POSTGAME 5: Flyers Rally But Fall in OT, 5-4

The Philadelphia Flyers staged an improbable comeback against the Ottawa Senators before losing in overtime, 5-4, at the Canadian TIre Centre on Thursday evening. The Flyers' winning streak ended at four games but their point streak extended to seven (5-0-2).

Philly, which set a dubious single-game franchise record for the fewest shots on goal (11), nonetheless clawed back from a 4-1 deficit in the third period to force overtime. At 1:36 of sudden death, Alex DeBrincat (25th goal of the season) capitalized on a turnover behind the net and scored to end the game.
Thursday's game was a very physical and feisty affair with multiple fights and, unfortunately, a couple of players leaving the game due to injuries.
Austin Watson (9th goal of the season) gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead at 10:58 of the first period. A Tony DeAngelo power play goal (11th) at 2:51 of the second period tied the game at 1-1. An even strength tally by Tim Stutzle (37th) at 7:43 and a power play marker by Shane Pinto (20th) at 16:50 built a 3-1 edge for Ottawa that the Sens took into the third period.
Former Flyers captain Claude Giroux (29th goal of the season) made it 4-1 at 2:38 of the third period. Cam York (2nd) cut the gap to 4-2 at 5:58. A Noah Cates power play goal (12th) at 9:54 brought the Flyers back within 4-3. At 17:21, after the Flyers won a puck battle behind the net, Owen Tippett (23rd) knotted the game at 4-4.
Felix Sandström played an excellent game in goal right up until the fateful OT turnover. He stopped 41 of 46 shots. Cam Talbot was credited with the win, stopping seven of 11 shots.
The Flyers went 2-for-2 on the power play; the first road game all season in which Philadelphia scored more than once on the man advantage. The Senators were 1-for-3.
John Tortorella was not behind the bench for the game. He opted instead to watch the game upstairs with interim general manager Danny Briere. Assistant coach Brad Shaw handled behind-the-bench duties.
FLYERS STARTING LINEUP
86 Joel Farabee - 48 Morgan Frost - 74 Owen Tippett
21 Scott Laughton - 49 Noah Cates - 57 Wade Allison
25 James van Riemsdyk - 13 Kevin Hayes - 22 Brendan Lemieux
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 58 Tanner Laczynski - 20 Kieffer Bellows
9 Ivan Provorov - 45 Cam York
6 Travis Sanheim - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Nick Seeler - 77 Tony DeAngelo
32 Felix Sandström
[33 Samuel Ersson]
TURNING POINT
After the Flyers' three-goal comeback in the third period forced OT (despite being outshot 44-11), the game went to 3-on-3 sudden death.
Ristolainen hit the post at one end. At the other, Sandström turned the puck over directly to DeBrincat behind the net. DeBrincat stepped out in front and scored to end the game at 1:36.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) The Frost line established a forecheck on the game's first shift. The Senators turned the puck over. Ristolainen blasted a shot on net at the 29-second mark. At the other end of the ice, a Travis Hamonic point shot bounced high in the air.
JVR had a clean breakaway with a chance for career goal No. 299. He beat Talbot to the glove side but hit the post. A rebound follow-up by DeAngelo hit the post. Moments later, at 2:10, Lemieux took a boarding penalty against Shane Pinto.
On the ensuing power play, Pinto steered a Claude Giroux feed to point blank range wide of the net. The Flyers killed the rest successfully.
With play back at 5-on-5, the Ottawa top line got Tanner Laczynksk's line hemmed in the defensive zone on a long shift. No damage ensued.Shots were 3-1 Ottawa through 6:42.
At 6:56, Stutzle went around Provorov on a rush and took the puck to the net, Moments later, he hit the post. When play swung the other way, Frost put a backhander on net.
The Senators took a 1-0 lead at 10:58. With Mark Kastelic lurking at the net, 1Watson scored a rebound goal from the slot as the puck bounced around. After the goal, Hamonic limped to the locker room.
Through 13 minutes, shots were 12-2 Ottawa. Play settled down over the next few minutes but there was no offensive push from the Flyers. At about the 16 minute mark, TIppett thumped Stutzle with a bodycheck. Brady Tkachuk responded in kind to Tippett at the end of the shift.
Giroux won a draw against Frost. Battling a bouncing puck, Giroux nearly made something out of nothing. The puck bounced past Sandström but didn't go in. When play moved the other way, it was Tippett's turn to combat a bouncing puck. At the end of the shift, Giroux was stopped point blank off a feed by Stutzle: A great save by Sandström.
2) The Flyers were badly outskated and disconnected for the majority of the first period. They were fortunate, in fact to only be down 1-0. First period shots on goal were 17-2 Ottawa. Shot attempts were 31-7 Ottawa. Scoring chances were 18-4 Ottawa with an 8-2 high-danger edge. Faceoffs were 12-6 Senators.
