The Flyers had a chance to keep building on a three-game win streak, but the last six periods of hockey have pulled them right back into the mess they were trying to climb out of.
After falling behind 3-0 in the opening period against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, Philadelphia spent the rest of the evening trying to claw back into the game. The Flyers outscored Columbus the rest of the way, forced overtime, and even got a dramatic equalizer from Jamie Drysdale with 11 seconds left in regulation. But the damage from that first period proved too much to overcome, and the Blue Jackets finished off a 4-3 win.
Defenseman Travis Sanheim said the opening minutes felt off from the start.
"It just felt like a weird start to the game, energy-wise, and didn't seem like really any guys had jump, which is unusual," Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim said. "Usually, you have a few guys going, and credit to the guys to find our legs and get going after a while, but it's nice to start on time."
The Flyers’ late push gave them life heading into overtime, but that momentum disappeared quickly. Early in the extra period, Matvei Michkov was stripped behind the play while trying to set up a shot in the offensive zone, creating a dangerous 2-on-0 the other way. Dan Vladar bailed him out with a strong pad save to keep Philadelphia alive.
Michkov stayed on the ice, and the next shift turned into another costly sequence. Cam York, playing his first game back from injury, tried to drive the net.
Michkov had been higher in support, then came down looking for a rebound, but York’s chance was denied and the puck flipped the other direction. Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson raced in alone with nobody back, and this time Vladar couldn’t stop it.
That ended the comeback and handed the Flyers another loss, their 11th in 14 games this season. They are now 3-7-4, the fourth-worst team in the NHL and third-worst in points percentage.
For Rick Tocchet, the frustration was less about the final score than the same mistakes showing up again.
"I can't keep coming here to the mic saying 'learning lesson, learning lesson'. I mean, it's a broken record.
I'm just disappointed," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said after the loss. "The first, and then this overtime.
Some the guys, I don't know what they're doing. We had a meeting about it.
We sent a video on it. It's all puck possession.
It's being smart. We give up two 2-on-0s.
That's unacceptable."
The Flyers had already dug themselves a nine-game hole to start the season, and after briefly looking like they might have turned a corner, they’ve now lost two straight in ugly fashion. They wasted another decent offensive night with poor details and costly decisions.
Philadelphia will be back on the ice Wednesday night for the second half of a back-to-back against the Washington Capitals at 7:30 p.m.
In Other News...
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Flyers Keep Showing Fight But One Problem Wont Go Away
The Flyers keep finding ways to make games interesting, even if the early hole keeps costing them. In Wednesdays 4-3 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia dug itself out of a 3-0 first-period deficit and forced extra time, another sign that the group has not lost its fight even as it keeps chasing more consistency. Dan Vladar made 11 saves on 15 shots, and the home team at least gave itself a chance after a rough opening frame.
Cam York was back after missing eight games, which was a welcome sight for a blue line that has been dealing with turnover and injury, while Rasmus Ristolainen was out again because of a reinjured left hand. Still, the same issue lingered long enough to matter: Columbus eventually broke through in overtime and left the Flyers with another hard-luck result to sort through as the season keeps grinding forward. [Read more 🡒]