Postgame 5: Flyers Drop 4-2 Decision to Predators

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Nashville Predators, 4-2, at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday evening. A dominant third period for Nashville was the difference in the game. The loss ended the Flyers point streak at nine games and marked the second time this season that Philly lost a game where they scored first.

Philip Tomasino scored two goals for Nashville, including the game-winner with 4:01 remaining in the third period. Cole Smith (shorthanded) and Gustav Nyquist (empty net) also scored for Nashville. Filip Forsberg and Colton Sissons each had two assists. For the Flyers, Morgan Frost and Sean Couturier scored for the Flyers.

The game play was disjointed at times, with penalties playing a significant part. In the third period, the Predators established a territorial edge. The Flyers were unable to get pucks in deep and establish a forecheck. Finally, it was the Predators who broke through to take the lead and win.

Philly took a 1-0 lead at 1:31 of the first period on a flukey goal from behind the net. Bobby Brink put the puck around the wall behind the net. The puck hit off the skate of Frost (4th goal of the season) and popped in the air. It then went off the back of goalie Juuse Saros and into the net. The assists went to Brink and Owen Tippett on what was a broken play on the front end.

The Predators scored a shorthanded goal at 1:05 of the second period to tie the game at 1-1. The play started out in the left corner of the Nashville defensive zone as the Predators won a puck battle. Rasmus Ristolainen was beaten in the neutral zone, leaving Frost to try and defend a 2-on-1. Smith (shorthanded, 5th) scored upstairs. Sissons, who has three shorthanded goals and a shorthanded assist on the season, collected the lone apple.

Philly made it 2-1 with a power play goal at 4:45 of the second period. Couturier won an offensive right circle faceoff with help from Frost. Frost kicked the puck over toward Couturier (PPG, 8th). Couturier made a move to his left and slid the puck past Saros through the five-hole. Frost was initially credited with an assist but the scoring was later changed to an unassisted goal for Couturier.

The Predators tied the game at the 5:24 mark of the second period. It started with a failed exit pass by the Flyers. After receiving a pass from Tomas Novak, Tomasino made a move and scored on a backhanded tap-in. The assists went to Novak and Forsberg.

Nashville opened a 3-2 lead at 15:59 of the third period. Cam Atkinson was unable to contain a play in the neutral zone and the puck got away. In the Philadelphia zone, after receiving a pass from Sissons, Philip Tomasino scored his second goal of the game (4th of the season).  

Gustav Nyquist scored an empty net goal with less than one second remaining on the clock to seal a 4-2 final. Forsberg drew the lone assist.

Samuel Ersson took the loss. He stopped 28 of 31 shots. Saros earned the win with 30 saves on 32 shots.

The Flyers went 1-for-4 on the power play but gave up the Smith shorthanded goal and were later unable to capitalize on a five-minute power play opportunity. The Predators were 0-for-5 including a failed two-man advantage for 30 seconds.

Marc Staal reentered the Flyers' starting lineup in this game. Egor Zamula was scratched. Otherwise, the Philadelphia lineup was the same as in Tuesday's game against the Devils.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

71 Tyson Foerster - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 25 Ryan Poehling - 89 Cam Atkinson
74 Owen Tippett - 48 Morgan Frost - 10 Bobby Brink

44 Nick Deslauriers - 21 Scott Laughton - 19 Garnet Hathaway

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
24 Nick Seeler - 26 Sean Walker
18 Marc Staal - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen

33 Samuel Ersson
[79 Carter Hart]

TURNING POINT

With the score tied at 2-2 in the third period, Atkinson was unable to finish off a breakaway opportunity. Nashville scored the GWG shortly after. 

POSTGAME 5

1) The Flyers went right on the attack after the game's opening faceoff. The Couturier line generated nearly a minute of possession time and two shots on goal. At 1:31, Frost scored a sheer puck luck goal.

The Flyers went on the game's first power play at 3:35. Filip Forsberg tripped Sean Couturier.  The Flyers generated little meaningful pressure. As the penalty expired, Forsberg had a scoring chance on a counterattacking play.

Shots on goal were 8-3 Flyers at this point. Unable to change lines, the Flyers ended up with their fourth line on the ice against the top Nashville line. Ersson froze the puck after Ryan O'Reilly won the ensuing draw against Scott Laughton and Tyson Barrie put a point shot on goal. Philly got the Couturier line out promptly. Off the next draw, Forsberg immediately fired a shot on goal. Ersson fought it off. Another shot by Forsberg followed.

