Flyers-Sabres Wrapup: Another Point Slips Away; Desjardins and Teammates

FLYERS-SABRES WRAPUP: ANOTHER POINT SLIPS AWAY

In what has been all-too-familiar theme for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2014-15, the team came away from an eminently winnable game with less than two points. On Thursday Night at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers left the building with one point after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabers.

What separates the playoff contenders and playoff pretenders most seasons is how they fare in the games were they have two points in reach. How many times do they settle for one point rather than leaving with two? How many times do they have late third period breakdowns and end up with zero points instead of one or two?

The reality of the 2014-15 Flyers is that the team has, by even a very conservative estimate, frittered away at least 10 points that were there for the taking.

Buffalo is ranked last in the NHL not only in its won-loss record but also in every major team category: fewest goals scored, most goals allowed, worst even-strength differential, lowest-ranked power play, lowest-ranked penalty kill and worst faceoff percentage.

The Sabres worked hard against the Flyers and competed from beginning to end. It should also be noted that winning shootouts is the one thing the club has actually excelled at this season: Buffalo is now 7-2 in taking bonus points from the skill competition (the Flyers fell to 2-7).

That said, the Flyers performance was simply not good enough to beat any team in the NHL on a regular basis. Yes, they had surges where they dominated for stretches but there were also lulls and even points were they got outplayed.

The Flyers got off to a slow start, yielding five of the game's first eight shots. They trailed 1-0 in the first period and then 2-1 in the second before tying the game twice -- but they never led at any point. They got off to a slow start in the third period, getting outshot, 8-3 in the early going.

Each time, the Flyers eventually got their ship righted but they never got that go-ahead goal they needed. Essentially, this was an evenly played game against a team Philly absolutely needed to beat, especially coming off a very frustrating regulation loss to Columbus on Tuesday.

During the course of the Flyers' recent nine-game point streak, one thing they did very well was score first -- and early. That has not happened the last two games, which forces a club to expend a lot of extra energy. The Flyers may not have trailed for long in the game when they had their two deficits but it still cut down their chances of winning.

Ryan White and Jakub Voracek (power play) scored for the Flyers. Ray Emery started out a little shakily but settled in to stop 30 of 32 shots in regulation and overtime and two of four in the shootout. Voracek scored the lone Flyers goal in the shootout.

Voracek, who had a host of scoring chances in Tuesday's game but couldn't bury them, had a pair of glorious chances apart from his goal. One hit the post. The latter was denied from point blank range. Flyers captain Claude Giroux had another frustrating night, getting in the middle of several scoring chances, but again coming away with a goose egg in points on a night where one extra Flyers goal would have made the difference in the outcome.

Nicolas Deslauriers and Brian Gionta scored in regulation for Buffalo. Brian Gionta and Brian Flynn (shootout winner) converted their shootout attempts. Michal Neuvirth stopped 36 of 38 shots in regulation and overtime and then three of four in the shootout.

The Flyers went 1-for-4 on the power play. Buffalo went 0-for-3.

1ST PERIOD

There was a 20-odd second long scrum along the right side boards in the Flyers defensive zone. Nicklas Grossmann and Chris VandeVelde had their respective checks pinned up against the boards with the puck along the wall. Finally,a third Sabre came in and dug it loose.

The Sabres got on the board first at 4:41. Buffalo won a left circle faceoff and Deslauriers bounced a pinballing shot over Emery's pads for his fifth goal of the season. Brian Flynn and Rasmus Ristolainen drew the assists.

Buffalo had five of the game's first eight shots. The Flyers got a chance to regroup when there was a delay to fix the glass near the right corner of the Buffalo zone at 6:27.

Shortly thereafter, the Flyers tied the game at 1-1. A fortuitous bounce off the back boards on a shot by Braydon Coburn came right out to Ryan White near the right post. White stuffed the puck home at 7:23 for his first goal of the season and first as a Flyer. Brayden Schenn, who eluded Ristolainen as he carried the puck into the zone and then made the initial pass to Coburn, drew the secondary assist.

Voracek got a high-sticking minor behind the Flyers net at 9:38. The Flyers had a couple of failed clears and Buffalo had some open men, but Philly survived the kill.

At the end of a very dull first period, Voracek cut through the middle with a burst of speed and shot just wide of the right post.

