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Wrapup: Kings 3 - Flyers 2 (SO), Gagne Night |
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WRAPUP: FLYERS SETTLE FOR A POINT IN 3-2 SHOOTOUT LOSS TO LA
Putting forth a strong and competitive effort for 65 minutes, the Philadelphia Flyers settled for one point as they dropped a 3-2 verdict via shootout to the Los Angeles Kings on Simon Gagne Night at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night.
The Flyers held a pair of one-goal leads on a first period power play goal by Shayne Gostisbehere and a third-period even strength goal by Claude Giroux. LA responded with a first-period Jamie McBain power play goal that deflected off Flyers' defenseman Luke Schenn and a tying goal by Milan Lucic in the final minute of regulation scored on the rebound of a double deflection that went off the goal post.
“I thought we played an intelligent hockey game there,” Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said. “LA plays without a lot of fancy to their game. They get pucks out and get pucks in. I thought we defended hard as a group of five, I thought we did a good job making decisions and taking care of pucks and putting them deep into areas when we had to and getting after them. Overall, the management of the puck was pretty good."
With the shootout loss, the Flyers dropped to 6-8-4 on the season. The Pacific Division leading Kings improved to 12-6-0. In the shootout, Anze Kopitar scored an unstoppable goal in the second round for the game-winner. The Flyers went 0-for-3.
“He made a nice shot. Sometimes I think it’s to the advantage for the goaltender when guys go for the deke. I think the shooters are so good I think that when they come down they don’t need much room to put the puck in for the shot," said Flyers goaltender Steve Mason.
Philadelphia got a dominant all-around game from Giroux, who finished with a goal and an assist while going 24-for-28 (86 percent) in the faceoff circle. One of the few draws that Giroux lost started the late game sequence that ended wth Lucic's tying goal, but it hardly detracted from a night where he was outstanding on both sides of the puck. Linemate Jakub Voracek had two assists, while Brayden Schenn racked up eight shots on goal in 10 shot attempts after a one-game sojourn as a healthy scratch followed by a promotion to the top line.
In the second period, a would-be goal by Schenn was overtuned upon review in the Situation Room in Toronto. The goal was disallowed on the basis of being propelled into the net with a distinct kicking motion.
"To be honest I didn’t kick it, or I didn’t mean to kick it," Schenn said. "Apparently it was offside as well, and they were going to challenge. That’s what we were told. It was no goal on two occasions. It is what it is, and hopefully it’s something to build off of. We’ll get ready for the next game."
The Flyers did a strong job of responding both to the LA power play goal and to the disallowed Schenn goal. Philly went 1-for-5 on the power play in the game. They were 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Giroux noted that the team's response to adversity was one of the most encouraging aspects of the game.
"That’s been something we’ve been struggling with. Something doesn’t go our way and we change the way we play. But we stayed focused, and when they scored that power play goal too, we stayed focused and put it behind us," Giroux said.
Both goaltenders played very well in the game. Jonathan Quick turned back 36 of 38 shots during the hockey game before stopping all three in the skills competition. Mason stopped 38 of 40 shots in regulation and overtime and then one of two in the shootout.
Mason, who is nursing an undisclosed minor injury and took a maintenance day on Moday, was not originally slated to start the game. During the morning skate, he skated out to the backup's net before being summoned to the other side by goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh. Michal Neuvirth, who missed most of the morning skate and then left eary, was unable to play.
Tuesday's game marked Mason's third straight strong performance in net. Last Thursday's game against Washington was one in which he was essentially hung out to dry five different times on unstoppable goals. In each of the last three games, when Mason has had a reasonable chance to make a save, he's made it.
"I think I’m starting to feel more comfortable now," said Mason. "We’ve touched on it’s been a tough start to the season. In the last little while I could start to feel it coming along. Overall, I was pleased with my game tonight."
Neuvirth is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The Flyers recalled second-year pro Anthony Stolarz to serve as Mason's backup in this game, both because he has outplayed veteran Jason LaBarbera by a significant margin thus far in the American Hockey League season and also because LaBarbera is also dealing with an undisclosed day-to-day injury.
The Flyers got a dominant first shift by Giroux line with two god plays by Brayden Schenn. First, he snapped a tough shot on net after a faceoff win by Giroux. Later, he rotated up high and alertly supported Radko Gudas at the right point after Gudas moved up along the boards.
Mason good save at 2:10 on Dustin Brown and then two more on Drew Doughty and Brayden McNabb off faceoff wins by LA before the Flyers got the puck out.
Drew Doughty tripping minor at 3:22. The Flyers made quick work of the advantage. Philly rotated the puck around the zone and Gostisbehere blasted a center point shot home for his first NHL goal. Giroux and Voracek got the assists on the power play goal at 3:41.
