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Wrap: Late Collapse Dooms Flyers to 6-5 OT Loss in Calgary

December 13, 2018, 1:05 AM ET [873 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Two Calgary Flames goals in the final 1:08 of regulation, including a game-tying goal with seven ticks left on the clock, sent Wednesday's game at the Saddledome with the Philadelphia Flyers to overtime. The Flames, who had four unsuccessful power plays in the third period and allowed a shorthanded goal along the way, went on to win in overtime, 6-5.

After trailing by scores of 1-0 (first intermission) and 2-1 (early second period), the Flyers went on to build leads of 4-2 and 5-3 (third period) but were unable to close out the game. A four-goal second period by the Flyers ended up going to waste. Both teams scored one power play goal and one shorthanded goal apiece.

A player who has been a Flyer-killer in his still-young career, Sean Monahan, led the way for the Flames with a three-point game. He tallied his 19th goal of the season, a power play goal in which he was left uncovered in the slot, in the second period. Later, Monahan scored a rebound goal at 19:53 of the third period for his 20th goal of the season and second of the game. Monahan's night was capped off with a secondary assist on the Johnny Gaudreau goal (13th) off a Mark Giordano rebound that ended the game 35 seconds into overtime.

A Ramus Andersson (1st NHL goal) tally on a point shot through traffic with 1:08 left on a 6-on-5 Flames attack set in motion the Flyers' collapse as the gap was cut to 5-4. The assists went to Gaudreau and Tkachuk.

Earlier in the game, Sam Bennett (5th goal) opened the scoring midway through the first period on a play where defenseman Robert Hägg got caught in no-man's land and Bennett was open in front of the net to stash home the rebound of a Matthew Tkachuk wrap around attempt at 9:13. The Flyers had built an early 7-0 shot advantage and generated good pressure on their first power play but found themselves trailing first.

With the score tied at 1-1 in the second period, Giordano (4th goal of the season) elected to shoot on an odd-man rush and found the net to the short side on a stoppable looking shot from the top of the left circle.

In the meantime, the Flyers came back from their two one-goal deficits to build what should have been a solid lead. Travis Sanheim scored his third goal and fourth point in the last four games in the opening minute of the second period. Taking a pass in stride from Claude Giroux, Sanheim made a slick shift to the backhand and deposited the puck in the net to tie the game at 1-1.

Twenty-three seconds after the Giordano shorthanded goal, the Flyers pulled even again at 2-2. James van Riemsdyk was the beneficiary of a Sean Couturier shot attempt then rattled around and went to him near the right post for his third goal of the season. Giroux got the secondary assist on the goal.

On the next shift after the JVR goal, the Flyers took the lead at 3-2. Ivan Provorov passed the puck from the defensive near to just over the blueline, which Couturier than knocked past a Flames forechecker to generate a rush up the ice. Working a give-and-go with Jakub Voracek on the left wing, Couturier went to the net and was the recipient of a gorgeous thread-the-needle pass from Voracek. Couturier re-directed the puck home for his 11th goal of the season.

At 7:43 of the middle frame, Philly built a 4-2 edge on a gift goal that caught Calgary goaltender Mike Smith napping. On a routine rush up the right wing, Weise wristed a harmless looking (and clear-sighted) shot from well above the right circle. Smith, very deep in his net, simply botched what should have been a routine save. The assists went to Radko Gudas and Hägg.

Monahan's mid-second period power play goal trimmed the Flyers edge to 4-3. In the third period, the Flyers took a parade of undisciplined penalties but seemed to have escaped harm. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz in particular stepped up with big saves.

At 11:10 of the third period, Couturier struck what could -- and should -- have been a near death blow to the Flames on this night: a shorthanded goal that restored a two-goal Philadelphia lead. Blocking a puck at the point, Couturier rumbled up ice on a breakaway and elected to fire off a quick wrist shot from the slot rather than taking the puck all the way to the net. The decision paid off as he found the twine for his second goal of the game (12th of the season). The goal was unassisted.

Calgary starter Smith was pulled after the soft goal by Weise. He finished with just 10 saves on 14 shots; three saves on the final seven shots he saw after stopping each of the first seven during Philly's early first period burst. David Rittich was not busy after relieving Smith. He stopped four of five shots, including one in overtime before the winning Gaudreau goal, to earn the win. Couturier's shorthanded goal came against Rittich.

Flyers starter Stolarz ended up having an ugly statistical night, stopping 35 of 41 shots. He had made a dozen third period saves -- including several tough stops -- before the two late 6-on-5 goals. The Giordano shorthander was one he'd have liked back but the Weise goal that made it 4-2 in Philly's favor was a worse goal allowed by Smith.

The Flyers went 1-for-3 on the power play with a shorthanded goal allowed. Philly was 5-for-6 on the penalty kill -- four of them coming in the third period -- with the Couturier shorthander.

With the overtime loss, the Flyers dropped to 12-13-4. From here, they face back-to-back games in Edmonton on Friday and Vancouver on Sunday.
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