Shots on goal in the first period were 6-6. Buffalo had no shots in the final 9:30 of the period. Faceoffs were 10-10.

2ND PERIOD

The Sabres retook the lead at the 38-second mark of the middle frame. A harmless looking Torrey Mitchell shot rebounded off Emery's pads directly to Gionta in the right slot. He stashed in home for his sixth goal of the season -- and 500th career NHL regular season point -- to make it a 2-1 lead for Buffalo. Matt Moulson got the secondary assist.

Giroux worked a give-and-go play and snapped a shot on net from the left circle. Neuvirth held on for the stoppage at 13:18.

Chris VandeVelde earned the Flyers their first power play of the game at 7:41 as he went to the net to look for a deflection. Zemgus Girgensons went off for interference. The Flyers cashed in to tie the game at 2-2.

Voracek went to the net and swatted home the puck as an initial attempt by Wayne Simmonds moving across the goal line went to the eventual goal-scorer. Sean Couturier got the secondary assist at 845: . The goal was Voracek's 19th of the season and ninth on the power play.

Emery topped Tyler Ennis on a breakaway and then Grossmann swept the loose puck to safety as he dove to the ice. Tyler Ennis fell over him and slid into Emery. Somehow Ennis got tagged with a goalie interference penalty at 9:52. With 18 seconds left in the power play, a wide-open Voracek hit the long-side post after a feed from Claude Giroux. The Flyers then had a bang-bang chance off the ensuing faceoff but Neuvirth swallowed up a Michael Del Zotto point shot.

Umberger took a stretch pass at center ice and went in on Neuvirth, fending off a defender. The goalie stopped the one-handed shot attempted with 47 seconds left in the period.

With 13.8 seconds left, Matt Read landed a clean open-ice hit on Ennis. Stewart went after Read and took a retaliatory roughing penalty, putting the Flyers on their third power play. Wayne Simmonds had a wrap-around try just before the buzzer.

Shots in the second period were 16-11 Flyers (22-17 Flyers through two periods). Faceoffs were 10-5 Flyers (20-15 Flyers through two periods.

3RD PERIOD

The Flyers attacked hard during the carryover power play. With 34 seconds left on the man advantage as Brayden Schenn went to the box for tripping moments after Neuvirth denied him on a left-circle one-timer from the "Scott Hartnell spot" off a feed from Giroux.

At the 3:25 mark, a multi-player scrum broke out in the Flyers zone after Mitchell sat on top of Giroux.Things escalated but no fights developed. Giroux and Mitchell got offsetting roughing minors and play moved to four-on-four for two minutes.

Emery made a good save coming out to challenge Matt Moulson at about the 5:30 mark of the period. Buffalo took an 8-2 shots lead in the period up to that point.

In an effort to get things going, Flyers head coach Craig Berube shook up line combinations.

The Flyers went to their fourth power play of the game 10:06. Stewart went to the box for a silly offensive zone hooking penalty. Halfway into the power play, a bad handpass ruling was made against Giroux. The faceoff moved out of the zone. The second unit came out and got plenty of perimeter puck movement but no shots.

Voracek was denied by Neuvirth as he went to the net and collected the fumbled rebound of a Grossmann shot with 7:37 remaining

At the 14:49 mark, Girgensons kicked in a loose puck in the crease into the net. The would-be goal was disallowed.

With 2:40 left, Chris VandeVelde (skating the left wing on the top line) was denied in close after a clean faceoff win by Giroux. The shot was Philly's 12th of the period.

Nick Schultz took a tripping minor on Flynn at 19:02, giving Buffalo the rest of regulation (5-on-4) and 1:03 of overtime (4-on-3) on the power play.

Shots were 12-11 Flyers (34-29 Flyers through regulation). Faceoffs were 15-9 Buffalo (30-29 Flyers through regulation).

OVERTIME

With 30 second left on the power play and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scrambling to get back after wiping out in the Buffalo zone. Emery made a clutch save on Bogosian and did not allow a rebound. Shortly thereafter, Couturier had a shorthanded counterattack but could not find the net. The Flyers killed the penalty.

The Flyers attacked very aggressively, trying to end the game in overtime, generating several shots. Then Buffalo had an extended shift in the Philly zone. With 26.1 seconds left, Neuvirth cleanly snapped up a Brayden Schenn left circle shot with his glove.

