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Wrap: Flyers Blanked 3-0 by Bruins, Winless in 10 |
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WRAP: WINLESS IN 10, FLYERS BLANKED BY BOSTON, 3-0
The Philadelphia Flyers fell to 0-5-5 in their last 10 games and got shut out for the sixth time this season as they fell, 3-0, to the Boston Bruins at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon.
The key moments in this game: a bad turnover by Nolan Patrick in the offensive zone that produced a first period breakaway goal, two bad icings that begat goals off a faceoff and defensive overload on a board battle that was lost, and a frustrating overturn of a would-be power play goal by Claude Giroux due to marginal goaltender interference by Wayne Simmonds left the Flyers with a three-goal hole entering the third period. The Bruins protected the lead the rest of the way.
"We feel pretty confident in our system and in our structure and the way we play, it’s just like I said, we get the puck now and mentally we’re not making the right decisions, we’re just trying to force it, or make the extra play instead of just keeping it simple," Giroux said.
While the game was still scoreless in the first period, a few Flyers individually stepped up for what could have provided a spark had it been followed up in the way a winning team would typically do in a time of adversity. Sean Couturier made a strong individual play to create the game's first power play. Simmonds dropped the gloves to try to create some energy and emotion. Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott robbed the Bruins of a goal on a point-blank chance from the blue paint.
None of it amounted to anything.
“We had guys that got the momentum on our side. Coots [generated a power play]. Any time Wayne drops the gloves it always gives us a little momentum. He is going to battle every game. It was a good fight. Just couldn’t build on it," Giroux said.
Added Jakub Voracek, “I wouldn’t say it’s built frustration. It’s just something we haven’t done but I think we did today but like I said everything we touch it’s just bad. You know what I mean. Every mistake we make it’s in our net. We cannot score. Like I said we are in this together. Players, coaches we just gotta make sure we find a way to win some games and get on a streak here because it’s slipping away."
The Bruins simply stayed patient, did a good job of checking the Flyers top line, parried Philly attacks and then forced and feasted off mistakes. That is why they have now won six of their last seven games and the Flyers players were left to answer the same questions.
"I wish I had the answer. We would be turning it around I guess, right? It’s getting tiring coming out here trying to explain a game or two, it’s about playing the game the right way and playing smart," Elliott said.
"I think we’re working really hard, but sometimes I think when you’re spinning your tires a little bit, nothing gets accomplished. We played a good team that has very good structure and if you don’t make the smart play every time they are gonna turn around and bring it the other way. We saw a lot of odd-man rushes that kinda resulted from plays like that."
Ryan Spooner (1st goal of the season), David Pastrnak (13th) and Brad Marchard (9th goal, 10th assist) scored for Boston. Tuukka Rask, aided by the overturned goal, earned the shutout win with 28 saves.
Elliott stopped 24 of 27 shots in a losing cause.
For much of the third period (apart from one early period and one late game shift), Travis Konency was kept on the bench despite generating four shots on goal including a breakaway chance. He was charged with two giveaways in the game (one in the first and one in the second), but he was also one of the few players creating offense.
"He wasn’t benched, he did get on the ice. But that ice time is a little bit earned as well in terms of, we put together a unit that could allow us to switch up the matchup against Bergeron, obviously to free up Coots’s line a little bit more on that. The mix was put together after that with kind of a top nine in mind and a bottom three and TK was in the bottom three at that point in time," Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said.
The Flyers went 0-for-6 on the power play, 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. In the second period, Shayne Gostisbehere canceled out a Flyers' play as took a selfish retaliatory cross-checking penalty on Bruins' agitator Marchand in clear-cut retaliation for Marchand leaving his feet to deliver a hit during a previous Philadelphia man advantage.
"I was just trying to make a play," Gostisbehere said dismissively.
"I would rather he made a different choice," Flyers head coach Hakstol said when asked for his assessment.
This was the second selfish penalty that Gostisbehere has taken out of sheer frustration during the winless streak. He nevertheless skated 24:35 of ice time, and did subsequently draw a power play for Philadelphia. He had three shots on goal (five got blocked, two missed the net) and lost an assist due to the disallowed goal.
Gostisbehere, who was up first for the postgame interviews and had not yet cooled enough to compose himself to answer questions, rolled his eyes, frowned and glared at each query. He sighed deeply after being asked about the winless streak and what happened in this game.
"It sucks. There is not much to say. It’s f-ng brutal. Sorry for cursing, but its tough right now, I don’t know," Gostisbehere sad.
