“Man, sometimes you gotta hand it to the goalie, made a sick save. But does anyone know the going rate for a goal these days? #cantbuyone”
That was tweeted by Flyers defenseman Matt Carle about an hour ago, writing about his shot at a wide open net in the second period with Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward on his side. Carle lifted the puck up, but Ward grabbed it out of the air in what was arguably the save of the game.
The Flyers didn’t play poorly in tonight’s 3-2 loss, but they came out flat footed and it cost them. There are a number of excuses that can be thrown out there as to why.
Captain Mike Richards, who participated in the pre-game skate and Rod Brind’Amour retirement ceremonies, was a scratch at the very last minute due to a bout with the flu and was replaced by Jody Shelley (once again, another reason to doubt Nikolai Zherdev will ever play a game in the orange and black again). As a result, the line changes weren’t necessarily coordinated.
The Flyers have also played three games in four nights, having won the first two, including an intense shootout win against Cup contenders the Tampa Bay Lightning. To say that they could be running out of gas on a Friday night is reasonable.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky had a rough start to the game, letting two goals in on five shots in the first seven minutes of the game. Bob didn’t look sharp to begin the game, although he stood his ground through the second period and the bulk of the third.
You could come up with any number of excuses you want, but the reality is that tonight was a huge game for the Carolina Hurricanes and they simply wanted the win more than the Flyers. That’s not to say that Philly didn’t show up, so much as Carolina wanted to honor their former captain with a notch in the “win” column.
Heck, after being down 2-0 heading into the second period, the Flyers managed to claw their way back thanks to a shorthanded goal by Blair Betts (who cut his finger late in the period, sat the third, and may not be ready for Sunday) and a timely wrister from defenseman Braydon Coburn late in the third period.
The team made a bad pinch less than two minutes later and allowed the Hurricanes to enter the zone with a 2-on-1 rush. Erik Cole launched the puck past Bobrovsky, who was helpless to stop the rocket.
All in all, it’s just one game. The penalty kill was perfect, including a two-minute 5-on-3 powerplay for the ‘Canes in the second period. The powerplay looked better, but it is still a black eye on the organization.
The Flyers will be back in the tri-state area on Sunday, battling the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden. The Rangers lost 1-0 tonight to the surging New Jersey Devils, who would be the ultimate Cinderella team if they did the impossible and forced their way back into the playoffs. The Rangers should be easy pickings, as long as the Flyers put in a full sixty minutes.
For the latest Flyers news, you can follow me on twitter (@JoshJanet).
