Flyers flash resiliency in 4-2 loss to the Blues

After falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, the Philadelphia Flyers traveled to St. Louis for a tilt with the Blues on Tuesday.

In the final meeting between both teams this season, the Blues came out on top, 4-2. With the loss, the Flyers have now dropped four games in a row.

After being down for the first two periods, the Flyers started a minor comeback in the third period. The comeback ultimately wasn’t meant to be in the end, but the Flyers continued to show their resilience despite what their overall record says.

Flyers vs Blues recap

Being given an early powerplay in the first period, the Flyers only managed one shot on Jordan Binnington. Shortly after, Jordan Kyrou struck first for the Blues. A turnover from Noah Cates proved costly as Kyrou picked up the loose puck and beat Sam Ersson. A fluke pass from Cates and a failed poke check from Nick Seeler saw the Flyers down 1-0 early on.

The Blues started to take control in the second period. Just over five minutes into the period, Tyler Pitlick doubled the Blues’ lead. On a two-on-one, Alexi Toropchenko dished a pass to Pitlick who beat Ersson on his glove side. Minutes later, Justin Faulk made it 3-0. Sammy Blais found Faulk in the slot, who rifled a shot by Ersson.

Nearly making it 4-0, Blais’ goal was overturned due to offsides on the rush. In his first-ever game as a head coach, Rocky Thompson was successful on his first-ever coach’s challenge.

The Flyers’ powerplay remained unsuccessful after two more opportunities in the second period. After 40 minutes of play, the Blues were in full control heading into the third.

An almost goal from Cates was overturned in the opening minutes of the third period. But just a few moments later, James van Riemsdyk potted his 299th career goal to put the Flyers on the scoreboard. Nick Seeler blasted the puck from the point and van Riemsdyk just got enough of the puck to redirect it by Binnington.

Morgan Frost cut the lead down to one with a little over eight minutes remaining. A shot from Cam York was tipped by Wade Allison and Frost tapped the puck past Binnington to continue his hot streak. In his last five games, Frost has seven points.

Despite the Flyers sparking a minor comeback in the third, Toropchenko’s empty-net goal sealed a win for the Blues, boosting them to 7-2-2 in their last 11 games.

Powerplay (-)

Despite going 3/3 on the penalty kill, the Flyers’ powerplay struggled. On three opportunities, the Flyers created limited chances. Binnington was the difference for the Blues throughout the game but not being able to convert on the man advantage proved crucial for the Flyers. Ronnie Attard’s impressive shot was on display at times during the powerplay and even strength, but Binnington stood tall, saving 30/32 sh0ts.

Goaltending battle (+)

Despite both teams being officially eliminated from the playoffs, the goaltenders battled as if their respective teams were still in the chase. Ersson and Binnington made huge saves at points in the game. In a game where it appeared more goals should’ve been scored, both goalies provided stability for their team.