1ST PERIOD
Couturier cut in hard from the right circle and forced a holding penalty on Pastrnak at 50 seconds. The second power play unit took the first shift on the advantage. The Flyers did not score.
Simmonds dropped the gloves with Kevan Miller at the 8:29 mark. After a lot of early grappling for position, Simmonds ducked a punch, threw a flurry (one landed solidly) and then lost his balance at the end.
Shots were 7-5 Flyers midway through the period. A few minutes later, Elliott made a spectacular save on David Backes along the goal line on a point blank chance for from the blue paint.
A bad back pass by Nolan Patrick in the offensive zone got picked off easily. With Ivan Provorov's momentum going forward at the blueline, Spooner got a breakaway with Andrew MacDonald unable to catch up. His five-hole goal gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead. Noel Acciari, with the interception and lead pass to Spooner, got the lone assist at 14:30.
From there, it was all Bruins.
Provorov, with a burr under his saddles, stepped up and dropped Marchand in open ice in the neutral zone with a shoulder check that appeared to make high-chest contact. Provorov received a minor for checking to the head at 15:37. The Flyers killed off the penalty.
Elliott made a good save on a Riley Nash chance from the left hash marks late in the period. Shots ended up 15-8 in Boston's favor.
2ND PERIOD
Elliott absorbed a center point shot through swirling traffic with no rebound at the 1:20 mark. There could have been trouble if the puck hadn't been saved cleanly.
The Flyers got their second power play at 2:08. Miller went to the box for holding after Simmonds battled his way inside off the left boards. Gostisbehere was steamrolled at the blueline by Marchand, who left his feet on the hit. There was no call. On the Flyers' best chance, late in the advantage, Filppula held the puck (the crowd booed) and then finally found a passing lane. Jori Lehterä then took the puck around behind the net on an attempted backhanded wraparound but was thwarted.
A breakdown on a left circle faceoff led to a 2-0 Boston lead at 6:38. The deadly Pastrnak got to the puck first on a Marchand vs. Patrick faceoff that Patrick drew back toward Robert Hägg and then fired a rising shot over Elliott.
With 10:16 left in the second period, Elliott found the puck in a scramble around the net.
On the next shift, Manning trailed a 3-on-2 rush, took a feed from Scott Laughton and fired a straight on slapper over the middle that Rask stopped.
Boston made it 3-0 at 10:44. The Flyers ended up overloaded on a lengthy scrum along the left boards and Manning fell down. Marchand had an easy lane in and scored. The assists went to Charlie McAvoy and Pastrnak.
Konecny was stuffed by Rask on a semi-breakaway up the right wing.
Philly want back to the power play on a Zdeno Chara hooking penalty at 14:39. Gostisbehere took a brainless retaliatory (for the earlier hit) crosschecking penalty on the despised Marchand at 15:36 to cancel it out.
Gostisbehere rushed the puck over the blueline himself drew a tripping penalty on McAvoy at 18:23. On the power play, Giroux took a pass from Gostisbehere above the left circle and rifled a rising shot to the long side through a Simmonds screen. Rask immediately claimed goalie interference, arguing Simmonds made incidental elbow contact and the Bruins' bench challenged the ruling. The goal was overturned after review by veteran referee Dave Jackson, making an already frustrating day that much more frustrating.
Shots were 10-8 Flyers (23-18 Bruins overall).
3RD PERIOD
Giroux had a strong rush up the ice but couldn't find an open man. Moments later, Hägg got caught on a failed keep attempt and Elliot denied a counterattack the other' way.
Shots were 4-2 Flyers through the first eight minutes. No high quality chances in the bunch.
With 8:50 left, Acciari played a puck with his stick above his head and the puck flipped end-over-end in the net. The goal was disallowed. After a replay delay that took longer than it really needed to, the call was upheld.
The Flyers went to their fourth power play at 12:46. McAvoy got the gate for high sticking. Couturier tipped a Voracek feed just wide of the net and then later shot over the net from the hash marks on a Giroux setup. The Bruins had a 2-on-1 counterattack just miss connections in the final half minute.
Laughton took an accidental high stick in the neutral zone at 16:53. The Flyers pulled Elliott for a 6-on-4 attack. The Flyers kept the puck in the offensive zone throughout and afterwards until a Bruins icing with 5.9 seconds left but couldn't put more than a couple outside shots on net while other attempts got blocked.
Third period shots were 10-4 Flyers (28-27 Flyers overall).
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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