Postgame 5: Flyers Fall to Flames, 4-3

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Calgary Flames, 4-3, at Scotiabank Saddledome on New Year's Eve. For two periods, the game was a goaltenders' duel between Samuel Ersson and Jacob Markström. The third period turned into a goal-a-thon, with Calgary scoring three times and Philadelphia scoring twice.

The Flyers did not have a good first period from a two-way play standpoint -- Calgary had too much operating room on the attack -- but the Orange and Black took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission. Loose play by both teams continued in the second period, and the Flyers and Flames both had some prime scoring chances. Calgary got the lone goal to send to game to the third period tied at 1-1.

Strong forechecking work by the Fyers created the game's first goal. Joel Farabee moved the puck down to Ryan Poehling. Poehlling then patiently waited until Rasmus Ristolainen (1st goal of the season) arrived in the right slot. After a cross-ice feed, Ristolainen scored at 9:44. A pair of miscues by Huberdeau, first in the neutral zone and then in the D zone, led up to the goal.

Calgary tied the game at 18:21 of the second period on a goal by Mikael Backlund (8th). The sequence started with Bobby Brink losing a battle up high in the defensive zone. The play turned dangerous moments later as Andrew Mangiapane fed to Backkund in the center slot. With Ersson accidentally screened by Ryan Poehling, veteran center Backlund sniped a goal. The assist went to Mangiapane and Dennis Gilbert.

Calgary took a 2-1 lead at 7:29 of the third period. A harmless looking play along the right side boards turned into a scoring chance. Jonathan Huberdeau fed a cross-ice pass over to Dennis Gilbert (1st goal of the season), who scored from 27 feet to the short-side over Ersson's blocker.

During a 4-on-4, the Flyers got an insurance goal at 14:29. Puck carrier Nazem Kadri (10th goal of the season) elected to shoot rather than pass across the ice, and was rewarded with a goal. The lone assist went to Mangiapane.

Trailing 3-1, the Flyers pulled Ersson for a 6-on-5 with an empty net. Cam Atkinson deflected a Konecny shot, and the puck went directly to Brink at the doorstep. From there, Brink knocked home his 7th goal of the season. The assists went to Atkinson and Konecny.

Now back within a goal, the Flyers pulled Ersson again to attack 6-on-5. In the defensive zone, Owen Tippett flubbed a pass and it went for a giveaway. The Flyers never recovered, although it took a couple looks until Mangiapane found Blake Coleman (13th) for a tap-in empty netter at 17:42 to make the score 4-2.

At the next opportunity, the Flyers pulled Ersson for yet another 6-on-5. Morgan Frost backhanded a pass from near the right side of the goal line through the slot. Konecny claimed the puck on the other side, and passed to Egor Zamula at center point. With traffic in front of the net, Zamula (3rd goal of the season, second goal in the last three games) wristed the puck home to narrow the gap to 4-3 at 18:38.

For the fourth time, Ersson returned to the net for the center-ice faceoff and then skated to the bench at the first opportunity. This time, the Flyers were unable to score again.

Ersson stopped 28 of 31 shots. Markström stopped 27 of 30 to win the game.

The Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play and were fortunate not to give up any shorthanded goals to Calgary counterattacks. Calgary went 0-for-2 on their power plays.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

74 Owen Tippett- 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 25 Ryan Poehling - 10 Bobby Brink
71 Tyson Foerster - 48 Morgan Frost - 89 Cam Atkinson
44 Nick Deslauriers - 21 Scott Laughton - 19 Garnet Hathaway

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
24 Nick Seeler - 26 Sean Walker
5 Egor Zamula - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen

33 Samuel Ersson

[79 Carter Hart]

TURNING POINT

The goal from unlikely scorer Gilbert gave Calgary the lead after trailing for most of the first two periods of the game. Although each team scored two more goals apiece and Coleman's empty net goal actually ended up being the game-winning goal officially, the Flyers never got the game evened up again after Gilbert scored.

POSTGAME 5:

1) Seeler blocked a shot out of play on the game's second shift. On the next shift, after a failed clearing attempt by Frost, Ersson made the game's first save at 1:31 off a Yegor Shangovich shot from up high in the zone. At 1:47, Markström gloved down a routine shot by Tippett for the Calgary' goalies first save.

Dennis Gilbert maneuvered around Brink and fired a puck on net at the 3:25 mark, Two shifts later, Sanheim had a breakaway chance but was pressured from behind and denied in close.

At 5:07, the Flyers went on the first power play as Andrew Mangiapane tripped Hathaway. In the opening seconds of the power play, Frost fed Konecny at the doorstep but the Flyers leading scorer was unable to jam the puck home in two efforts. Late in the advantage, Zamula threaded a shot to the net but it hit off Atkinson and died.

