The Flyers had their recent four game snapped, as the Toronto soundly defeated Philadelphia on Sunday night. It was a game of puck mismanagement for Philly and that’ll cost a team when they match up against a club as offensively potent as the Maple Leafs.
The Flyers issues were in fact teamwide tonight and John Tortorella addressed that bluntly in post-game. Defensemen Tony DeAngelo was one of the culprits in that, as his team-high four giveaways ended up putting him on the bench for all but one shift in the second period and the entire third period. Even goaltender Carter Hart had trouble handling the puck. His mishaps led to an offensive zone face-off and then, a goal against in the second period.
Things didn’t really improve for the Flyers in the final frame. They were some quality looks at the net for Philly throughout the game, but they didn’t cash in on most of them. The club ended firing 36 shots on goal in the loss.
Philly also ended up doling out a whooping 41 hits in the contest, which perhaps, was more of an indication that they played without the puck for large stretches. Even on the Flyers four powerplays in the game, the Maple Leafs firmly took control of the puck and did not relinquish it. Credit to Toronto, who very much looked like the contender their supposed to be this season.
While the Flyers were outgunned by a superior team in Toronto, no coach is going to like the way Philadelphia handled the puck on Sunday. Their recent four-game win streak has been encouraging and the whole underlining process is getting better. It’s good thing that the team has a quick turnaround in Buffalo on Monday night with a chance to right the ship again.
