WRAP: SEASON ENDS IN 4-3 SO LOSS TO CANES

Finishing a roller coaster season that was ultimately a disappointment, the Philadelphia Flyers settled for one point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday night.

The Flyers finished the 2016-17 season with a 39-33-10 overall record for 88 points. They were 25-11-5 at home, but just 14-22-5 on the road.

"Right now, I think we are all disappointed to have our season end tonight. Reality is in the last dozen games we finished 7-3-2. It’s really hard to make up ground at this time of year and we didn’t. We weren’t able to make up very much ground at all," Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said.

"You look back to the points of the year, where you let some games slip and like I said, you get to the point of the year where regardless to how well you are playing, it’s difficult to make up a lot of ground. It’s disappointing to be starting to think about year-end meetings right now but, that’s reality. There is a lot of good mixed in. Growth and development is not easy. This certainly wasn’t where we wanted to be on this particular night. You have to grow from it, you have to relish the challenge of continuing to work towards the next opportunity. Unfortunately, for us that’s not going to be in the National Hockey League playoffs starting in a couple of days.”

On Sunday, a pair of goals by Dale Weise, who surged late in the season, and Wayne Simmonds' team-leading 31st goal of the season led the way for the Flyers. Claude Giroux was the only Flyer to score in the three-round skills competition. Jordan Weal had another impressive game as well, creating multiple scoring chances and assisting on Simmonds' goal.

"I think that’s the player I know I can be. It’s nice to have a little chemistry with your line mates and get a chance to play for a couple games together. Things start to make it easier for you and playing a little more minutes, getting a little opportunity. Obviously I got a couple of bounces early and kind of built on that, so I think I can score goals. I’ve said that all along. I think I believe in myself as a player and in the last 10-15 games I’ve shown the player I can be," Weise said.

"When things aren’t going well, like pucks are bouncing and you’re just not getting the scoring chances. Like I said, with 'Schenner' and 'Cootsy' I think we just had some chemistry together and the game seems easy. We kind of have a couple of set plays that work for us offensively on faceoffs and I just kind of know where they are out there and vice a versa so it works for us.”

Sean Couturier recorded a pair of assists in the finale. He finished the season with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) over the final 20 games and was plus-18 at even strength.

Power forward Simmonds pointed to the late-season chemistry he developed with trade deadline acquisition Valterri Filppula and call-up forward Weal as something that also made the Flyers a tough team to play against over the final quarter of the season.

I think you add two guys like that, you hit the nail on the head when you said depth, it allowed us to spread the lines out and bring more to our attack, both of those guys have been able to fill multiple roles and I’ve had the pleasure of playing with them for the last couple weeks. They added a lot of skill, while playing well defensively, hard on the puck, they allowed us to do different things and tinker with the lineup," Simmonds said.

However, Simmonds also readily acknowledged that the Flyers did not take care of business while they still controlled their own destiny, and they paid dearly for it.

"We got hot too late, I think it’s obviously not a positive, but if we had played the way we did the last 10 games of the year, I think we would have got in. Now it’s over, there isn’t much we can do about, all we can do now is focus on the summer and getting ready for next year," Simmonds said.

Brock McGinn scored twice for Carolina in regulation, as the Canes built leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before Philly took a short-lived lead in the third period. Sebastian Aho sent the game to OT with a third-period power play goal. McGinn then scored the winning goal in the shootout. Playing his final NHL game, Bryan Bickell finished it by scoring in the first round of the skills competition.

Anthony Stolarz got the start in goal for the Flyers. He turned aside 32 of 35 shots in regulation and overtime. The rookie netminder went 1-for-3 in the shootout.

After the game, Stolarz was asked about his observations from his first seven games in the NHL and the differences between the National Hockey League and American Hockey League.

“It’s a lot faster than the American League. It’s a lot of fun being here and I’ve just gotta keep working hard, working on my game, and take everything that I’ve seen on video and just bring it back to Allentown for the rest of the year and just continue working on my game this summer," said Stolarz.

Asked about his biggest personal takeaway from his first batch of NHL games, Stolarz had an immediate response.

“Definitely confidence," Stolarz said. "Obviously, coming up here and being able to play at this level and kind of show I can hold my own kind of makes me want to go out there and just work that much harder and continue to work on my game and just continue working hard so I can try to earn a spot here next year.”

