Wrap: Three-Goal Comeback Not Enough vs. Jets
The Philadelphia Flyers overcame a 3-0 deficit against the Winnipeg Jets only to lose, 5-3, at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday evening. It was one of more galling losses of the season.
After falling into a three-goal home before the first period was halfway done -- the result of a deflection, a 2-on-1 caused by having four skaters below the dots in the offensive zone, and a coverage breakdown on a backdoor goal -- the Flyers found a way to regain their equilibrium.
Philly methodically chipped away at the deficit. They got one goal back late in the first period on a well-conceived rush by Owen Tippett with a teammate driving the net. The deficit was reduced to one goal on a late second period power play goal. Philly then drew even on another power play goal early in the third period. Along the way, the Flyers had gotten decent goaltending when there was a reasonable chance at a save.
The Jets came into the game scorching hot on both ends of special teams. The Flyers went 2-for-4 against the NHL's No. 2 ranked penalty kill (which had killed 18 consecutive penalties heading into the game). Philly went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill -- in pretty emphatic fashion -- against a power play that had come in 12-for-42. That included a 5-on-3 kill in the third period to keep the game tied.
All of the momentum had firmly shifted to the Flyers' side. Suddenly, it was torpedoed by a dribbler off the stick that produced a knuckleball effect and dribbled between the pads of Felix Sandström. It was about as bad and deflating of a goal as one could possibly see, especially under the circumstances. The final Winnipeg goal was an empty netter. To add further insult to injury, three of the Jets' five goals, including the game-winner, were scored by their fourth line.
In the first period, the Jets picked the Flyers' apart for three goals on their first six shots. Tallies by Axel Jonsson-Fjällby (4th goal of the season), Kyle Connor (24th) and Mark Scheifele (29th) built a 3-0 lead by the time the game was 8:31 old. A late-period goal off the rush by Ivan Provorov (3rd) on a setup by Owen Tippett narrowed the gap to 3-1 at 18:39.
In the second period, the Flyers came on over the latter half of the period. Finally, a Kevin Hayes tally (PPG, 14th) at 18:27 narrowed Winnipeg's edge to 3-2.
The Flyers made the most of another power play chance, this time early in the third. Hayes (PPG, 15th of the season, second of the game) converted a Morgan Frost rebound at 2:35 to tie the game at 3-3. Philly subsequently killed off back-to-back penalties but then a soft five-hole goal by Karson Kuhlman (3rd) at 8:44 put the Jets back on top. Kevin Stenlund (3rd) added a late empty-net goal.
Sandström stopped 26 of 29 shot in a losing cause. David Rittich earned the win with 28 saves on 31 shots.
For a period-by-period synopsis, analysis, stats and highlights, see the
Postgame 5 on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com.
The Flyers (20-21-7) have an off-day on Monday. On Tuesday, they will host the Los Angeles Kings at the Wells Fargo Center.
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Quick Hits: January 23, 2023
1) On today's edition of Flyers Daily, Jason Myrtetus and I dissected the games of this past week. It was a rollercoaster that reflected many of both the good and the bad things that have basically added up to the Flyers being at "hockey .500" (a win below it after last night). We also discussed Sandström, the pros and cons of Tony DeAngelo's game, whether we could see some starting line combination juggling in the week ahead after Philly has gone with the same lines and defense pairs for over a month, whether the Flyers would entertain pre-deadline trade offers for players other than their impending UFAs, and more. To listen,
click here.
2)On the newest Prospect Pipeline podcast, Flyers AGM Brent Flahr spoke with @BSmithPHI and me for an extensive rundown of prospects in the system. We covered a lot of ground in the 35-minute discussion, including:
* The decision to send Samuel Ersson to Lehigh Valley after the strong impression the young goalie made in seven games with the Flyers.
* The recent ELC signing of Ethan Sansom.
* Younger players taking on a greater share of responsibilities at the AHL level with the Phantoms and NHL level with the Flyers. In terms of the NHL level, Flahr specifically pointed out the confidence that has grown in Morgan Frost's game over the last month. The Flyers portion of the discussion comes at the end of the podcast.
* Flahr's assessments on the progress this season of various Phantoms players including Tyson Foerster, Elliot Desnoyers, Ronnie Attard, Ronnie Attard and Zayde Wisdom. He also talked about the struggles of Isaac Ratcliffe and Hayden Hodgson this season and the competition for playing time (especially among forwards) with the Phantoms. There were other Phantoms players I planned to ask about, such as Adam Ginning, Wyatte Wylie and Linus Högberg, but didn't get to discuss for the sake of moving the program along to players at other levels.
* Flahr's assessment on the recent World Junior Championships in general and the play of Cutter Gauthier and Brian Zanetti in particular.
* We also touched upon Gauthier's freshman season at Boston College to date. Then we moved on Boston University senior Jay O'Brien and BU freshman Devin Kaplan.
* There's a segment looking at the progress this season of three prospects playing in Europe: Swedish defenseman Emil Andrae in the SHL, Finnish winger Samu Tuomaala in Mestis and Liiga, and Belarusian goalie Alexei Kolosov in the KHL.
To listen, click
Prospect Pipeline: Special guest Brent Flahr.
3) Tonight, I will be speaking to member of the official
Philadelphia Flyers Fan Club at their January meeting. The meeting will be held at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, starting at 7 p.m. ET.
4) Flyers Alumni Association: On March 3, the Friday Night Fights event will return for the first time since the pandemic. It will be held live at 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia. For those unfamiliar with the event, it's a special extension of the Alumni Speaker Series.
This year, the featured speakers include Dave "the Hammer" Schultz, Dave Brown, Todd "Fridge" Fedoruk, Stu "the Grim Reaper" Grimson, and Matthew Barnaby. In addition to the speakers sharing stories from their careers in hot stove fashion, there are highlight video packages.
Cocktail hour appetizers and an extensive array of main course dinner options and desserts are prepared by Bacio Kitchen and Catering under the direction of Chef Robert Manniti.
Tickets are now available through the 2300 Arena online box office. To purchase tickets,
click here. All proceeds go to the Flyers Alumni Association's various programs and supported charities.
For more information, visit the
Flyers Alumni Association official website. Note: If you purchased tickets to the Friday Night Fights event that was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is no need to purchase again. Your original tickets will be honored at the door on March 3.
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