Ersson made back-to-back saves on Sharagov and Mackenzie Weeger. At the other end, Ristolainen scored at 9:44.

At 14:26, Mikael Backlund cut across the slot and had a good scoring chance. Ersson made his seventh save of the first period. At 14:59, Calgary had a dangerous scoring chance in transition. Ersson made the save on Jonathan Huberdeau from point blank range. The sequence started with Elias Lindholm cleanly winning a defensive zone draw against Frost (0-for-4 on faceoffs) and breaking the other way.

With 3:45 left in the first period, Sanheim turned over the puck up the boards in the defensive zone before Mangiapane had a prime scoring chance. On the next shift, Ersson denied a deflection chance from Dillon Dube.

2) First period shots on goal were 12-8 in Cagary's favor. Shot attempts were 21-15 Calgary. Scoring chances were 9-8 Calgary. High-danger chances were even at 4-4. Faceoffs were 16-13 Flyers (led by Couturier at 8-for-12 and Laughton at 4-for-5).

3) Frost had an A+ chance at the doorstep after Weeger turned the puck directly over to him at the doorstep. The Flyers center failed to turn it into a goal.

Martin Posposil boarded Zamula behind the Flyers' net at 1:50. The Flyers yielded a shorthanded 2-on-1 but Ersson made a 10-bell save on Lindholm. With 1:03 remaining in the penalty, Calgary had another shorthanded chance. Zamula was forced to take a holding penalty. With the Flyers shorthanded, Couturier made a toedrag-and-shoot move from the left circle. Markström made the stop with his right pad.

Through 7:01, second period shots on goal were 4-3 Flyers. On the next shift, Ersson made back-to-back saves on Lindholm.

At 9:36, York was high-sticked in the neutral zone by Blake Coleman: a needless penalty by Calgary's best PKer this season. On the first shift, Frost was stripped of the puck and got away with a stick hold. With PP2 on the ice, Brink put a left circle shot on net.

Shortly after Coleman exited the penalty box, he drove to the net and tipped a puck on net. Again, Ersson made a tough save to protect the 1-0 lead. FInally, after a long defensive zone shift, the Flyers cleared and got a much-needed line change after Couturier avoided an icing.

Frost forced a Calgary turnover and fed Atkinson for a look from 20 feet and then a followup try. Frost was the first to the rebound at the doorstep but didn't get much on his followup attempt. Markström covered the puck.

Rasmus Andersson swung around the net into the right slot to make a non-dangerous play into a scoring chance. At the other end, Frost narrowly avoided getting hit in the helmet by an aerial shot and then the puck went off Markström's mask and nearly went in the net. At 18:21, the Flames tied the game at 1-1.

Calgary had yet another dangerous scoring chance at 18:40, as Hanifin found room to pinch in directly over the middle. Seeler blocked the shot attempt to erase the chance.

4) Second period shots on goal were 11-10 in Philly's favor (21-19 in Calgary's favor over the first 40 minutes). Shot attempts were 21-17 Flyers (38-36 Flames overall). Scoring chances were tied at 12-12 (21-20 Calgary overall). High-danger chances were 5-4 Flyers per Natural Stat Trick (9-8 Flyers over 40 minutes). Faceoffs in the middle stanza were 13-5 Flyers (29-18 Flyers overall, led by Couturier at 14-for-19 and Laughton at 5-for-7).

5) Through the first 2:30 of the third period, shots on goal were 2-0 Flames. Poehling put on a burst of speed on a breakout and fired a routine shot on net from outside the right dot. Markström made the save at 6:27. Shots on goal were 3-1 Calgary up to this point of the period.

Calgary took the lead at 7:29 on Gilbert's goal. Through 11:16, shots on goal were 7-5 Calgary. At 12:54, a side-angle shot caught Ersson in the mask, breaking the strap. The goalie removed his mask and got called for delay of game. At 14:19, Weeger tripped Poehling. Calgary scored again during the ensuing 4-on-4 at 14:29.

The Flyers pulled Ersson for an extra attacker. At 16:36, Brink scored from the doorstep to bring Philly within 4-3. Coleman scored an empty net goal to seal the game at 17:42. With Ersson pulled again, Zamula made it 3-2 with 1:22 on the clock.

Third period shots on goal were 11-11 (32-30 in Calgary's favor over regulation). Shot attempts were 26-24 Flyers (63-62 Flyers overall). Scoring chances were 13-10 Philly (33-31 Flyers overall). High-danger chances were 5-2 Flyers (14-10 Flames overall per Natural Stat Trick but seemed higher for both clubs per the eye test). Faceoffs were 7-5 Calgary (34-25 Flyers overall).