Shots were 4-3 Flyers (38-32 Flyers for the game). Faceoffs were 3-2 Flyers (30-29 Flyers for the game).

SHOOTOUT

Top of 1st round (1-0 Flyers):Voracek moved left on the forehand as he got Neuvirth to commit early and then scored upstairs.

Bottom of 1st round (1-1 tie): Gionta scores through the five-hole.

Top of 2nd round (1-1 tie): Giroux ran out of room on a west-east-west move and had no angle at which to shoot as Neuvirth stayed with him.

Bottom of 2nd round (1-1 tie): Girgensons was denied by Emery on an attempted backhand flip over the goalie's pads.

Top of 3rd round (1-1 tie): Simmonds got pokechecked as he moved in a little too close to the goaltender.

Bottom of 3rd round (1-1 tie): Ennis momentarily seemed to have Emery beaten but was denied by a spectacular diving stick save.

Top of 4th round (1-1 tie): Couturier fumbled the puck momentarily near the blue line, recovered it, moved in and then shot puck into Neuvirth's chest.

Bottom of 4th round (2-1 Sabres): Flynn won the game on backhand to forehand move. Emery bit first and the Sabre slid the puck home to end the shootout.

POSTGAME NOTES AND QUOTES

* The Flyers will hold a noon practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees on Friday. They will host Peter Laviolette's Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon and the Washington Capitals in an NBC game on Sunday afternoon.

* Philadelphia attempted 84 shots in the game (24 on net, 24 missed, 22 blocked). Buffalo attempted 53 shots (32 on goal, 11 blocked, 10 missed).

* Philly was credited with 38 hits (Luke Schenn was credited with a game-high seven). Buffalo was credited with 36 (Zach Bogosian was credited with six).

* Once again, every Flyers skater reached double-digit minutes in ice time. Vincent Lecavalier had the least at 11:29. All other players had at least 12 minutes.

* Bogosian logged a monstrous 32:23 of ice time for Buffalo. Apart from the six credited hits, he had a game-high seven blocks.

* Simmonds' assist on Jakub Voracek's goal gave him points in six straight games. That matches a career high.

* Matt Read on his hit on Tyler Ennis and Chris Stewart going after him:""He's one of their top players. Certainly if someone hit G, even if it's clean, you have to show your opponent you can't do that. It's completely fine. It's part of the hockey game."

* Ray Emery on whether Philadelphia plays down to the level of weaker opposition: "I don’t know if that’s necessarily the case. I don’t know if they are that many bad hockey clubs anymore. If you look at their games, I know they don’t have very many wins but they aren't getting blown out. They are maybe losing 2-1 in a shootout against good teams. We respect every opponent. Like I said, I thought we played well but we have to win."

*Claude Giroux on whether he sees any positives to take from the last two games: "We’re playing good hockey. We’re playing as a team. Every game is tight at the end of the year and we know that. We just need to play 60 minutes of it. Razor did a good job and the kept the whole team together. We had good chemistry out there, we had a lot of good chances but it’s obviously disappointing.…

* Ryan White on whether the Flyers may have overlooked Columbus and Buffalo ahead of the upcoming weekend games against Nashville and Washington: "I don’t think we think that way about any team that we are playing as well. It’s about us and how we are playing. We’ve had lapses these past two games where we haven't been good enough. That part has been the different. We’ve had periods when we have been really good, put some pressure on some teams and some good periods. Last few games we haven't had full 60s and that’s going to cost you. Doesn't matter who you’re playing."

* Mark Streit's bottom-line take on the game: "We can’t look for excuses here, that’s a team you have to beat. You know they came out hard, they played hard, and played well defensively. Still we had some chances especially on the power play but it hit the post and that’s unfortunate. You’re right, though. It’s not acceptable, you have to win those games.…

* Flyers head coach Craig Berube on whether he considered the Flyers' effort unacceptable: "Well, we’re definitely not happy about it. With saying that you know, tonight we have to find a way to score a goal. We couldn’t, we didn’t but it’s over with. We have to think about the next game and scoring 2 points. ...Unacceptable? No. ... We fired a lot of shots we had a lot of chances. Like I said we didn’t get the next goal. But unacceptable? I think our team competed."

* Berube on Claude Giroux's most recent games: "He’s frustrated. He wants to win; he one of the guys that has to produce and I talk to him a lot about different things."