"It's a dream come true," Gostisbehere said. "Every kid who has ever played hockey wants to play in the NHL let alone score a goal. I mean it's really a dream come true. I really didn't know what to do out there, I was just very happy."
Shortly after the goal, Luke Schenn snapped his stick in the defensive zone on an attempted outlet pass and the Flyers momentarily look disorganized. He was replaced by Gostisbehere, who turned on a burst of speed to carry the puck out of the defensive zone after taking a pass from Nick Schultz.
Philadelphia went back to the power play at 6:02 as Jordan Nolan took a roughing penalty in the offensive zone. The Flyers' second unit got one shot on a left circle wrister by Sam Gagner but that was the extent of the pressure.
At the 13:44 mark, Mason fought off a tough shot by Derek Forbort and covered the rebound. However, Schultz received an interference penalty on the play. Early in the LA power play, Mason picked Tyler Toffoli cleanly with the glove on an LA rush after a nice feed by Jeff Carter. With 38 seconds left on the pwer play, LA scored as Luke Schenn accidentally deflected a Jamie McBain shot. Alec Martinez and Tanner Pearson got the assists on McBain's first goal of the season.
Wayne Simmonds landed a heavy clean hit on Martinez on the offensive zone corner on a chip-and-chase play at the 16:36 mark.
Raffl and VandeVelde had a 2-on-1 rush, with puck-carrier Raffl electing to shoot from the right wing. Quick made the save at 17:50.
Shots in the first period were 14-11 Flyers. Attempts were 22-21 Flyers. Philadelphia missed the net four times and had five blocked. LA had seven attempts blocked and missed the net three times.
At 1:13 of the second period, Brayden Schenn took a pass from Giroux on the rush and snapped off a mid-slot shot that Quick claimed. The Flyers went to their third power play at 1:37 after a high sticking penalty by Jake Muzzin against Giroux. Philadelphia did little with the power play.
Mason made a very tough save in close on Trevor Lewis at 4:25. The game remained 1-1.
Shortly after Schenn was cleanly knocked to the ice by Martinez on a rush up the right wing, Giroux was sent off for a retaliatory slashing penalty on Muzzin behind the play at 6:19.
At 9:28, after Voracek nearly scored on a backhander and then Brayden Schenn put the rebound off the post, Schenn finally put the puck in the net off his skate. The ruling on the ice, after an initial wave-off was a legal goal. The play went to Toronto for review and then disallowed for a distinct kicking motion; a marginal call.
Sean Couturier made a good backchecking play on Anze Kopitar about 13 minutes into the period, breaking up a potential slam-dunk chance if the puck got to Kopitar on the weak side.
Outstanding forechecking work in the offensive zone by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, keeping his feet moving and winning real estate, eventually drew a holding penalty on Forbort at 14:59. With Voracek in the locker room after getting cut earlier in the period, Couturier took his spot on the first power play unit.
The Flyers went back to the power play again at 17:18 as Kyle Clifford was sent off on a boarding minor.
Second period shots were 11-10 Flyers, 25-21 Flyers through two periods. Attempts were 20-14 Flyers; 42-35 Flyers through two periods. The Flyers missed the net four times (eight through two periods) and had five blocked (10 through two periods). LA had two attempts blocked (nine through two periods) and missed the net twice (five times through two periods).
Voracek missed the final seven minutes of the second period. He returned for the start of the third period. On his first shift, Voracek set up Brayden Schenn for another scoring chance but Quick fought it off.
There were some anxious moments in the Flyers zone as Mason was slow to react to a weird carom off the boards and the Kings very nearly got a cheap goal. Shortly thereafter, Drew Doughty stickhandled at will around the Flyers zone, before finally being broken up by Brandon Manning.
At 3:36 Quick stopped a side-angle backhander by Schenn. It was Schenn's eighth shot on goal in the game. With the period moving near the halfway mark, Mason denied two LA flurries in close to keep the game at 1-1.
The Flyers re-took the lead at as Giroux took a pass from Voracek and snapped a right circle shot past Quick for his sixth goal of the season. Voracek and Del Zotto got the assists.
With time ticking down under five minutes, Mason saved his team's bacon several times as LA pressed heavily in the Philadelphia zone. It was a rough defensive shift for Gostisbehere, among others.
After Mason covered a puck for a stoppage, the Kings pulled Quick for an extra attacker wth 1:15 left in regulation. The Flyers lost the draw, LA moved the puck around, and a Muzzin shot went off Couturier, then off Toffoli and then off the post before Lucic tapped in the rebound. Toffoli and Muzzin got the assists at 19:04.
"There's probably a thing or two to learn about the goal we did give up late in the period," said Hakstol. "In saying that, we did a lot of things right on that play as well in terms of including getting a piece to block that shot. A bounce of the puck and it’s in the back of our net."
