Flyers Falter in Pittsburgh: Special Teams, Penalties Prove Costly in 6-3 Loss to Penguins
It was a tough night in Pittsburgh for the Philadelphia Flyers, who dropped their second game in as many nights, falling 6-3 to the Penguins. Coming off a back-to-back, the Flyers looked sluggish early, and a parade to the penalty box only made matters worse. Special teams were the difference-and not in Philly’s favor.
Early Penalties Set the Tone
The game was barely 30 seconds old when Cam York was called for hooking, and that early penalty set the tone for a rough opening period. The Penguins wasted no time converting.
Justin Brazeau got a stick on Ben Kindel’s pass and redirected it past Sam Ersson for a 1-0 lead. It was the first of several special teams breakdowns for the Flyers, who simply couldn’t stay out of the box.
Travis Sanheim’s high-sticking penalty just a few minutes later gave Pittsburgh another man-advantage, and while Ersson stood tall with a big stop on Sidney Crosby, the Flyers were already playing with fire.
Their own first power play came at the 6:43 mark, but despite some decent puck movement, they couldn’t generate a shot on net. That missed opportunity loomed large when Garnet Hathaway took a tripping penalty midway through the period.
This time, Bryan Rust made them pay, ripping a wrist shot over Ersson’s glove off a crisp feed from Kris Letang. Just like that, it was 2-0 Penguins.
The Flyers had a chance to respond late in the first with a power play of their own after Jack St. Ivany drew an interference call. They moved the puck well and tested Stuart Skinner with shots from York, Christian Dvorak, and Denver Barkey, but the Penguins’ netminder was up to the task.
Second Period Spiral
Things didn’t get better to start the second. Just over a minute in, Egor Chinakhov buried a cross-ice feed from Evgeni Malkin, beating Ersson under the arm to make it 3-0.
That was the end of the night for Ersson, who was pulled after allowing three goals on 14 shots. Aleksei Kolosov came in to try to stop the bleeding.
Rodrigo Abols gave the Flyers a glimmer of hope just a minute later. He got a piece of York’s point shot, deflecting it past Skinner to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Carl Grundstrom also picked up an assist on the play. It was a much-needed spark, but it didn’t last.
Late in the second, the Penguins restored their three-goal cushion. Kolosov made the initial stop on Noel Acciari, but the rebound sat loose in the crease.
Blake Lizotte pounced and batted it across the line to make it 4-1. Acciari got credit for the assist, but it was a team effort in crashing the net and finishing the play.
Third Period Boils Over
Things got physical early in the third. After Lizotte delivered a heavy hit on Barkey, Matvei Michkov stepped in and dropped the gloves.
Both players earned five-minute majors, but Michkov also picked up a roughing penalty, giving the Penguins yet another power play. And once again, they made the Flyers pay.
This time it was Crosby, taking a sharp cross-ice feed from Malkin and snapping a wrist shot past Kolosov to make it 5-1. Rickard Rakell also picked up an assist.
That goal marked Pittsburgh’s third power-play tally of the night. In all, they went 3-for-4 on the man advantage.
The Flyers? 0-for-4.
Connor Dewar added insult to injury just minutes later, finishing off a feed from Thomas Novak to stretch the lead to 6-1. Kolosov, who had come in to stabilize things, was now facing the same struggles Ersson had earlier.
Late Push Comes Up Short
To their credit, the Flyers didn’t fold. Nick Seeler got one back midway through the third, firing a wrist shot over Skinner’s glove after a setup from Barkey and Noah Juulsen. It was Seeler’s second goal of the season and a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating night.
Then, with just under three minutes to play, Michkov found twine. Barkey made a slick pass to the rookie, who wired a wrister from the right circle past Skinner to make it 6-3. Sean Couturier also picked up an assist on the play.
But the late push wasn’t enough to overcome the early damage. The Flyers’ penalty kill struggled, allowing three goals on four attempts, while their power play came up empty on four chances. That kind of special teams disparity is tough to survive against any opponent-let alone a division rival with playoff aspirations of their own.
Between the Pipes
It was a rough outing for both Flyers goaltenders. Ersson stopped just 11 of 14 shots before being pulled, finishing with a .786 save percentage. Kolosov wasn’t much better, turning aside 13 of 16.
Goal Recap
1st Period:
- PIT: Brazeau (PP), Assists: Kindel, Mantha
- PIT: Rust (PP), Assists: Letang, Crosby
2nd Period:
- PIT: Chinakhov, Assists: Malkin, Novak
- PHI: Abols, Assists: York, Grundstrom
- PIT: Lizotte, Assist: Acciari
3rd Period:
- PIT: Crosby (PP), Assists: Malkin, Rakell
- PIT: Dewar, Assist: Novak
- PHI: Seeler, Assists: Barkey, Juulsen
- PHI: Michkov, Assists: Barkey, Couturier
What’s Next
The Flyers will look to regroup quickly. They return home to face the New York Rangers on Saturday, Jan.
- After a pair of tough losses, they’ll need to clean up the penalties and get their special teams back on track if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.