the clock is ticking. If the Flyers can’t figure out how to start games with more urgency, the comeback efforts won’t matter much longer.
“You get behind early, and then bad things happen,” Tocchet said. “You can’t keep coming back.
Early in the year, we could. But this is a different part of the season now.”