POSTGAME 5: Early Edge Slips Away in 5-3 Loss to Ducks

On Lou Nolan Night at the Wells Fargo Center, the Philadelphia Flyers were defeated by the Anaheim Ducks, 5-3. The Flyers dominated the first period, got dominated in the second, and briefly drew even in the third period. The Ducks then scored twice to seal the game.

Early first period goals by Travis Sanheim (7th goal of the season) off a Morgan Frost setup and a Ronnie Attard shot through traffic (1st career NHL goal) staked the Flyers to a quick 2-0 lead. No further scoring ensued.
The second period saw a major shift in momentum. The Ducks transformed a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 advantage on tallies by Sonny Milano (13th), Zach Aston-Reese (4th) and Trevor Zegras (power play, 19th).
Ivan Provorov (8th) pinched on a play and scored to knot the game at 3-3 at the 3:53 mark of the third period. Troy Terry (32nd) was set up by Zegras and re-established a 4-3 lead for the Ducks at 11:53. Former Flyer Derek Grant (13th) added an insurance goal at 14:33.
Martin Jones stopped 29 of 34 shots in a losing cause. Ex-Flyers netminder Anthony Stolarz settled in after two early goals against and finished with 30 saves on 33 shots.
The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play. The Ducks went 1-for-2.
TURNING POINT
Two very familiar issues for the Flyers -- a second period meltdown fueled by turnovers and a special teams letdown -- struck with a vengeance after an excellent first period. With the score tied at 2-2, Travis Konecny hit the post on a point-blank change with Stolarz dead to rights. That could have stabilized the game for the Flyers, Instead, the Ducks' Zegras scored on the power play to take the lead.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) Morgan Frost operated behind the net and centered the puck out to Sanheim, who rifled a shot home past Stolarz for a 1-0 lead at 1:39. Travis Konecny got the secondary assist.

The Flyers struck again at 2:28. Laughton won a draw. Attard shot the puck home through a Hayden Hodgson screen for a quick 2-0 lead. The goal was initially credited to Hodgson but changed after the period.

The Flyers went on the game's first power playas Max Comtois was called for tripping The Flyers moved the pick well -- both units -- but could not pot a goal.
The Flyers went back to the power play again at 8:16 when was called for a high-sticking minor. .Stolarz denied an Attard one-timer late in the power play. Shots were 10-2 Flyers at the expiration.
At the 13:32 mark, a Cam Fowler point shot hit the post through traffic. On the next shift, Jamie Drysdale knocked the puck away from Kevin Hayes high in the Anaheim zone, claimed it and went off on a breakaway, Jones made the save.
At 15:14, Kevin Connauton took an unnecessary icing on a play where he needed only to skate another half stride to reach the red line. Frost won the ensuing defensive zone faceoff against Adam Henrique and the Flyers broke out with little difficulty.
Sanheim had a good keep. In the waning seconds of the opening period, Rasmus Ristolainen broke his stick on a shot attempt.
2) The Flyers attacked the ice with good pace, got through the neutral zone quickly and stayed up on their skates through an active first period. Shots on goal were 16-6 in the Flyers' favor. Shot attempts were 21-14 Flyers (60 percent Corsi). Scoring chances were 7-4 Flyers (5-3 high-danger edge). The Flyers also won 13 of 19 faceoffs including Kevin Hayes going 4-for-4. An overall dominant period for Philadelphia.
3) Nineteen seconds into the second period, Isac Lundeström sent a pinballing loose puck to ex-Flyer Gerry Mayhew near the left post. Jones made the stop. Owen Tippett won a puck race and rang a shot off the post about a minute into the frame.
Trying to do a little too much, Frost turned a puck over in a dangerous area high in the offensive zone. At the other end, Oskar Lindblom blocked a Simon Benoit shot.
The Ducks got on the board at 3:06. Lundeström won a left circle faceoff in the offensive zone against Patrick Brown. Fowler moved the puck to Drysdale, and Milano scored on the rebound near the left post.
Anaheim tied the game at 4:38. Aston-Reese tipped home a side-angle Adam Henrique shot from high on the left half boards. Andrej Sustr got credited with the secondary assist as the Ducks made it 2-2.
The Flyers, as a result of multiple failed clearing opportunities got caught on a very long shift in their own zone with the Laughton line on the ice. Shortly thereafter, Frost made a spectacular 1-on-1 move on the attack to start a (near) tic-tac-toe sequence with JVR and Konecny put the puck off the post point-blank at the doorstep at 9:39.
Scott Laughton was called for slashing at 12:30, putting Anaheim on their first power play. At 14:13, the Ducks worked the puck around and, from the outside the right dot, Zegras fired a shot past Jones for a power play goal. Urho Vaakanainen and Drysdale got the assists.
4) As good as the first period was for the Flyers, that's how atrocious the second period was in just about every aspect; whether by the eye test or by the numbers. The Flyers were very careless with the puck in the middle frame and paid the price severely. Second period shots were 17-4 Anaheim. Shot attempts were an astounding 35-8 Anaheim (81.4% Corsi for the Ducks). Scoring chances were 11-3 Ducks (5-2 high danger chances).
5) Showing supreme confidence, Sanheim broke up a play at the defensive end early in the second period and started a counterattack the other way.
The Flyers re-tied the game at 3-3 at the 3:53 mark of the third period. Provorov pinched in, took a centering feed from Nate Thompson and potted a goal from the slot. Cam York got the secondary assist.
Frost turned another defender inside out and created a scoring chance and found room over the middle. Sustr recovered to block a shot attempt. Shots on goal were 4-3 through seven minutes.
On their next shift Frost line created extended possession time in the attack zone ending with Stolarz coming up with a Sanheim point shot at 8:54.
Hayes and Tippett combined to create a momentary scoring chance at about the 11-minute mark. Tippett double-clutched just enough for Anaheim to recover.
Anaheim retook the lead at 11:38. Derek Grant won a faceoff against Thompson. Zegras made a spin move behind the net and Terry finished it off in front.
On the next shift, at 11:53, Attard was whistled off for interference with Zegras. The Flyers got through the kill. However, after a defensive misplay by York, the Flyers never really got straightened out in the defensive zone and ex-Flyer Grant steered a slap-pass from Sustr into the open left side of the net at 14:33. Simon got the secondary assist.
The Flyers pulled Jones for an extra attacker with just under three minutes left in regulation. Sanheim and Frost broke up or disrupted empty-net attempts for the Ducks. Stolarz made a final pair of saves.