Hakstol was asked if he's seen enough of Stolarz to feel confident that the young goalie is ready to advance to a full-time NHL roster spot come next season. The coach, not surprisingly, wasn't ready to make such a pronouncement after seven games.

“I think it’s a small sample size. I’ve seen enough to think that he’s really making nice progress in terms of answering your question I think that’s one that needs to be answered over time," Hakstol said.

Flyers captain Claude Giroux said that the final one-quarter of the season, even though goals were often hard to come by for much of the early part of the home stretch, was much closer to what the team needed to do all season to avoid the long post-Christmas skid that doomed the campaign. He also pointed to the positives from the team's strong home record and their overall play through most of the late November to mid-December 10-game winning streak.

"I think the last 10 games [in March and April], we got a little more results that we were looking for, but the 10 games before that I think we were playing some good hockey, but couldn’t find a way to get the two points. When we won 10 in a row, I think that was the biggest thing, we go into the third and got it done," Giroux said.

Eddie Läck was in goal for the Hurricanes on Sunday. He stopped 41 of 44 shots in regulation and overtime and went 2-for-3 in the shootout to earn the win.

Playing in his final NHL game after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Carolina forward Bickell received a nice ovation from the Wells Fargo Center crowd when he was announced in the starting lineup. Later, he received an even bigger ovation during a first-period video tribute. Although it worked to the Hurricanes' benefit, converting a rare shootout attempt was a nice way to end his decade-long career.

“I heard everyone else got booed and I got cheers. It was nice. It was respect from the fans. It was special," Bickell said of the cheers he received from the Wells Fargo Center crowd.

The Flyers went 0-for-1 on the power play, and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. Faceoffs were very close, with Carolina winning 26 of 50.

Veteran Flyers defenseman Nick Schultz, who was also in the starting lineup, dressed in his 1,069th NHL regular season game. There is a significant possibility that he retires this summer.

"Schultzy is a great player, he’s a great guy and he brings a lot to this team. He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had, he’s all about the team and when you see a guy like that you learn from that, I have so much respect for that guy, he’s a great guy," Giroux said.

On the flip side of Schultz's possible retirement, Flyers defenseman Robert Hägg made his NHL debut.

“My girlfriend was the first person I called. Then I called my mom and dad. Basically, I called my whole family in about 15 minutes," Hägg said about what he did immediately after learning of his recall on Saturday night.

Albeit in a meaningless and low-pressure game played similarly to a tilt at the end of the exhibition schedule, Hägg played quite well in all facets of the game in his debut: positional D, physical play in the corners, blocking shots, and making some intelligent pinches. Overall, he skated 21:19 of ice time over 27 shifts, registering five shots on goal in nine attempts, being credited with four hits and three blocked shots.

"I know how it feels like to be out there. I know it’s like game 82 and the game is probably not the way the coaches wanted it to play but I had a lot of fun out there," Hägg said.

"I was trying to play my game and play what I see out there. I’m not like ‘okay I’m going to do like this or that’ I just try to play it how it comes.”

Hakstol said the young Swedish blueliner impressed with his poise.

I thought it was solid, strong play. Confident player. I thought he defended pretty well. It didn’t take him very long to settle in to the hockey game. He defended well. He moved well. I thought he supports the play really well. He showed real good confidence. So overall it was a nice start for him," Hakstol said.

Likely as soon as Monday, Stolarz and Hägg will be returned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, who still have a magic number of one to clinch a playoff spot after the Bridgeport Sound Tigers won on Sunday. Weal is also eligible to return to the Phantoms.

Barry Ashbee Trophy winning defenseman Ivan Provorov became the sixth rookie in franchise history to appear in every game of his first NHL regular season. The previous players: Mel Bridgman, Behn Wilson, Brian Propp, Jeff Chychrun and Chris Therien (during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season).

Provorov was also one of five players to dress in every game of the 2016-17 season. The others were Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Bobby Clarke Trophy winner Simmonds and fourth-line center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Fourth line left winger Chris VandeVelde dressed in each of the first 81 games of the season but Hakstol made him a healthy scratch in the finale in order to get Nick Cousins, Travis Konecny and Mike Vecchione all into the lineup.

