The Flyers still don’t have that first win, but Thursday night in Ottawa at least looked and felt different.
Philadelphia dropped a 2-1 decision to the Senators in a tight, physical game that may have been the club’s most complete effort of the season so far. Ottawa had the building rocking for its home opener after losing to Detroit on Tuesday, and the crowd got a back-and-forth night that stayed close until the final horn.
What stood out first was the energy. The Flyers came out with more bite, more pace and more willingness to engage. After all the talk about this team’s “lack of compete,” this one was hard-hitting and fast-moving from the start.
That edge showed up in the shot battle, too. Philadelphia outshot Ottawa 29-26 for its first edge in that category this season.
Before Thursday, the Flyers’ high-water mark was 25 shots, and they had been averaging 19. Early on, they were up 6-1 and clearly hunting pucks with purpose, firing away and throwing their weight around.
The problem was the penalty box. The momentum shifted when the Flyers piled up four straight penalties in quick succession.
In net, both goalies gave their teams a chance. Linus Ullmark was excellent for the Senators and allowed just one goal, one that might have disappeared with a quicker whistle from the referee.
Joseph Woll was sharp again for Philadelphia in his third start with the club. He stopped 24 of 26 shots and turned away several dangerous looks, including an aggressive poke check on a Drake Batherson chance from close range and a breakaway stop on Michael Amadio that kept the game within reach.
He handled the puck well, stayed in position and reacted on time. For a team that has been scrambling for bright spots, Woll has been one of them.
The Flyers’ lone goal came on their first power-play tally of the season, and it had a little bit of chaos to it. Trevor Zegras fired from the top of the circle and hit Ullmark in the bread basket.
The puck appeared trapped, but no whistle came, and it slowly slipped out from between his legs. Matvei Michkov was parked at the edge of the crease and pushed it across the line.
Philadelphia now has six goals in five games this season.
Ottawa got on the board first on a Nick Cousins redirection in the opening period, a touch in front that left Woll with no chance. The winner came from Carter Yakemchuk, who ripped a shot from the top of the slot on the blocker side after a nice feed from Claude Giroux.
The schedule doesn’t get any gentler. The Flyers head to Boston on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM to face a Bruins team that is 3-2-0, then return home Sunday night at 7 PM to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the second half of a back-to-back at the end of a road trip against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.
You have to play the games to find out what happens. But if the Flyers don’t get their first win Saturday in Boston, they could be staring at a seven-game start to the season without a victory.
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Philadelphias frustration comes from how close this one stayed, especially with both teams trading power-play looks along the way. The Flyers were still in position late, but a costly penalty opened the door for Ottawa to take control at the end, leaving another game that felt winnable but never quite got away from the Senators for good. [Read more 🡒]