Wrap: Toronto Defeats Flyers, 5-2
The Philadelphia Flyers dropped a 5-2 decision to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday evening. After a scoreless first period, Toronto took a 3-1 lead to the locker room at the end of the middle stanza. In the third period, the Leafs added a 5-on-5 and an even strength goal while Philadelphia scored once.
The Flyers have now lost six games in a row, all in regulation.
Additionally, after going 0-for-3 on the power play against Toronto on Tuesday, the Flyers are just 8 for their last 100 on the man advantage. For the season, the team's 12.2 percent success rate on the power play is the lowest in franchise history. The NHL has only officially tracked power play stats since 1977-78. However, Pete Anson of Flyershistory.com hand-tracked power play stats from the start of franchise history and the team's 12.3 percent mark in the inaugural 1967-68 season (33 for 269) was the lowest prior to this season. The team posted a 13.0 percent rate on the power play in 2001-02, but the leaguewide average was only 15.5 percent. In 2021-22, the league average is roughly 21 percent.
In Tuesday's game, the Flyers played better overall than they did over four of the six periods they played in getting swept by Buffalo in a home-and-home set over the weekend. That did not mean that Philly deserved a better fate in this game.
The Flyers killed penalties well in the first period but got shredded on what proved to be the game-winning goal in the second: cross-seam passes are plaguing this team on the PK. They gave up a demoralizing goal on what turned into a Keystone Kops sequence in the last half-minute of the second period. The Flyers also had an abortive 6-on-5 when down by a goal in the late stages of the third period; it rapidly turned into a Toronto empty-net goal.
Starting goalie Martin Jones had a mediocre looking stat line (24 saves on 28 shots) but this game was another case of the Flyers not giving their goalie a reasonable chance to make enough saves to win. Jones and the team did escape a couple near-miss scrambles around the net but the team, on the whole, had too many breakdowns that ended up in the back of the net. The first period was scoreless. At 1:35 of the second period, Timothy Liljegren (5th goal of the season) pinched in atop the right circle and gave Toronto a 1-0 lead. A multi-effort rebound goal by James van Riemsdyk (21st) tied the score but William Nylander (power play, 32nd) put Toronto ahead again at 13: 39. A neutral zone Flyers turnover and defender Keith Yandle falling down resulted in a tic-tac-toe goal for Jason Spezza (11th) at 19:35.
A double-deflected goal credited to David Kampf (11th of the season) made it 4-1 midway through the third period. Ronnie Attard (2nd NHL goal) sniped one to narrow the deficit again to two goals but Ilya Mikheyev (18th) restored a three-goal final margin with an empty-net goal.
At junctures of the game, several of the Flyers young players stood out positively. But young players and veterans alike were culpable in some of the breakdowns. Philadelphia competed fine and the work ethic was there. Toronto is simply the deeper, more talented team and the Flyers made a few too many errors of commission and omission they couldn't afford for a club that has scant margin for error on most nights.
The Flyers lost veteran depth defenseman Kevin Connauton to an apparent knee injury early in the third period. Interim head coach Mike Yeo said after the game that Connauton is likely to miss time; with the season ending on April 29, it may be tough for him to get back in time to be able make another appearance this season.
Unless rookie defenseman Cam York (lower-body injury, officially day-to-day) is able to return to the lineup for Thursday's game in Montreal, the Flyers will have to make an emergency recall from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms to fill out the starting blueline for that game. If York isn't ready, callup possibilities include Linus Högberg, Wyatte Wylie, post-deadline acquisition Brennan Menell or veteran Adam Clendening.
For an in-depth synopsis, analysis and highlight clips from Tuesday's game in Toronto see the Postgame 5 on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com.
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Wrap: Providence Tops Phantoms in OT, 5-4
For the third straight match, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms had to settle for one point from a game they needed to win in order to better their chances at reaching the Calder Cup playoffs. They're still mathematically alive after a 5-4 overtime road loss to the Providence Bruins on Tuesday.
Realistically, Ian Laperrriere's team needs to win at least four of their final five games. They will also get some outside help via neither the Hartford Wolf Pack (who cannot finish better than 2-1-0 in their final three games) nor the Bridgeport Tigers (who cannot finish better than 0-1-1) taking care of business in their own remaining games.
On Tuesday, the Phantoms held leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 in the first period. They trailed, 4-3, by the end of the second period but rallied midway through the third period to force overtime on Isaac Ratcliffe's 10th goal of the season. The Ratcliffe goal was the only puck that Lehigh Valley got past Brandon Bussi (36 saves on 40 shots overall, 24 saves on 25 shots over the final 46 minutes) after the first period.
Wyatte Wyile (5th goal of the season), Logan Day (6th) and Nick Lappin (5th) scored goals for Lehigh Valley in the first period. Providence countered with tallies by Justin Brazeau (14th), Georgii Merkulov (1st), Stephen Fogarty (power play, 12th) and John Beecher (1st) to trail 3-2 at the first intermission and then surge ahead, 4-3, in the middle stanza.
At 2:00 of sudden death overtime, Beecher skated down the left wing and fired a shot, partially deflected by Wade Allison, that found the net against Pat Nagle (29 saves on 34 shots).
In a losing cause, Ratcliffe (1g, 1a), Day (1g, 1a) and Brennan Menell (2a) finished with two points apiece for the Phantoms.
Next up for the Phantoms: a home-and-home set with the Hershey Bears. The teams will play at the PPL Center in Allentown on Friday and then wrap up the season series at the Giant Center in Hershey on Saturday.