* Braydon Coburn on the difference it makes scoring first as opposed to having to play from behind: "I think you look at the stats league wide and that first goal it doesn’t matter what team it is, if it’s the Flyers, the Devils it doesn’t matter who. I think it is an extremely important goal and it’s something we have to take care of. We have to make sure we have quick starts and try to jump on teams early. I think they give us a better chance playing from a position of strength.…

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DESJARDINS JOINS FLYERS HALL OF FAME

Eric Desjardins was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony before the Flyers-Sabres game. He joined Hockey Hockey of Fame inductee Mark Howe, Joe Watson, Ed Van Impe, and the late Barry Ashbee among defensemen to earn the honor.

Surrounded by his wife and kids, his mother and by numerous former Flyers teammates of the 1990s to 2000s, Desjardins gave a heartfelt and classy acceptance speech.

The funniest moment of the ceremony came when Desjardins' longtime Flyers defense partner, Chris Therien, joked that he'd just broken the news to Desjardins that all the home fan booing over the years was not actually directed at "Bundy" but at Desjardins.

Roughly 90 minutes prior to the ceremony, Desjardins spoke with the media in a press conference. He was followed by former teammates Eric Lindros, John LeClair, Shjon Podein and Keith Primeau.

Below, courtesy of the Flyers, are the transcripts of the press conference

Eric Desjardins session

Q: One thing I’m curious about, in your day you were literally in the correct position on every play. A: “I’m sure you can find videos that I was in a bad position.… Q: What do you see as the difference today in the defensemen in the league compared to the way you played? A: “The game is a lot faster. There is no doubt about it. When I played, it was that you had to make sure you were the first on the puck and make sure that you were the first one to retrieve the puck. Now, guys are coming so fast that I think the positioning is even more important. I think at times you can let the guy go first and then you look for the puck because they come at great speed and they’re big like [Primeau] and [Lindros] were and they had unbelievable speed so it’s a little bit different now to play in that position. Q: You said when you retired you were going to retire as a Flyer, can you talk about what it meant to you to put on a uniform and play here? A: “I played for the Flyers for 11 years and I experienced so many great things here. There were so many good years. We had a chance to go in the playoffs every year. I had my kids here, so I think for me I wanted to keep playing, but in the league as a Flyer. I didn’t want to go anywhere else.… Q: What was your happiest moment as a Flyer and what was your unhappiest moment? A: “It was probably when we went to the Finals, that was a great moment. It was a fun run that we had. The saddest moment was maybe when I retired.… Q: What are your memories of opening this building at the '96 World Cup of Hockey with Team Canada? A" “I knew I was going to play in this building on the right side. But when I played with team Canada it was different playing against the Americans in this building. It was good, we were all looking forward to moving into the building and we were wondering how it was going to be compared to the Spectrum. I think they did a really good job of the way they built it. We feel that the crowd is still really into it and close to the ice. It’s not the Spectrum, but we had some really loud nights here in the playoffs and the regular season that I played.… Q: You grew up in Montreal when they had those great teams, who was your idol on those teams and did you ever play forward or was it always defense? A: “Always defense. I never really had an idol growing up, it was more when I got close to the NHL I started to look at players that I could compare myself to. Ray Bourque was a French Canadian so he was one guy that I really looked up to and I had a chance to play with him in the Olympics and the All-Star game so that was really nice.… Q: When you first came over here from Montreal, how much of a help was it to come over here with John [LeClair] and to have another familiar face in Kevin Haller? A: “It’s always tough to get traded. It makes it easier when you come with a guy that you know and guys that you have played with there’s no doubt about it. It was a big shock to come down here but it didn’t take long for us to feel at home.… Q: Do you feel like your game developed when you were here? A: “At the age I got here, my game could only get better as a defenseman. I was 25 when I got here and you get experience you start to get confidence too, you get stronger as an athlete physically. So I think it’s just as a defenseman it always takes longer to mature. When I got here, I got all the chances I could hope for with the coaches that I got and the management, they gave me every chance to succeed.…