1ST PERIOD

Cousins was unable to finish off a wraparound follow-up attempt on an initial Giroux shot in the first minute-and-a-half of the period. At 2:45, Bellemare took a pass from Konency and was stopped from the deep slot. After Stolarz made his first difficult stop on a chance in close on a backhander byMcGinn, Brayden Schenn narrowly missed a tip-in try at the other end.

A Konecny giveaway in his own of the ice on a backhanded pass off the half-boards intended for Vecchione quickly turned into a point blank goal for McGinn in the right slot (sixth of the season) at 5:42. Derek Ryan got the lone assist. Stolarz had no realistic chance at a save on this one.

Shots were 5-3 in Carolina's favor as Stolarz paddled a side-angle shot out of play at 7:50. A TV timeout ensued. During the stoppage, there was a video tribute to Bickell and a standing ovation from the crowd. Players on both benches stood, too, banging their sticks.

Stolarz handled back-to-back scoring chances from the deep slot for Teuvo Teräväinen and Jaccob Slavin. The shot disparity grew to 7-3 for Carolina. After a good scoring chance for Jakub Voracek off the rush was whistled wide of the net, Nick Cousins tbroke his stick attempting to deflect a point shot, but the puck went on net to Läck.

Schultz broke up a 2-on-1 counter off a missed pass from Schenn intended for Couturier in the Carolina end. Hägg blocked shot attempts by Lee Stempniak and Sergey Tolchinsky in the defensive end. On the offensive side, Hägg fired a point shot through traffic onto the net but his fellow Swede, Läck, made the save.

With time ticking down under five minutes left, Jordan Weal set up a chance down low for a pinching Andrew MacDonald, rotated up high and then fired a center point shot on goal. Läck stopped it for his ninth save and a TV timeout at 15:14.

At the 16:53 mark, the dangerous Jeff Skinner got free near the left hash marks and snapped a shot on goal. Stolarz made the save. The Hurricanes went on the game's first power play at 18:32 after Jordan Weal was called for hooking near the offensive zone left corner.

Hägg, joining a shorthanded counter-rush, took a back pass from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and wristed a shot on goal. Läck snapped it up with the glove. The Canes took 32 seconds of carryover power play time into the second period.

First period shots were 11-10 in the Flyers' favor.

2ND PERIOD

Simmonds cut in off the right wing for a scoring chance on a shorthanded bid just before the Weal penalty expired. Carolina iced the puck at the 1:00 mark. Konecny's bang-bang right circle bid was stopped at 3:33. Late in the shift, Konecny set up a chance for Vecchione. One shift later, Couturier broke his stick on a right circle shot attempt.

Shots were 4-1 Flyers (15-11) through 4:30. Claude Giroux broke through the defense carrying the mail over the middle on the rush on the rush and was stopped in close by Läck at 5:54.

Weal had a lengthy puck possession shift, dangling around the offensive zone and trying to find a play to make. None materialized. Del Zotto had a good keep inside the blueline on an attempted clear, but nothing further developed. On the next shift, Konecny mostly missed on a one-timer try and the puck slid harmlessly and slowly wide.

Finally, the Flyers got the game knotted at 8:46. MacDonald pinched in and Couturier won the puck in the corner. Finding an open Weise in the medium right slot, Couturier centered the puck and Weise wired home his seventh goal of the season. Couturier and MacDonald received the assists as the game was tied at 1-1.

Cousins narrowly missed giving the Flyers the lead on an attempt near the right post. A TV timeout followed at 13:41. Shots were 11-4 Flyers in the period (23-14 Flyers overall).

After a keep by Carolina, Stolarz stretched out his right pad to deny Elias Lindholm from a sharp angle near the left post for a stoppage. Later in the same shift, Hägg landed a nice hit in the defensive right corner.

With about four minutes left in the period, Weise narrowly missed his second goal of the period, forcing Läck to come up big on a drive from center slot. On the next shift, Hägg made a good pinch and Carolina's Matt Tennyson took a high-sticking penalty on Cousins several feet away at 16:50.

On the ensuing power play, Giroux sliced through the defense on the zone entry. A wide-open Voracek had the entire right side of the ice to himself. He forced a pass that got denied but the puck went right back to Voracek for the Flyers' best scoring chance of the man advantage. Läck was equal to it, however.