With 5:26 left in the first period, after Frost mostly evaded a hit attempt by Jeremy Lauzon, Tippett backhanded a shot on net from near the left post. Shots on goal were 11-6 Flyers. 

At 16:55, Sanheim was sent to the penalty box on a holding minor that was drawn by Forsberg. Early on the kill, Laughton shook loose for a shorthanded scoring chance. He was stopped by Saros.The Flyers killed off the remainder. Seeler came up with a couple of blocks.

2) First period shots on goal were 13-9 in the Flyers' favor. Shot attempts favored Philly by a margin of 21-17. Scoring chances were 9-7 in the Predators favor. High-danger chances were split evenly at 2-2. Faceoffs were 9-4 in Nashville's favor. 

3) The Flyers went back to the power play 26 seconds into the middle stanza.  Sanheim joined the attack and was hooked by Ryan McDonagh. At 1:05, they gave up their second opposing shorthanded goal of the season.

Philly got their third power play at 4:08. McDonagh went back to the box, this time for holding. Philly scored at 4:45, but the Predators answered back immediately.

O'Reilly had a point blank chance off a feed from Forsberg. Shortly thereater, at 8:38, Walker was penalized for interference near the right post. On the ensuing power play, O'Reilly high-sticked a puck into the net at 10:08 on a delayed tripping penalty on Couturier. The goal was disallowed but the Predators went on a 5-on-3 for 30 seconds. The Flyers killed off the two-man disadvantage. Late in the remaining 5-on-4 kill, Sanheim sprung Konecny for a shorthanded chance. Saros made the save.

At 12:37, Yakov Trenin boarded Frost just inside the Nashville zone. Trenin was originally called for a checking to the head minor penalty, but it was changed on review to a major penalty. Frost, who had blood in his mouth, went to the locker room to be tended to. Frost returned to the ice midway through the five-minute power play. With 1:26 left in the major power play (16:11 of the period), Atkinson was called for a slashing minor, canceling out the rest. With three seconds left on the short Nashville power play, Tippett was stopped on backhand attempt during the shorthanded bid.

With 15.4 seconds left in the second period, Staal was called for interfering with Sherwood as the Nashville player went in on the forecheck. Nashville took 1:45 of power play time into the third period.

4) Second period shots on goal were 13-9 in Philly's favor (26-18 Flyers overall). Shot attempts favored Nashville by a margin of 21-20 (41-38 Flyers overall). Scoring chances were 13-11 in the Predators' favor (22-18 Flyers). High-danger chances were 6-4 in Nashville's favor (8-6 Predators overall). Faceoffs were 13-11 in Philly's favor (20-17 Nashville through two periods).

5) The Flyers killed off the carryover penalty. As it expired, Tomasino blasted a one-timer on net. Ersson made the save without allowing a rebound.

At 3:48, Smith had a scoring chance for nearly the same spot as he scored shorthanded back in the first period. This time. Ersson made the stop.

Atkinson had a clean breakaway attempt. Saros made the save at 6:49 as he got enough of his pad on the puck to stop a five-hole goal.

The Predators increasingly established a territorial advantage. Through 12 minutes, shots on goal were 10-3 Nashville. With time ticking below seven minutes, the Couturier line -- especially Konecny -- generated a very strong shift. Apparent penalties by McDonagh and Schenn were let go by the officials. With 5:36 remaining, Tomasino had a chance from the low slot. 

With 4:01 left in regulation, Tomasino scored to make it 3-2 Predators. The Flyers made a heavy push after pulling Ersson for an extra attacker but couldn't get the handle on a couple of shots.

Third period shots on goal were 13-9 in Nashville's favor (31-31 for the game). Shot attempts favored Nashville by a margin of 22-13 (60-54 Predators overall). Scoring chances were 13-6 in the Predators' favor (35-24 Predators overall). High-danger chances were 5-3 in Nashville's favor (13-8 Predators overall). Faceoffs were 9-8 in Philadelphia's favor (29-25 overall in Nashville's favor. Frost led the Flyers at 8-for-11, Sissons was 10-for-16 for Nashville).