3) Cates was high-sticked by Pinto behind the Ottawa net at 1:32. The Flyers went on the power play. The Flyers tied the game at 2:51. A Frost shot was blocked. Hayes went back to York at the left point. York rotated it to DeAngelo, who shot and scored through a JVR screen. The assists went to York and Hayes.
DeAngelo wedged off Alex DeBrincat with a big hit along the side boards at about the five-minute mark. One shift later, Watson dropped York on a hit that was a borderline charge. York left the game but returned after undergoing concussion protocol.
The Senators took a 2-1 lead at 7:43, A double-deflected point shot hit the crossbar and bounced directly to Stutzle for a tap-in.
On the next shift, Tippett worked a give-and-go with Frost. Behind the play, Farabee took exception to a hit from Alex DeBrincat and dropped the gloves with the pint-sized forward at 8:13.
Deslauriers dropped the gloves with Watson at 9:10 and delivered a one-sided beating. Kastelic went after Deslauriers to start another fight. Tkachuk jawed with Lemieux. The penalties canceled out, so there were no power plays.Deslauriers and Watson received initial fighting majors, while Deslauriers and Kastelic picked up game misconducts on top of fighting majors.
Erik Brannström had a look at the net after a rare Cates turnover. At 12:27, there was after-the-whistle pushing and shoving by the benches. The Flyers were called for too many men on the ice, while Laughton and Brannström received matching minors for roughing.
On the Ottawa power play. Sandström battled through an accidental screen by Seeler to come up with a Tkachuk shot. The goalie subsequently covered a puck that bounced on net off a defensive skate.
At 15:01, Provorov was called for tripping Pinto in a race for a loose puck in the Flyers' zone. Tkachuk one-timed a shot attempt wide and, shortly thereafter, steered a pass to the net wide. Seeler blocked a shot. The Flyers failed on two clearing attempts on a bouncing puck but it went to Sandström. With 10 seconds left, there was a scramble at the net. Derick Brassard's leg got awkwardly pinned underneath him and needed considerable assistance to get off the ice after the play. The puck came out in front. Tippett blocked a shot and Pinto tipped an aerial puck in the net at 16:50. Mathieu Joseph earned the lone assist.
Ottawa's Jake Sanderson was hobbled on a blocked shot but returned for the start of the third period. At the other end of the ice, Drake Batherson hit the short-side crossbar.
4) Second period shots on goal were 10-3 Senators (27-5 through 40 minutes). Shot attempts were 26-12 Ottawa. Scoring chances were 15-6 Ottawa with a 7-2 high-danger edge. Through two periods, faceoffs were 21-18 Ottawa.
5) Cates put a left circle shot on net -- just the sixth for the Flyers -- at the 46-second mark of the third period. At 1:35, with help from Provorov, Sandström stopped Pinto. On the next shift, a Hayes turnover led to a Grade A chance.
At 2:38, Giroux received a stretch pass from Stutzle, and beat Sandström with a rising shot from the deep slot to make it 4-1 Ottawa. Stutzle and Tyler Kleven (first NHL point) earned the assists.
Frost did some nifty stickhandling in the offensive zone but finally got the puck poked away as he looked to make a pass. The puck went directly to York, who skated down to the right dot and sniped a goal over Talbot at 5:22. The helpers went to Frost and Provorov. Note: The assists were subsequently taken away and the goal was scored as unassisted.
At 9:43, the Flyers went back to the power play on a Watson interference penalty. Philly made quick work of it, wining the draw and scoring at 9:54. A Ristolainen point shot went off Cates and into the net. Ristolainen and DeAngelo received the assists.
Sandström stopped a point shot and a rebound attempt by Giroux to keep the game within 4-3 at 10:14. Giroux subsequently had a breakaway but was denied on a partially blocked backhander. With 7:41 left on the clock, DeBrincat haad a breakaway.
With 5:53 left in regulation, Farabee had a good scoring chance in transition.
At 17; 21, the Flyers tied the game at 4-4. There was a lengthy scrum along the boards. Finally Frost dug it out behind the net and somehow found Sanheim out in front.Sanheim then shuffled the puck to TIppett, who scored. Bellows must have gotten a touch on the sequence because the assists were credited to Sanheim and Bellows.
The Flyers got away with two dangerous turnovers -- including a giveaway right over the middle by Laughton. Zub then blasted a point shot on net.
In the final 20 seconds of regulation, Frost made a diving play to break up a 2-on-1. The game went to overtime.
Third period shots on goal were 17-6 Ottawa. Shot attempts were 22-10 Ottawa. Scoring chances were 10-7 Ottawa with a 5-3 high-danger edge to the Senators.