Wuth 2.2 seconds left in the period, Stolarz came out to challenge a left circle shot by Skinner, making a good save. Shots in the second period were 17-8 in Philly's favor (28-18 in the Flyers' favor overall).

3RD PERIOD

After a nice play along the walls by Valtteri Filppula, Shayne Gostisbehere fired a left point shot on net. With no screen in front, however, Läck had an easy save. At 1:30, Weal was called for high sticking inside the defensive blueline.

On the ensuing kill, Stolarz was the Flyers' best penalty killer, making four saves on shots from a variety of angles and distances. After full strength resumed, he got some help from the goal post on a point shot through a screen.

Del Zotto pinched in to take pass from Voracek but was unable to finish an open chance from the left circle on the Flyers' best scoring opportunity of the first five minutes. Shots were 4-2 Canes (30-22 Flyers overall) at this point.

Hägg stood up at the blueline and landed a solid, clean hit on McGinn near the Flyers' bench. A moment later, it was a quick defensive zone exit for the Flyers, too.

After a left-circle shot dribbled through Stolarz but went wide, Giroux started a rush the other way. He fed a pinching Hägg, who was again denied -- this time from nearly point blank range. In frustration, Hägg gave the goal post a little swat.

The Canes took a 2-1 lead at 8:39. A Noah Hanifin point shot was tipped in by a wide open McGinn parked in front of the net for his second goal of the game and 7th of the season. Staal got the secondary assist.

With 10:10 left, Stolarz picked off a point shot with his glove. Seeing nowhere safe to shovel the puck, he simply held on for a stoppage.

On the next shift, the Flyers re-tied the game. Weise carried the puck over the blueline and fired a shot using the D as a screen high in the zone. The puck found the net at 10:58. Couturier and Provorov got the assists.

The Flyers soon untied the game. Showing good patience, Simmonds moved in deliberately from higher in the offensive zone, getting Läck to commit early and then snapped the puck into the vacant left side of the net to score his 31st goal of the season. The assists went to Gostisbehere and Weal at 12:05.

At 13;03, Provorov was called for tripping Slavin. Trailing 3-2, Canes went back to work on the power play. Stolarz made blocker and side-to-side lateral saves. A deflection went wide. At 14:50, though, Aho beat Stolarz over the glove from the right circle for his 24th goal on a shot that may have deflected off Schultz. Justin Faulk and Teräväinen got the assists.

Bellemare was unable to finish a chance in front. On the next shift, the Flyers had a 3-on-1 rush. Bidding for a hat trick, puck carrier Weise elected to shoot from the left circle. Läck made the save.

The teams traded off chances in the final two minutes. Stolarz made an unorthodox looking save for his 31st of regulation.

Third period shots were 16-11 in Carolina's favor (39-34 Flyers overall).

OVERTIME

The trio of Couturier, Schenn and Provorov started in OT for the Flyers. Lindholm, Staal and Faulk started for Carolina. Stolarz denied a Staal breakaway five-hole attempt at the end of the shift.

Two shifts later, an open Del Zotto hammered the one-timer teed up by Filppula wide of the net. After that, a Simmonds one-time set up by Bellemare was blocked out of play.

Giroux beat two Canes off the rush and backhanded one over the net. The Flyers had a three-on-one on the next shift but over-passed and ended up without even a shot. With 1:21 left, Läck gloved a Schenn shot.

With time about to expire, Provorov got a pass from Bellemare. He was unable to beat Läck.

OT shots were 6-1 in the Flyers' favor (44-35 Flyers overall).


SHOOTOUT

Top of 1st round: Weal went in straight. He was unable to finish high to the glove side.

Bottom of 1st round: Bickell skated in and released the puck with an explosive wrister that found the net.

Top of 2nd round: Giroux went in deliberately up the left side, picked up speed, and slid the puck between the pads to knot the shootout.

Bottom of 2nd round: Tolchinsky made about a half-dozen moves then lifted a backhander over the net.

Top of 3rd round: Voracek, cut in from the right side but couldn't finish a backhander.

Bottom of 3rd round: McGinn skated in and beat Stolarz through the five hole to end the skills competition and the 2016-17 season.

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