1st Period
Shots, 13-9 Detroit
Hits, 8-4 Philadelphia
Giveaways, 5-5 Even
Faceoff Wins, 7-7 Even
12:05 – Radko Gudas, Interference
Overall the period featured a lot of back and forth hockey. Chances were pretty even for the most part, with the Flyers coming close and knocking at a loose puck in the crease that was ultimately cleared out of the zone. Red Wings got a few good shots on net and Mrazek made some pretty key saves, but needs to control those rebounds. Flyers and Red Wings both appeared to come out pretty flat, so it’s expected that when they come out for the 2nd, they’ll have a little more fire behind them and we should be in store for some fun hockey.
2nd Period
Shots, 21-14 Detroit
Hits, 14-13 Flyers
Giveaways, 8-6 Detroit
Faceoff Wins, 20-15 Detroit
2:27 Svechnikov Penalty, Tripping
6:08 Dylan Larkin Goal, 1-0 Detroit
7:13 Ericsson Penalty, Slashing
7:59 Adam Glendening SH Goal, 2-0 Detroit
8:53 Sean Couturier PP Goal, 2-1 Detroit
9:57 Evgeny Svechnikov Goal, 3-1 Detroit
So, we got the scoring that we were hoping for, just not for who we were hoping for. Mrazek, once again, was pulled in favor of Alex Lyon, and had some choice words for Hakstol on his way down the tunnel. Side note, he hasn’t been impressive lately. Detroit made Philadelphia pay for their defensive mistakes. The shorthanded goal should never have happened, and the other two could have been prevented as well. Couturier finally got his 30th of the year, give the man the Selke already, but that was the lone bright spot of the period. Later in the closing seconds of the period, Couturier nearly negated that goal by committing a TERRIBLE turnover from behind his own net, and thank god Alex Lyon was paying attention, or else Detroit would have been heading to the intermission with a 4-1 lead. Things need to turn around, and turn around quick in order for the Flyers to keep pace in the hunt for the playoffs.
3rd Period and OT
Shots, 31-31 Even
Hits, 21-19 Detroit
Giveaways, 15-10 Detroit
Faceoff Wins, 34-25 Detroit
7:46 Matt Read goal, 3-2 Detroit
8:40 Henrik Zetterberg Penalty, High Sticking
9:40 Shayne Gostisbehere PP Goal, 3-3
14:06 Dylan Larkin Goal, 4-3 Detroit
14:34 Travis Konecny Goal, 4-4
19:25 Danny DeKeyser Penalty, Interference
The third was an absolute flurry of action. Lyon played really well in relief of Mrazek, allowing that one goal to Larkin here in the third, and the Flyers proved resilient by tying it up by the end of the game. Better late than never I presume. The Flyers controlled play for a majority of the third period, and had even more chances that didn’t result in a goal. Same can be said for the overtime period. Chances aplenty, but the Flyers and Red Wings end up going to a shootout to settle the score.
Shootout
Round 1
Detroit – Frans Nielsen – GOAL
Philadelphia – Jake Voracek – MISS
Detroit – Gustav Nyquist – MISS
Philadelphia – Jordan Weal – MISS
Detroit – Dylan Larkin – MISS
Philadelphia – Nolan Patrick – MISS
Lyon was impressive in this shootout, but this is coming from someone who is so used to seeing Flyers goalies lay eggs in a shootout (thanks Mason.) However, the one goal he did let up was the deciding factor. Aside from that, Lyon was the reason the Flyers mustered a point out of this game. Mrazek clearly didn’t have his head in the right spot, and Lyon came in and saved the day. The Flyers get a point that the didn’t necessarily deserve, but Alex Lyon definitely earned.
It’s disappointing knowing that this Flyers team is capable of so much more than getting just one point out of their game against Detroit, but let’s be honest, we’ve become accustomed to this kind of behavior. I can’t speak highly enough of how Lyon did in relief of Mrazek, and the resiliency of this club showed when they came back from the 3-1 hole and the 4-3 hole they dug themselves. However, they shouldn’t find themselves in a position where they need to be climbing out of any hole against a clearly inferior Detroit Red Wings club. Hopefully the Flyers can regroup, because they have a big game Thursday against the New York Rangers.
Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
