Flyers shut out by Red Wings, lose season series

Look at an analytic overview of this game. Those will tell you the Philadelphia Flyers (25-18-6) paced their tilt against the Detroit Red Wings (25-18-5). Unfortunately, the eye test doesn’t match.

Ryan Poehling was buzzing. He and Dylan Larkin represented the most dangerous chances for their teams. Poehling created his chances via checking. Larkin rocked a puck off the crossbar on a powerplay. Each team finished the first period unscathed.

Larkin scored the game-winning goal, a rebound surrendered by Sam Ersson, 1-0. Moritz Seider, 2-0, and Andrew Copp, 3-0, added two more in the second period. The shot by Seider deflected off Morgan Frost, and Copp scored a shorthanded goal, featuring an effective forechecking effort from Michael Rasmussen on Yegor Zamula.

Nicolas Deslauriers hoped to spark life into the Flyers lineup, dropping the gloves with Klim Kostin, but nothing came of it. Philadelphia didn’t allow another goal but couldn’t solve Alex Lyon.

Creating Offense (-)

It’s clear how critical Owen Tippett is to the Flyers. He won’t be in the lineup until after the NHL All-Star Break, and it’s dramatically affected how dangerous Philadelphia is in the offensive zone. Scoring on a rush is more difficult without someone possessing the same speed Tippett does.

Cam Atkinson and Travis Konecny took a pair of shots. Atkinson was denied on a tip-in attempt while on the penalty kill, and Konecny took a pair of slim-angle shots below the hash marks that sailed wide. Lyon frustrated Tyson Foerster at the crease. Sean Couturier, Olle Lycksell, and Poehling all hit goalposts.

“We’re struggling to make plays. We doubled them up in shot attempts; I think we had seventy-five shot attempts. A number of them were wide. Blocked shots by them; they did a good job there. We’re just not developing much offense. I don’t think we give them much either. They get a couple goals that are deflected in, and we really haven’t sustained enough to overcome those type of things.”
John Tortorella; 1/25/2024

When an attack seemed sustainable, it was a product of the forechecking and puck control. Couturier, Lycksell, and Poehling tested Lyon early, and if one of them traded the post for twine, the game flow could’ve changed. Those shots that rang off the iron took place in the first period, while the Flyers were checking considerably better, or in the second period when they would’ve needed a goal to gain momentum as the Red Wings led.

Scott Laughton (-)

He was responsible for three penalties. Detroit did not score on the powerplay, however. But, the big story is the undisciplined play of the more stable veterans.

Yes, the books will say Philadelphia finished 4/4 on the penalty kill. It won’t articulate how taking penalties knocked the Flyers off their flow. Scott Laughton in the box during the first period alleviated the pressure off of Lyon, and put the Red Wings on the attack. By the time he went back into the penalty box for the second and third time, Detroit led 3-0.

“It’s certainly a discipline issue. We take a tripping penalty in the offensive zone. I’m not sure what the other ones were. They did generate some off their powerplay, not a whole hell of a lot off their five-on-five play, but it just knocks us back. We can’t get into any type of flow. If there’s a concern, it’s that. We’re taking too many penalties, especially in the wrong zones. Not good penalties.”
John Tortorella; 1/25/2024

Laughton didn’t help put Philadelphia in a place to succeed.