Another Afternoon Game, Another Loss for the Flyers

It’s become a cliché over the last few seasons, but afternoon starts have not fared well for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Today was no different, as the Flyers came to the Wells Fargo Center unprepared to play and could not keep their emotions in check until the New Jersey Devils had already lit the lamp six times.

Rookie defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon took a slashing penalty at the 1:15 mark that was followed a minute later by a cross-checking penalty from veteran Kimmo Timonen. Both were fair calls from the officials and with ten seconds left on the 5-on-3, journeyman defenseman Kurtis Foster beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a one-timer.

The team fell apart in the last minute of the first period, as Claude Giroux took a slash to the gut from former Flyer Dainius Zubrus that led to a shorthanded goal the other direction. With 0.4 seconds left in the period, Zubrus further padded the lead while Scott Hartnell took a high-sticking penalty.

In discussing the incident, the top line all had something to say about it.

“I didn’t see the replay yet. I’m pretty sure it’s a penalty,” said Giroux. “Actually, I like those two refs, so I don’t want to rip them, but I just think its 1-0 and they go, it’s 2-0. It could’ve been a 5-on-3 right off the bat. It kind of took the momentum off. Especially me. I lost focus and we got another one right back after it.”

“I was very pissed off. You’d think that with a 5-on-3 and four powerplays in the first period, we’re trying to get back in the game, and something like that happens, it’s almost an automatic call,” said Hartnell. “I didn’t start skating back right away because I thought, as soon as they touch it, the whistle will be blowing. We kinda let them score, and I think I took a penalty right afterwards because I was mad or upset or whatever, and they scored another one…

“We got to keep our cool. Our emotions got the best of us there early. Everyone was yelling at the refs. When you do that, you’re not going to win any favors as well.”

“It’s kind of tough, the call, but I don’t want to go back to that. Everybody makes mistakes. It’s part of hockey. End of story,” said Jaromir Jagr.

Had the team taken Jagr’s approach to the shortie, they may have had a chance. Unfortunately, as Hartnell put it, the team let their frustrations get the best of them and the second period was even worse than the first.

Zach Parise, left to skate all alone in front of Bob by Coburn, collected his own rebound to make it 4-0 while Hartnell was in the box.

Less than a minute later, Alexei Ponikarovsky skated in-between Wayne Simmonds and Andreas Lilja and beat Bob up front to make it 5-0.

Players like Zac Rinaldo and Tom Sestito have shown at times that they can get the team’s energy going by playing physical, but all they did in the second period was take reckless penalties. Sestito was sent to box for roughing at the 6:54 mark and Braydon Coburn joined him shortly after.

Foster, doubling his offensive output for the night and the season, put the Devils up 6-0.

Never, in the history of the Philadelphia Flyers organization, have the Devils held a 6-0 lead against them, according to Bob H of FlyersFaithful.

After the second intermission, the team apparently made a decision to at least put on a good effort for the fans that came. Simmonds ended Johan Hedberg’s shutout bid by backhanding a rebound from Rinaldo. Jagr made it 6-2 with 10:37 remaining, but neither player celebrated after their goals.

No fist pumps, no salutes.

But then Giroux scored a powerplay goal, cutting the deficit to three. Less than a minute later, Jake Voracek cut it to two.

The Flyers had been outplayed and outworked for two periods, outshot 30-17 through both. In the third period alone, though, they outshot the Devils 24-1. The effort helped ease the pain for those fans who came, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.

“It’s not the first time this year that we do comebacks,” said Giroux. “For guys, when we get a goal, get the momentum, and when we get on the forecheck…  When we play our game, we’re pretty dangerous offensively. I mean, shots were 24-1 in the third period. Maybe they stopped playing a little bit. I don’t know. If we play like that the whole game, we can win a lot of games. “

The Flyers have played nine games this season with either 1:00 or 3:00 starts. Six of those outcomes were losses, four of which they allowed six goals. Ignoring the fact that tomorrow is a matinee game against the New York Rangers, the team will also play home matinee games in the next two weekends against the Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively.

Those are divisional games that they can not afford to lose.

There are four more afternoon games on the schedule after February as well.

I asked Giroux and Hartnell after the game if they had concerns looking ahead to all these afternoon games.

“Those are tough games to play. You wake up, you got to go play hockey. It’s the same thing for the other team. So we got to make sure we’re fired up before the game,” said Giroux.

“Well, our coaches bring it to our attention that our starts haven’t been good in 1:00 games, but I don’t think it’s the time of the day that’s frustrating,” said Hartnell. “You prepare the same way if it’s a 1:00, 3:00, or 7:00. Tomorrow is going to be a big test for us, to come out with a big start, get in the zone early. You can’t be frustrated on a call, or a bad break, or a mis-call. You’ve got to make your own breaks.”

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