Despite jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the second period, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked up a crucial two standings points thanks in part to a former longtime Flyer. Let’s wrap:
Grip It and Rip It
Just 55 seconds into the second period, Travis Konecny wired a puck past Dennis Hildeby to give the Flyers an early 1-0 lead. Christian Dvorak made a quality pass to Konecny in the slot, who was tightly checked but was able to get a quick shot off. The tally is Konecny’s 14th of the season, but unfortunately, would be the only offense the Philadelphia could muster in this game.
Moreover, the Flyers lost Konecny for the third period due to an undisclosed upper body injury. The club had no update on the forward after the game so we’ll have to wait and see about the severity of the injury in the coming days.
No Laught Lost
Clinging to a one-goal lead, the Flyers failed to take advantage of a 52 second 5-on-3 at the 12:07 mark of the third period. Then, Toronto saw an opportunity to counterattack and did not miss. With just three seconds left of powerplay time, former Flyer Scott Laughton skated a puck out of his own end on a 2-on-1 after a high and wide shot by Travis Sanheim. Laughton would then hit a nice curl and drag move in front of the defending Rasmus Ristolanien to change the angle and snap the puck past Dan Vladar to the tie the game. It was Laughton’s 5th goal of the season.
“We’re looking for plays instead of organically playing,” Rick Tocchet said of his team’s powerplay. “I don’t know if it’s the pressure with the powerplay, I think guys are squeezing it so much, but we need some guys to understand the pressure and convert.”
Philadelphia’s powerplay has been a sore subject this season. The Flyers man advantage is currently second worst in league with only Calgary being worse. In this one, the orange and black were 0-for-3 and went 1-for-8 against Anaheim Tuesday night.
End to End
In traditional 3-on-3 fashion, there was quite a bit of end-to-end action between the Flyers and Leafs. Dennis Hildeby stoned Trevor Zegras on a breakaway and later, came up big in a 2-on-1 opportunity versus Sean Couturier and Matvei Michkov. Toronto took that momentum and got a odd-man rush of their own with John Tavares and Easton Cowan. Tavares made a nifty behind the back pass to Cowan, who then scored the game winning goal.
“Those are the kind of games we’re trying to learn from,” Garnet Hathaway said. “We’re growing, I don’t think I can pinpoint and say hey, we made any glaring mistakes, right? They’re a good team that takes what you give them.”
With the loss, the Flyers futility against Toronto continues. Philly is now 1-7-3 in their last 11 games against the Leafs.
They Said It
Rick Tocchet on how overtime played out: “Who converts, wins. We’ve had three, four chances, didn’t convert. They had one, they score. That’s it.”
Garnet Hathaway on dealing with injuries: “It’s that time of year regardless, right? We have a deep team. We have guys that have contributed when they get in the lineup, up and down the lineup. You can’t replicate those guys we’re missing with one player.”
Owen Tippett on the team’s energy waning after Tuuesday: “Obviously, we got to be ready to play each and every day. I think it’s easy to get going when your playing in front of a sellout every night. It’s next man up right now, we got to find energy and find ways to win.”
Did You Know?
According to NHL stats, Travis Konecny became the 12th player in Flyers history with 40 career game-opening goals. The franchise leader in game-opening goals is Bill Barber, who opened the scoring in games 67 times in his career.
On Deck
The Flyers continue their homestand on Saturday, when they host Nikita Kucherov and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Puckdrop is set for 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast locally on NBCSP.