Third period shots were 13-8 Kings, 35-33 Kings for regulation. Attempts were 20-14 Flyers; 57-53-35 Kings through regulation. The Flyers missed the net once (nine times through regulation) and had one blocked (11 through regulation). LA had five attempts blocked (14 through three periods) and missed the net four times (11 times through regulation).
The game moved to 3-on-3 overtime. During five minutes of firewagon hockey, the teams raced up and down the ice -- including a Giroux breakaway where he made one too many moves and got pokechecked by Quick as well as a Couturier two-on-one with Gostisbehere where Quick made a 10-bell save -- but no winning goal was netted.
OT shots were 5-5; 40-38 LA through 65 minutes of hockey. The Flyers attempted eight shots to five attempts for LA. The Flyers missed the net twice (11 times for the game) and had one shot attempt blocked (12 for the game. LA put all five of its shot attempts on net but Philadelphia had the better chances.
The Flyers went first in the shootout. Gagner was easily denied on a straight angle wrister. Jeff Carter was denied on a forehand wrister in the bottom of the first round.
In the top of the second round, Giroux moved to his right on Quick but was not able to beat him. In the bottom of the second round, Kopitar scored an absolutely filthy snap shot goal high to the glove side just inside the goal post and crossbar.
Voracek now had to score to keep the skills competition alive. Voracek was denied on the forehand by sliding pad save by Quick.
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FLYERS HONOR GAGNE
For the third time this season, the Flyers honored the recent retirement of a pivotal player of the 2000s. After previous ceremonies to celebrate the careers of Kimmo Timonen and Danny Briere, it was Simon Gagne's turn before Tuesday's game against Los Angeles to bask in the appreciation of Flyers' fans, former teammates, coaches and management.
As with the Timonen and Briere ceremonies, the Flyers ran a pregame tribute video in Gagne's honor before the player, flanked by his children, dropped the ceremonial opening faceoffs. During stoppages of play throughout the game, the ArenaVision screen displayed pre-recorded messages from the likes of Peter Forsberg, Mike Knuble, Justin Williams, Paul Holmgren and others.
“A lot of emotion," Gagne said in describing his special night. "That’s the first thing that comes to my mind, having the family here, my friends, my kids, the people that I know. My dad passed away, I wish he was here tonight but like I said a lot of emotion and really a lot of class from the Flyers to do something like this.”
At Christmas time last year, Gagne's father, Pierre, passed away after a bout with cancer. The elder Gagne, with whom Simon was deeply bonded, was his son's lifelong idol, closest confidant and first hockey teacher. Pierre Gagne, who later spent much of his life as a policeman in Quebec, was a member of the Quebec Junior Aces in his youth and was a tryout player for the Flyers and their first AHL farm team, the Quebec Aces, during the first two training camps (1967 and 1968) in Flyers' franchise history.
Gagne announced his retirement as an active player on Sept. 15 of this year, officially bringing to an end a career in which he spent 702 regular season games and 90 playoff games in a Flyers' uniform among the 822 regular season and 109 playoff games he played in his career.
As a Flyer, Gagne scored 264 regular season goals and 540 regular season points. In the postseason, he scored 32 goals and 47 points.
"I was here for 12 years, only two years in LA, one in Boston, and one in Tampa, so I have a better taste of what’s going on here in Philly, but at the same time every time you jump on the ice especially in the playoffs the crowd is so into it and they give you energy even when you have a hard time," Gagne said.
"They are going to push you and help you and they’re very loyal. This is the best place to play hockey. Yeah I won a cup in LA and it will be something that I remember for the rest of my life, but I am always going to be a Flyer."
During Gagne's Flyers career, he compiled an extensive list of accomplishments: a member of NHL All-Rookie team in 1999-2000, two-time winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP (2005-06 and 2006-07), Pelle Lindbergh Award winner as the team's most improved player of the 2000-01 season, two-time NHL All-Star Game selection (2000-01, 2006-07), two-time 40-goal scorer (2005-06 and 2006-07) on a line with Peter Forsberg and Mike Knuble, Olympic participant for Team Canada in 2002 (gold medal) and 2006, three-time Toyota Cup winner as the Flyers player with the most three-star selections in the 2001-02, 2005-06 and 2006-07, and an important member of the 2009-10 team that reached the Stanley Cup Final as well as the 1999-2000 and 2003-04 squads that fell one win short of the Finals.
Over the course of his Philadelphia playoff career, Gagne scored three of the biggest goals in the post-2000 history of the Flyers' franchise.
In 2004, Gagne tallied the overtime goal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final to force a seventh and deciding game against the Tampa Bay Lightining. In 2010, Gagne played through injury to score the overtime goal in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals that started the Flyers historic comeback from a three-games-to-zero deficit against the Boston Bruins. In Game 7, the Flyers trailed 3-0 in the first period only to storm back and win, 4-3. Gagne capped it with the series-winning goal scored with 7:08 remaining in the third period.
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