Postgame RAV4: Flyers Drop Shootout to Canes

The Philadelphia Flyers concluded a six-game homestand and opened a weekend home-and-home set against the Carolina Hurricanes with a 4-3 (1-0) shootout loss on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Flyers finished their homestand with a 2-2-2 record

Bobby Brink (8th goal of the season) scored midway through the first period. Late in the frame, Trevor Zegras (12th) made it 2-0 Flyers. Near the midway point of regulation, Nikolaj Ehlers (8th) narrowed the gap. Five minutes later, Alexander Nikiskin (4th) tied the score at 2-2.

In the third period, Seth Jarvis (12th) gave Carolina their first lead. However, just 23 seconds later, Carl Grundstrom (2nd) re-tied the game at 3-3.

Samuel Ersson made 18 saves on 21 shots through 65 minutes. He was 3-for-4 in the shootout. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 17 of 20 shots for Carolina. He was a perfect 4-for-4 in the shootout.

FIRST PERIOD SYNOPSIS

The Flyers started the game with a pairing change on defense. Emil Andrae skated with Travis Sanheim. Nick Seeler had a skate issue.

The Hurricanes went to the power play at 3:57 as Matvei Michkov tripped a player on the forecheck The Flyers had a 2-on-0 shorthanded breakaway. Sean Couturier passed to Carl Grundstrom, who was unable to finish in tight.

Emil Andrae made a nice play skating the puck out of the defensive zone. On the next shift, Ty Murchison turned in solid work on a puck retrieval and along the boards.

Through 10 minutes, shots on goal were 4-2 Carolina. The Flyers immediately scored as the puck went the other way.

Taking a drop pass from Trevor Zegras. Brink fired home a shot through Christian Dvorak screen. The second assist went to Travis Sanheim at 10:02

The Flyers caught a break as a lateral Rodrigo Abols pass in the neutral zone got intercepted. Thankfully, the counterattack went offside.

Philly built a 2-0 lead at 17:34. Good work down low created the chance. Slipping open in the slot, Zegras took a backhanded centering pass from Travis Konecny and finished it off. The second assist went to Jamie Drysdale.

Overall, the Flyers were up on their skates and matched the Carolina pace. Ty Murchison, late in the period, made another excellent play to break up a 2-on-1.

Shots: Flyers 7 - Hurricanes 5
Faceoffs; Flyers 8 - Vegas 4

SECOND PERIOD SYNOPSIS

The second period saw the Flyers continue to get the better of play for about the first seven minutes. Thereafter, Carolina took control.

Owen Tippett took the puck hard toward the net on his first shift and nearly scored on a wraparound as he swooped around behind the net.

Shots through five minutes were 4-0 Flyers. Carolina hit the post.

Finally, the Canes got on the board at 9:11. Murchison attempted a pass that got picked off by ex-Flyer Shayne Gostisbehere. Moments later, Ehlers fired a high glove-side shot home to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The Flyers iced the puck at 12:40. Shots were 6-5 Carolina for the period.

Carolina parlayed their momentum into a tying goal at 14:12. From the top of the left circle, Alexander Nikishin fired a shot home that deflected off Cates' skate. Joel Nystrom and Taylor Hall got the assists.

Carolina went to the game's first power play at 15:54. Zegras put the puck over the glass from the defensive zone for a delay of game penalty. Carolina's only pressure came at the tail end of the 5-on-4.

Shots: Flyers 10 (17 overall) - Hurricanes 8 (13 overall)
Faceoffs: Flyers 13 (21 overall) - Hurricanes 11 (15 overall)

THIRD PERIOD SYNOPSIS

The third period started with a scramble around the Flyers' net in the opening 20 seconds. Carolina iced the puck at 1:29. Christian Dvorak lost the ensuing offensive zone faceoff and the Canes broke out of the zone.

Carolina had a couple of dangerous chances blocked or stopped by Ersson. The most notable one came from Sebastian Aho. Through 3:23, shots on net were 1-1 but attempts were 5-2 Carolina.

Through nine minutes, shots on goal were 2-1 Canes but Carolina continued to hold a significant territorial edge.

Carolina broke through for a 3-2 lead at 12:26. Jarvis moved in and outmaneuvered Ersson. The assists went to Svechnikov and Gostisbehere.

However, the Flyers got the goal right back 23 seconds later on a snipe by Carl Grundstrom off a counter rush up the right wing. The lone assist at 12:49 went to Abols for his lead pass.

The Flyers iced the puck with 47.2 seconds left in the period. The registered their 19th blocked shot of the game (to two for Carolina).

Shots: Flyers 18 (2 overall) - Hurricanes 6 (19 overall)
Faceoffs: Flyers 12 (33 overall) - Hurricanes 9(24 overall)

Overtime synopsis

The Flyers started with Zegras, Dvorak and Drysdale. Zegras had a shot blocked out of play. Couturier, Andrae and Tippett were the next three on the ice.

Tippett had two turnovers. At 2:29, Ersson stopped a Gostisbehere shot.

In the final 30 seconds, Zegras wasn't quite able to finish a 2-1. The puck went off the left post. The team traded off one more shot apiece.

Final shot totals were 21-18 Carolina.

Shootout Synopsis

• Round One: Zegras, for the first time this season, was stopped. Jarvis was stuffed by Ersson on the backhand.
• Round Two: Michkov missed wide. Svechnikov flubbed a shot.
• Round Three: Konecny was topped on a five-hole attempt. Aho was denied on the backhand.
• Round Four: Brink got poke-checked. Jackson Blake ended the shootout with a forehand-back-forehand move.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

Trevor Zegras- Christian Dvorak – Travis Konecny
Matvei Michkov – Sean Couturier – Owen Tippett
Nikita Grebenkin – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink
Carl Grundstrom – Rodrigo Abols – Garnet Hathaway

Nick Seeler – Travis Sanheim
Emil Andrae – Jamie Drysdale
Ty Murchison - Noah Juulsen

Samuel Ersson
[Dan Vladar]

Postgame RAV4 (RAV4 Things Revisited)

1. Quick bounceback for Konecny?

Travis Konecny redeemed himself right away from an overtime turnover on Thursday. Not only did he have a nifty setup on Zegras' goal, the two-time Bobby Clarke Trophy winner was frequently around the puck.

2. Flyers power play.

Philadelphia did not have a power play in the game.

3. Flyers penalty kill.

Philly did a good job killing the Michkov and Cates penalties. Overall, the Flyers went 2-for-2 on the PK.

4. Puck possession game.

The Flyers beat Carolina at their own game for the first 27 minutes of the game. Carolina came back to control possession for a long stretch thereafter, and took a 2-0 deficit and turned it into a 2-2 deadlock heading into the third period. In the third period, Carolina had the early possession edge although few shots got on net.