Former teammates session

Q: We’ll start with you Keith, if you look at Eric Desjardins then and now, what would you tell a player today that made him so special and why you would want to emulate him? Keith Primeau: “I think it was his quiet leadership and the way he approached his job. He was the ultimate professional in the way that he carried himself. He did it with humility and dignity. I think that’s what garnered him the respect not only in our locker room, but around the league.… Q: This is for Shjon and Eric, at the time that the trade was first made to bring John [LeClair] and Eric [Desjardins] here, do you remember your thought process at the time? You were losing Mark Recchi but bringing in some quality players. The team was off to a slow start but were there any expectations as how the team was going to change? Eric Lindros:“I was fairly new in the league, so in terms of knowing the other guys coming in I wasn’t as upset as other older players might have been. Obviously, it turned out amazing, it was probably the best move that was pulled off in that little spot for sure. It was a very nice trade for Philly.… Shjon Podein: “Just at the time, changes like that are really tough. When you lose a guy like Recchi, who was a professional like Keith was saying about Eric [Desjardins]. I knew exactly what we were getting in return. I can’t remember if it was that year after the Flyers [had] missed the playoffs for five years, when we clinched that night, when that trade just seemed like it was a great fit for what they were trying to do in Philadelphia at the time. It really catapulted this organization to the next level.… Q: Some of you guys played against Desjardins, when he got here and you saw him up close what was the biggest thing that stuck out to you about the kind of player that he was? KP: “I probably had the opportunity to play against him more than most of these guys because they played longer with him here, but it was interesting because I saw a quote from Hexy [Ron Hextall] that said “you didn’t really appreciate him until he was on your team… and I looked at it from my perspective and probably felt the same way. He was a good player when you played against him, but you didn’t fully appreciate him until you played with him. There were things that he could do with the puck, he was poised, he had to play with Bundy. There are a lot of reasons why Rico was a good player.…

John LeClair: “Absolutely. When I look back at it, the backbone of the success that we had when I was here and the reason why, Eric was the reason why. Without him back there and the way he controlled the game and the things that he did, that honestly helped us so much as forwards. I had the opportunity to play with him a lot, in Montreal and here, I don’t think other people realize how much of an asset he is and what he does for everybody on the ice.… Q When you were with him in Montreal, how did you see him evolve? JL:“I think that his game kept getting better. When we were in Montreal, you could see his game getting better and better each month, each year. When I got there he already had a year under his belt and he was a guy that was a steady defenseman that they counted on. Like I said, he progressed to being the great defenseman he is. “ EL: “If you think of Eric, he did so many things really really well. If you think of some defenseman that can shoot the puck really hard or single or double fast, and that’s there game. Eric was everything. He could skate, he could shoot, first pass to him if you needed a goal, he would score goals at clutch times. Meanwhile if you were in need of a goal scorer here and there absolutely. He was that quiet force. He was just amazing.… Q: What was his absolute best attribute? EL: …His stick. I think the combination of his stick, his skating, and the ability to be able to read plays both offensively and defensively. “ JL: “For me I think it was the respect he had off the ice. His leadership on the ice was outstanding, but if you look at how he handled himself off the ice, he had the respect of everyone in that locker room at any time.… Q: As forwards, when you have a defenseman that is going to give that first pass on the tape time after time, what does that do for your own games? KP: “Saves you a lot of energy. You’re not spending time in the defensive zone, you’re able to make plays to get out of your own zone, you’re able to get into the neutral zone more quickly, it just saves you a lot of time and effort from having to spend time in your zone. It’s the number one quality, when you ask a forward what they want from a guy it’s that he can get a puck and put it on his tape.… JL: “That was the thing with Rico. He was so smart. He never gave you a bad pass when you were in a bad position. He read things so well that he could see that you were going to get to a spot and he’d put the puck in that spot. He saw the game and thought the game really well.… Q: Was Rico's [natural] offensive game good enough that if he would have sacrificed some defense that he could have put up some really great numbers offensively if he wasn’t such a two way player? JL: “I think so. I just don’t think that that’s his character. I think he’s responsible defensively and that’s why he took care of that part.… SP: “ I agree, he’s such a selfless player that he could have easily made that decision but it would have hurt the team and he just wouldn’t do that. That’s not him.… Q: For Keith and John, the 2004 team that got to the conference finals against Tampa how much of an absence did he have and could he have been the deciding factor? JL: “He’s a difference maker back there, so you’ll never know. But he’s definitely a difference maker.… KP: “I would agree. We were down to just bodies so you’re taking Sami Kapanen and putting him in the front and then taking Desjardins and putting him on the back end for thirty minutes… yeah it’s probably a different outcome.…