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Wrapup: Point Gained, Point Lost in 5-4 Shootout Loss in Sunrise, Carnival |
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WRAPUP: FLYERS GAIN, LOSE POINT IN 5-4 Shootout Loss to Panthers
The Philadelphia Flyers took one point from a seesaw game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night, leaving with one point from a 5-4 shootout loss. The Flyers lost one point in the wildcard race to the Detroit Red Wings, who staged a comeback win over the New York Rangers earlier in the day, and gained one point on the idle Pittsburgh Penguins.
Philadelphia is now three points behind the Red Wings for the higher wildcard seed in the Eastern Conference but hold one game in hand and play each other head-to-head in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening. They are two points behind the Penguins for the lower wildcard seed.
On Saturday in Sunrise, the Flyers erased a pair of one-goal deficits -- 1-0 in the first period and a 4-3 disadvantage in the latter part of the third period -- but also being unable to protect leads of 2-1 (second period) and 3-2 (early third period). They also had a power play opportunity in overtime but were unable to turn into a goal. The skills competition was almost predictable; a 2-0 loss in two rounds. The Panthers are 7-3 in the shootout this season; tops in the NHL.
Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere's 15th goal of the season, a seeing-eye wrist shot from the point, found the net at 18:05 of the third period to force OT. After trailing 1-0 midway through the opening period, the Flyers got goals by Nick Cousins (fifth of the season) to tie the game in the latter portion of the opening stanza and a Ryan White deflection power play goal (eighth of the season) to forge a short-lived second period 2-1 loss that Florida got back just 18 seconds later. Early in the third period, Michael Raffl (10th goal of the season) deflected home an Evgeny Medvedev shot from the point to put the Flyers ahead 4-3.
With Michal Neuvirth sidelined by a stomach virus, Steve Mason started for the fourth straight game. He stopped 22 of the first 24 shots he faced but finished the night with 25 stops on 29 shots in regulation and overtime and went 0-for-2 in the shootout.
All four Florida goals in regulation were scored from high-danger areas where many goals are scored leaguewide: two from the left circle near the hash marks, one from the slot and one crashing the doorstep of the net.
Florida counterpart Roberto Luongo stopped 22 of 26 shots during the hockey game but went 2-for-2 in the skills competition. The Panthers got first-period and third period goals from Reilly Smith, a Jonathan Huberdeau second period goal off a slick feed by Jaromir Jagr to tie the game at 2-2 and an Alexsander Barkov power play marker at 8:24 of the third period to re-tie the game at 3-3 before Smith, crashing the net and into Mason as he finished off a Jussi Jokinen pass, gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead. Nick Bjugstad and Barkov scored in the shootout.
The Flyers went 1-for-5 on the power play, 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
On Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center, the team will hold the 39th edition of the Flyers Wives Carnival. After a practice day on Monday, the Flyers will host the Red Wings in a crucial game on Tuesday evening.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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