Postgame 5: Flyers Drop 4-1 Verdict to Carolina

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-1, at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday evening. Turnovers proved costly for the Flyers in the first and third periods.

The Flyers played with brisk pace in the evenly played first period. However, Carolina took a one-goal lead to intermission.

A turnover in the Flyers defensive zone led to the Hurricanes taking a 1-0 lead 30 seconds into the first period on a Jalen Chatfield point shot (1st goal of the season) with layered traffic in front. The assists went to Jordan Martinook and William Carrier.

The Flyers had the lone goal in the second period, getting the game into "win a period, win the game" territory entering the third frame.

Ryan Poehling (1st goal of the season) fired a low wrister from between the circles high in the attack zone that found the net for a 1-1 tie at 2:15 of the second period. The assists went to Nick Seeler and Noah Cates.

The Hurricanes took control of the game in the third period and never let go.

Carolina regained a 2-1 lead at 1:03 of the third period Sebastian Aho (5th) scored on a low shot through traffic that trickled through the five hole. The sequence started with an Erik Johnson turnover.

An offensive zone faceoff win by Carolina and a deflection by Jordan Staal (3rd) off a Dmitry Orlov point shot opened a 3-1 lead at 6-2 of the third period.

A Ryan Poehling turnover at the red line gave Carolina short ice and resulted in a 3-1 lead at 6:57 of the third period on a Jack Roslovic (10th) tally near the net. Aho, who started the sequence, got the lone assist.

In a losing cause, Ivan Fedotov finished with 33 saves on 37 shots. Winning goalie Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 18 of 19 shots.

The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play. They were 1-for-1 on the penalty kill

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

74 Owen Tippett - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 27 Noah Cates - 39 Matvei Michkov
90 Anthony Richard - 21 Scott Laughton - 10 Bobby Brink

71 Tyson Foerster - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway

6 Travis Sanheim - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Nick Seeler - 77 Erik Johnson

5 Egor Zamula - 3 Helge Grans

82 Ivan Fedotov
[35 Aleksei Kolosov]

PP1: Sanheim,Foerster, Farabee, Konecny, Michkov
PP2: Zamula, Tippett,Couturier, Brink, Richard

Scratches: 48 Morgan Frost (healthy), 36 Emil Andrae (mid-body injury), 44 Nicolas Deslauriers (healthy), 8 Cam York (IR), 9 Jamie Drysdale (IR), 33 Samuel Ersson (IR, lower body).

TURNING POINT

Fedotov had his share of chaotic, unconventional saves during the game. stopped 19 of 20 shots over the first two periods. The Aho goal was one he'd have liked to have back.

POSTGAME 5 ("Five Things" Revisited)

1) Puck possession game

First period: Shot attempts favor Carolina, 27-18. The Flyers had 11 shots on goal to 10 for Carolina. Faceoffs were even at 8-8. However, the Flyers were charged with six giveaways (Carolina had just three), and one turnover off a failed D-zone exit opportunity for Laughton (not charged as a giveaway) proved costly.

Second period: There were quite a few icings (a combined seven) by both clubs. Philly had several "almost" plays on promising sequences that went awry. Shots on goal favored Carolina, 10-4 (20-15 overall), and the Hurricanes had a 23-14 edge in shot attempts (50-31 through two periods). Faceoffs were 10-6 Canes (18-14 Carolina overall). The Flyers were charged with eight giveaways to seven for Carolina (14 for Philly, eight for Carolina through 40 minutes).

Third period: The Flyers' turnovers and Carolina's strong puck movement proved deadly. This says it all: Shots on goal were 16-4 Canes (37-19 Carolina overall). The Canes had a 29-5 shot attempt edge (82-37 overall)

2) Shot suppression

First period: The Flyers blocked eight shot attempts by Carolina, led by three Zamula blocks. Carolina blocked two Flyers attempts but Philly also missed the net on five shot tries.

Second period: The Flyers blocked six shots (14 overall through 40 minutes). The Hurricanes blocked six (eight through two periods).

Third period: The Flyers finished with 20 shot blocks to eight for the Hurricanes. But the truest measure of shot suppression is keeping hold of the puck, and the Canes dominated puck control for the final 40 minutes.

3) Scoring from Flyers centers

First period: The Flyers did not score a goal.

Second period: Poehling's goal was just the seventh scored by a Flyers center so far this season. Cates and Seeler did a good job of starting a transitional rush from just inside the defensive blueline.

Third period: The Flyers did not score.

4) Special Teams

First period: A Tyson Foerster delay of game penalty was soon canceled out by an Andrei Svechnkov retaliatory cross-check on Garnet Hathaway. After some 4-on-4 play, the Flyers had a brief power play. At 14:04, Sebasian Aho put the puck over the glass from the defensive zone. The Flyers were unable to capitalize. Philly went back to the power play with 21.2 second left on a Jesperi Kotkaniemi tripping minor.

Second period: The Flyers took 1:39 of carryover power play time into the second period. Philly did not generate any shots on goal.

Third period: No special teams play.

5) Opponent outlook: Carolina

First period: The Flyers matched the Hurricanes' pace and generated some forechecking pressure in the offensive zone and neutral zone. However, Carolina's dangerous transition game created three scoring chances. Most importantly, the Canes took the 1-0 lead to the locker room.

Second period: The middle stanza was more of a "Hurricanes" period in terms of comparing the underlying numbers. However, the Flyers kept good pace between the whistles, and Philly had the lone goal.

Third period: The Hurricanes controlled the puck, potted three goals in rapid succession and put a stranglehold on the game.